Author: kimberlycalderon

While Donald Trump has allocated $1 trillion to rebuild America’s infrastructure, his plan is flawed because it relies heavily on private financing. Putting this responsibility on private companies allows companies to build based on profit and not sustainability. Therefore, if the government were more involved tax-payer dollars could be used more efficiently in order to build green/grey infrastructure. This article shows the importance of  investing in infrastructure, we can take Flint Michigan as an example, the water crisis in Michigan could’ve been avoided if  the pipe lines were changed and updated. In the long run this update would not only help the health of the residents, but save the state money. If the pipes are replaced with sustainable durable materials they would hold up better. Therefore, as this article suggests, sustainable infrastructure is necessary to reduce pollution and to save the country money in the long run.

Building the Future: Sustainable Infrastructure

This article showcases the impact art has on viewers. Art is interpretational allowing viewers to form their own opinions. During this process viewers are more likely to take interest because they are not being forced to learn, instead they are educating themselves. Professor John Robinson also states the importance of giving people the freedom to interpret on their own, “Around 90% of the visitors changed their cultural perceptions of animals and spontaneously made statements about the need for more sustainable lifestyles that can help conserve these animals. This happened without a single word being uttered or printed about conservation or sustainability. Viewers were subjected to an emotional experience, allowed to internalize it for themselves and see where that took them”. Usually people are taught through structured lectures and facts, this leads to emotional detachment. People are less inclined to care if they are bombarded with facts, but through art they form emotional attachments. This leads us to question our approach when spreading awareness on sustainability. Scientists should take a step back from lecturing (with data) to explore other avenues of spreading awareness.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171020182513.htm

This article quantifies the effects of pollution. To generalize, pollution is responsible for 16% of all deaths globally,
“Pollution, which us at the root of many diseases and disorders that plague humankind, is entirely preventable”(Lanphear).Moreover, negative effects of pollution disproportionately kills low income people (with 92% of deaths occurring in low income countries). This shows a link between money and environmental issues; leading countries should do their part and switch over to eco-friendly energy (seeing as third world countries may not have the resources). As more nations move towards sustainability more will follow. Lastly, this percentage is projected to increase if nothing is changed. Therefore, we should continue to encourage innovations in sustainability.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171023182558.htm

The risk of flooding has increased in NYC due to a rise in sea levels caused by pollution, global warming etc. The research preformed in this article shows that Antarctic ice sheets will melt, green house gases will increase and this will become visible  in sea level in New York City. We need to further exam this because flooding itself does not cause shock value/great concern but flooding will cause loses to biodiversity and property damage. Along with organism displacement future NYC residents are at risk by, “2100 the estimated 500-year flood height would be 17 feet, and by 2300 the 500-year flood height would be about 50 feet” (Penn State). Although 2100 seems far far away, it is not. Future changes in sea level and storms would be smaller if policies were put into place.

Policy makers should tax corporations more (specifically tax oil/fuel companies) if they chose to continue with non eco-friendly methods. This will push companies to develop better practices and dimish the risk of future flooding especially in NYC. Along with this NYC residents should reduce their waste because if not future generations will have to deal with the mess we’ve created and perpetuated.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161102134504.htm

As a society we have become hyper aware of the implications of pollution. One if not the most common mode of population is through gas emissions from cars. Our constant search for alternatives have lead to hybrid cars and electric ones, but this is not attainable for everyone. These alternatives are costly, but we can expect another alternative: sewage.

Scientist have projected that wastewater treatment plants will be able to turn sewage into biocrude oil.  This would be an amazing alternative because the U.S. treats approximately 34 billion gallons of sewage everyday. According to the article this would produce up to 30 million barrels of oil per year. Not only would this help with discarding waste and creating more eco friendly fuel, this fuel would give local governments signifcant cost savings. These savings would come from eliminating the need for sewage residuals processing, transport and disposal.

Overall, this fuel would cut costs and emissions of harmful gasses. This process is said to start up in 2018 in Vancouver. Hopefully if this shows reduction of pollution once in place the rest of the world will adopt it.

A newly developed system of solar powered electrolysis cells that can convert carbon dioxide into hydrocarbon and oxygenate products has been created. This newly created system is said to mimic photosynthesis at a more efficient rate than plants. In more recent years we have seen a deterioration Earth’s climate. This has been apparent with a rise in temperature levels, global warming and the thinning O-Zone layer. A system like this is pivotal.

This system could become one of the lead methods of alternative energy. Politicians often make excuses for not investing in methods of sustainability, but this method is powered by the sun- a free factor that will never be in deficit. Not only is this method efficient it is also incredibly cheap. At the rate that we are using harmful energy sources we are going to continue to face serious consequences . Therefore, this plan gives us a solution to continue to live our indulgent lives while being conscience of our effects on the environment. This method is a step forward in science and living a more sustainable life.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170918151713.htm