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Technology and the Environment
Humanities 110 PowerPoint #7
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Why is the environment important when
discussing technology and society?
Environment provides resources and raw
materials for manufacturing and powering
tools, processes, machines etc.
Our environment provides energy needed
to power modern life.
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In other words. . . Technology would not be possible without
the resources provided by the our
environment.
But technology changes the environment
by mining, gathering, processing, and using
resources (including energy).
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There are increasing pressures on the
environment today:
Decrease in natural resources, especially fossil
fuels like petroleum
Increased demand for natural resources as theworld becomes smaller, flatter and more
interconnected through the process of globalization
Increase in population will place increased
demands on natural resources to meet even our
basic needs (How will we feed all 9 billion of us that
may be on the planet by 2050?)
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Central question Will our technology evolve fast enough to
offset the environmental problems caused
by an increase in population, increase indemand for resources to fuel our
technology?
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What is the Environment? A good simple definition is the
world around us. Here are some other important words:
Ecosystem:
all of the natural world
Ecology: the study of the mutual relationship between organisms and this
natural world, including the effects of man and technology on the
environment.
Climate:
patterns of weather over time
Weather:
short term climate conditions
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High risk issues related to technologys
effects on the environment
Habitat destruction
Climate Change
Hotter temperatures
Species extinction
Loss of biological diversity (biodiversity)
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Habitat destruction Trends:
Deforestation 1/3 of the rain forests have disappeared
Estimates are that by 2020 only 5% of the rain forests will remain untouched(source: IUCN)
Desertification
Loss of wetlands
have been destroyed in the US since Colonial Times
Loss of coastal wetland ecosystems are very vulnerable to rising sealevels associated with climate change
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Why we should care about
habitat destruction Of the 3,000 species of plants that fight
cancer, 70% are in the rain forest
Huge effects on the weather
Storms probably will increase in intensity and
number
Wetlands are important as fisheries and asnatural water purifiers
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Stop and think: What occurred in the Louisiana wetlands the summer of 2010?
The Gulf Coastline of Louisiana is home to 40% of the remaining
wetlands in the USA.
How is this related to the choices we make about energy andtechnology?
An irony to consider: our technology has enabled us to drill for oil
one mile under the ocean!
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Local effects in ENC likely Loss of land due to rising sea levels
Coastal water supplies threatened
Flooding more common and more severe
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Rising sea levels in ENC
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http://epa.gov/climatechange/ef
fects/coastal/slrmaps_sa.html
This map provides
a look at how farrising sea levels
could go in North
Carolina.
http://epa.gov/climatechange/effects/coastal/slrmaps_sa.htmlhttp://epa.gov/climatechange/effects/coastal/slrmaps_sa.htmlhttp://epa.gov/climatechange/effects/coastal/slrmaps_sa.htmlhttp://epa.gov/climatechange/effects/coastal/slrmaps_sa.html7/30/2019 Technology and the Environment Spring 2013.pptx
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How habitats are destroyed Agricultural
Mining
Overfishing
Building
Run-offs Climate change
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What is ClimateChange?Here is how the EPA definesclimate change and how it is
different from global warming:
The term climate change is often
used interchangeably with the term
global warming, but according to
the National Academy of Sciences,
"the phrase 'climate change' is
growing in preferred use to 'global
warming' because it helps convey
that there are [other] changes in
addition to rising temperatures.
Climate change refers to any
significant change in measures of
climate (such as temperature,
precipitation, or wind) lasting for anextended period (decades or
longer).
Climate Change Basic Information.
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basici
nfo.html 20 EPA. 20 May 2010. Web. 8
June 2010.
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The warming of the earth is no longer denied by scientists,
even government officials.
Quotation from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Human activity has been increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere (mostly carbon dioxide from combustion of coal, oil, and
gas; plus a few other trace gases). There is no scientific debate on this point.Pre-industrial levels of carbon dioxide (prior to the start of the Industrial
Revolution) were about 280 parts per million by volume (ppmv), and current
levels are greater than 380 ppmv and increasing at a rate of 1.9 ppm yr-1
since 2000. The global concentration of CO2 in our atmosphere today far
exceeds the natural range over the last 650,000 years of 180 to 300 ppmv.
According to the IPCC Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES), by theend of the 21st century, we could expect to see carbon dioxide concentrations
of anywhere from 490 to 1260 ppm (75-350% above the pre-industrial
concentration).
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.html
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Causes of Climate Change Natural causes
Human activities
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How much climate change is due to
man and how much is natural?
There is increasing evidence that we live at
the end of a recurring pattern of 10,000
years of warmth followed by 90,000 yearsof cold (ice ages).
You will find more information about this in
Ice Age Memory one of your assignedreadings for this week.
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Natural causes These include changes in the Earths
orbit, the suns intensity, the circulation
of the ocean and the atmosphere, andvolcanic activity.
Although the Earths climate has changed
many times throughout its history, the rapidwarming seen today cannot be explained
by natural processes alone.HUM 110 PP 7
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Human activities Contribute to climate change Some of these activities include burning fossil fuels, cutting
down forests, and developing land for farms, cities, and roads.These activities all release greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere.
Some amount of greenhouse gases is necessary for life to exist on
Earththey trap heat in the atmosphere, keeping the planet warm
and in a state of equilibrium. But this natural greenhouse effect is
being strengthened as human activities (such as the combustion of
fossil fuels) add more of these gases to the atmosphere, resulting in a
shift in the Earths equilibrium.
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What is the greenhouse effect?
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http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwar
ming/what.html
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwarming/what.htmlhttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwarming/what.htmlhttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwarming/what.htmlhttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwarming/what.html7/30/2019 Technology and the Environment Spring 2013.pptx
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The term greenhouse effect describes how water vapor, carbondioxide, and other "greenhouse" greenhouse gases absorb some
of the energy that is emitted from the Earth's surface, preventing
this energy from being lost to space. As a gases in the atmosphere
alter the return of energy to space, and in turn, change the
temperature at the Earth's surface. These result, the lower
atmosphere warms and sends some of this energy back to the
Earth's surface. When the energy is "recycled" in this way, theEarth's surface warms.
Life on Earth would be very different without the greenhouse effect.
The greenhouse effect keeps the long term annual average
temperature of the Earth's surface approximately 32C (or about
58F) higher than it would be otherwise.
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http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwar
ming/what.html
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.htmlhttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwarming/what.htmlhttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwarming/what.htmlhttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwarming/what.htmlhttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwarming/what.htmlhttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.html7/30/2019 Technology and the Environment Spring 2013.pptx
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How is the Greenhouse Effectrelated to Global Warming? Over the past century, atmospheric carbon dioxide (as
measured from ice cores) has increased due to human
activities from 300 to 380 parts per million (ppm), and the
average Earth temperature has increased approximately
0.7C (or about 1.3F).
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwar
ming/what.html
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Increase of C02 since 1000 AD
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http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwar
ming/what.html
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Quote from Ice Age Memory
For at least half a million years, and probably a lot longer,
warm periods and ice ages have alternated according to a
fairly regular, if punishing, pattern: ten thousand years of
warmth followed by ninety thousand years of cold. The
current warm period, the Holocene, is now ten thousand
years old, and all things being equalwhich is to say had
we not interfered with the pattern by burning fossil fuels
we should now be heading toward another ice age(Kolbert, 144).
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So is climate change no big deal?
No, because the side effects are
completely unknown and could include
these results: Could trigger cooler temperatures by shutting
down the Gulf Stream
Could result in wild temperature swings fromvery hot to very cold within decades
Could actually hasten the next Ice Age
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2012 hottest year ever in
USA!
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/01/130109-warmest-year-record-2012-
global-warming-science-environment-united-states/
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Worldwide 2012 was in top
ten hottest years ever 2012 global temperatures 10th highest on record
2012 was also warmest "La Nia year" on record
The globally-averaged temperature for 2012 marked the 10 th warmest year since recordkeeping began in 1880. It also marked the 36th consecutive year with a global temperatureabove the 20th century average. The last below-average annual temperature was 1976.Including 2012, all 12 years to date in the 21st century (20012012) rank among the 14warmest in the 133-year period of record. Only one year during the 20st century1998waswarmer than 2012.
Most areas of the world experienced higher-than-average annual temperatures, includingmost of North and South America, most of Europe and Africa, and western, southern, and farnortheastern Asia. Meanwhile, most of Alaska, far western Canada, central Asia, parts of theeastern and equatorial Pacific, southern Atlantic, and parts of the Southern Ocean were
notably cooler than average. Also , the Arctic experienced a record-breaking ice melt season
while the Antarctic ice extent was above average. Source: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/
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How did 2011 measure up? 2011 tied with 1997 as the 11th hottest year
on record.
This year tied 1997 as the 11th warmest year since records began in
1880. The annual global combined land and ocean surface
temperature was 0.51C (0.92F) above the 20th century average of
13.9C (57.0F). This marks the 35th consecutive year, since 1976,
that the yearly global temperature was above average. The warmestyears on record were 2010 and 2005, which were 0.64C (1.15F)
above average. From http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/
Accessed January 26, 2012.
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2011 was unusually wet! The 2011 globally-averaged precipitation over land was
the second wettest year on record, behind 2010.
Precipitation varied greatly across the globe. La Nia
contributed to severe drought in the Horn of Africa and to
Australias third wettest year in its 112-year period of
record.
From State of the Climate Global Analysis Annual 2011. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. National Climatic Data Center. 19-Jan-2012 .
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/. 26 January 2012.
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2010 compared to averages
for 1971-2000
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Link to National Geographic
video on Global Warming http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJAbATJ
Cugs&feature=related
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So wheres the global warming?
Why isnt it always colder?
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Shot from noaa.gov of
the tremendous snow
storm which stretched
2,100 miles across the
USA February 1, 2011.
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Warming can lead to colder
winters
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/science/earth/25cold.html
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/frigid-winters-and-the-
polar-vortex/?ref=earth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjmHMSv2AmkHUM 110 PP 7
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How warmer weather can
lead to colder winters Since satellites began tracking it in 1979, the ice on the Arctic
Oceans surface in the bellwether month of September has declined
by more than 30 percent. It is the most striking change in the terrain
of the planet in recent decades, and a major question is whether it isstarting to have an effect on broad weather patterns.
Ice reflects sunlight, and scientists say the loss of ice is causing the
Arctic Ocean to absorb more heat in the summer. A handful of
scientists point to that extra heat as a possible culprit in the recent
harsh winters in Europe and the United States.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/scienc
e/earth/25cold.html
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Fence weakened Their theories involve a fast-moving river of air called the
jet stream that circles the Northern Hemisphere. Many
winters, a strong pressure difference between the polar
region and the middle latitudes channels the jet stream
into a tight circle, or vortex, around the North Pole,
effectively containing the frigid air at the top of the world.
Its like a fence . . . When that pressure difference
diminishes, however, the jet stream weakens andmeanders southward, bring warm air into the Arctic and
cold air into the mid latitudes.http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/science/earth/25cold.html
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Change in the jet stream The uncertainty about what is causing the strange winters highlights a
core difficulty of climate science. While mainstream researchers are
sure that greenhouse gases released by humans are warming the
Earth, they acknowledge being on shakier ground in trying to predictthe regional effects of that change. It is entirely possible, they say,
that some regions will cool temporarily, because of disruption of the
atmospheric and oceanic circulation, even as the Earth warms over
all.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/scienc
e/earth/25cold.html
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/earth_planet/index.html?inline=nyt-classifierhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/science/earth/25cold.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/science/earth/25cold.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/science/earth/25cold.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/science/earth/25cold.htmlhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/earth_planet/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier7/30/2019 Technology and the Environment Spring 2013.pptx
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Whats the bottom line?WHAT WE DO KNOW:
-The climate is changing worldwide
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But . ..NOBODY really knows:
how much of climate change is due to man,
how much is due to natural causes,
how we can effectively slow the change if we
decide to,
or what the short or long terms effects will be
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Findings from the IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change
International group of scientists whichcollects and interprets climate data
Publishes assessment reports which
analyze causes and effects of climatechange.
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Major findings from latest IPCC
assessment report
Last Assessment Report (TAR) released in
2007
http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg2/ar4-wg2-spm.pdf
Pay particular attention to page 18,
examples of major impacts by sector
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Examples of why biodiversity is
important: Keeps us alive
Diverse plant life purifies water and air
Diverse plants needed to fix nitrogen, which
is important for plants to grow
Biodiversity helps to recycle nutrients and
waste
Diverse insects needed to pollinate our
cropsHUM 110 PP 7
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How big is the problem? Only about 1.75 million of the estimated 13-14 million
species on earth have been identified and described.
Many species are being destroyed before even being
catalogued.
Source The Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species/red_list/?1695
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Pandas and Polar Bears
Gone? At least 76 mammals have become extinct
since 1500.
Up to 36% of all mammals may be at risk.
Think: Why should we be particularly concerned
about the extinction of mammals?
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Medium risk issues related to
technology and the environment Herbicides and pesticides
Surface water pollution http://www.earth911.org/waterquality/default.asp?cluster=8
Airborne toxic substances
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Low risk (??)issues related to
technology and the environment The next three slides are very telling in that
they show how quickly low risk issues can
become very high risk concerns. When I first put together this PowerPoint
these three issues were all considered
Low Risk problems. I leave these in toillustrate how complacent we can be about
potentially very serious problems.HUM 110 PP 7
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Low Risk (Not Really) # 1:
Oil SpillsDo I really need to comment on this? This was a
low risk issue when I revised this PowerPoint
in September, 2009! DUH!Just a little over two years ago in the summer of
2010 we were in the midst of the Gulf Oil Spill.
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BP Gulf Oil Spill, 2010
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This is a remarkable photo of the
Deep Horizon, the oil rig which
exploded and sank in the Gulf of
Mexico April 2010, 2010, killing
eleven workers and rupturing a
pipeline on the bottom of the gulf.
Since then oil has been spewing out
at the rate of probably about 15,000
barrels per day. Source: New York
Times.
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Low Risk (Not Really) #2:
Radioactive wastes fromnuclear plants
Certainly another DUH! if you watched the
Japanese earthquake/tsunami/nuclear power plant
disaster unfold last spring!
Guess which country has the highest number of
nuclear plants? Built on earthquake faults?
Answer: The USA!
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Low risk (not really) #3
Groundwater pollution
The USA is blessed with one of the most abundant supplies
of natural gas in the world. One of the recent technologies
developed to remove that gas involves drilling miles belowthe earth, forcing chemicals down to the natural gas
fields, and then pumping it to the surface. The process is
called hydraulic fracturing or fracking for short. There is
increasing evidence that this technique is leading towidespread pollution of groundwater. In fact in some
areas this technique has left so much benzene (yes, the
stuff in your cigarette lighter) in the water, that tap water
BURNS. HUM 110 PP 7
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Dont believe it? Check this
out these sources http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=timfvNgr_Q4
Or if you prefer, a more traditional discussion is at
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-
baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-
44383.html?pagewanted=all
Note: This article discusses the assertion made by energycompanies that the problem is not with the process, but with how
the wells are constructed.
HUM 110 PP 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=timfvNgr_Q4http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwire-baffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone-44383.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=timfvNgr_Q47/30/2019 Technology and the Environment Spring 2013.pptx
54/55
For more information:
EPA Climate Change Website
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.ht
ml http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/indicator
s.html
HUM 110 PP 7
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/climatechange/indicators.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/climatechange/indicators.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/climatechange/indicators.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/climatechange/indicators.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.html7/30/2019 Technology and the Environment Spring 2013.pptx
55/55
An interesting read via free
e-book
HUM 110 PP 7
If youre interested in this topic, here is the
link to a free e-book about an ambitious
plan to save the world.
I found it interesting because Brown
proposes that in the end, technology is our
only hope for feeding all 9 billion of us by
2050!
Some very interesting insights even if you
dont buy into the whole plan.
http://www.earth-
policy.org/index.php?/books/pb4
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