Plan B 4.0, Ch. 10/Earth Charter

Principles one of the Earth Charter says that "Recognize that all beings are interdependent and every form of life has value regardless of its worth to human beings." I think a lot of people forget about the meaningfulness of some creatures. We as a class had an activity where we talked about some species of animals we thought we do not benefit from. after writing down many species we talked about it and realized that everything written on the board was useful in some way. Humans think that because we are a superior race we do not need other species, when in reality we benefit from them more than they benefit from us. in class we talked about how we are taking for granted the soil under our feet. We are making away the nutrients in the soil needed to grow crops and feed other species. We need to stop being so self centered and worry about the other beings that are part of the planet.

Principles two of the Earth Charter says that "with increased freedom, knowledge, and power comes increased responsibility to promote the common good." This is a quote we will continue to hear and see. it is a quote that is very meaningful. We have always fought for freedom nations have always struggle to obtain freedom and act irresponsible to obtain and after obtaining these freedoms. We destroy each other and the planet fighting for the right to be free but rather than being responsible after we exploit these freedoms. Brown talks about being responsible as a whole race in many of his chapters we talks about working together to better our cities and to be responsible and protect our nature. He talks about ways of being responsible like saving energy and being responsible about the things we use on an everyday basis. We have to spread peace and common good to other because we are all the same and we all benefit from the planet the same. We have to stand together and peacefully fight for the ending of violence against each other and nature. Stopping the unnecessary killing of species of animals and plants that are endangered that we cannot use to benefit from.  

Principles three of the Earth Charter says that we have to "ensure that communities at all levels guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms and provide everyone an opportunity to realize his or her full potential. I think this is something we keep dealing with all around the world. Hating others for the religion they practice of because of the color of their skin instead of seeing what another person has to offer to this planet no matter how they view it. Brown talks about different countries working together and switching to renewable energy to be able to plan for the future and we should do so without judging other on how they look or what they believe in.

Principles three of the Earth Charter says that "Transmit to future generations values, traditions, and institutions that support the long-term flourishing of Earth's human and ecological communities." Going back to the last point we should teach the next generations that come the right way to view others instead of passing on the bad traits we have now. We should encourage peace between races instead of teaching the young ones how to hate others. 

Ch. 3 Climate Change and the Energy Transition

"We are entering a new era, one of rapid and often unpredictable climate change"

I think a lot of people can agree with Brown in this quote. We only have ourselves to blame for the negative effects we've had on the planet. But the future is unpredictable. Even if we work together and decrease the amount of carbon being burned for energy climate change can be inevitable. It would still take the earth many years to accommodate for the changes we create. So short term we might not see a lot of results but that does not mean that there might not be any long term results. 

"Thus, once coal-fired power plants are closed or wood cooking stoves in villages are replaced with solar cookers, atmospheric soot disappears rapidly"

I don't think that closing coal-power plants are the main things that deposit CO2 into the atmosphere. They are a big part of the problem but when I think of things we could do i think a lot about transportation and at how much fuel we burn with transportation. We burn a lot of fuel using cars but what about bigger scale like planes for example. There are thousands of planes flying around burning more fuel than cars. When commercial planes are parked in airports they don't turn off the engines. They keep the engines running while people onboard the planes, when they clean them, refuel and finally when people board the plane. Thankfully some countries have found different ways of powering and moving trains but when trains moved by burning coal they were big coal burners. So I think the first step would be to find new ways to create energy other than burning  coal in plants but finding new ways of transportation will have a big effect as well.

"If all the ice in the Arctic Ocean melts, it will not affect sea level because the ice is already in the water."

I don't understand what Brown means here because we hear the biggest effect of global warming is melting ice which is making sea level rise. Why does he say that "it will not affect sea level"? As water melts it requires more space to take up which is why melting ice is so dangerous as it could create sea water to go inland. He states that the ice is in the water so it would not affect sea level but ice doesn't require as much space because since ice is frozen water the hydrogen particles are farther apart causing ice to float. 

Preface and Ch. 1 in Lester Brown's Plan B 4.0

"The good news is that the shift to renewable energy is occurring at a rate and on a scale that we could not imagine even two years ago" (Brown, 13) 

Renewable energy has been pushed a lot in the last few years by a lot of governments due to the high rise of temperatures in the earths atmospheres. These temperature changes could result in the melting of ice caps in the arctic. I'm glad Brown included this in the preface, bringing the importance of making the switch to renewable energy. Renewable energy could be the solution to keeping the climate of the atmosphere in check. 

"Three fourths of oceanic fisheries are now being fished at or beyond capacity or are recovering from overexploitation. If we continue with business as usual, many of these fisheries will collapse"(Brown 15) 

While I agree with Brown in the fact that these fisheries will collapse, I disagree with this in that this will hurt companies. Fishing companies will continue to over fish the ocean because the demands will always stay high. These companies have great amounts of money and are able to bribe themselves off any citations given to them for overfishing certain spots. For example, fishing for whales has been deemed illegal in many parts of the world. Japan does not have any laws against whaling and since there is a demand for the meat of these creatures the fishing companies there will continue to hunt them.

"As economic decisionmakers—whether consumers, corporate planners, government policymakers, or investment bankers—we all depend on the market for information to guide us."(Brown 16)

I don't understand why these economic decision makers still rely on the information given to them by the market when the markets are giving wrong information. They should be able to based their decisions off other data. These markets give wrong information in order to have control over their prices. Demand is what drives prices and if they can control the prices of a product with a high demand they are able to profit exponentially. 

Smith A Land Remembered

After finishing the Book I found the novel to be very entertaining and easy to read. My favorite character in the novel was Zech. I connected a lot with his story and the way he thought throughout the novel. He was Tobias and Emma's son. His story begins as a young boy growing up in upstate Florida in a little cabin his father built in the shrubs. His family did not have much of anything to give him during his early years in life since they practically lived without an income and fed off animals his father could kill. As he grew up he helped his father herd cattle down to a port where it could then be sold. He and his father along with the help of other hired men practically built a fortune herding cattle. He later got married to Glenda and they had a son named Sol.

Since Zech grew up in the middle of the woods and was always surrounded by wildlife I think he had a strong connection to nature. Simply because there was really nothing else around him. He was a great horse rider and knew how to deal with nature as if nature was in his blood. He felt really awkward being around more civilized areas and always went back to his woods where he felt at home.

I think Zech experience a sense of place at the custard-apple forrest where he went to visit the Indians. I think to his this was a sacred place where nature was running a full coarse and he felt he was part of it. I think this is why knowing there was not much that could be done with that land he chose to buy it and ultimately wanted to preserve it. Throughout the novel when this place was mentioned by him it felt as if he was part of this place and it was where he felt at home.

I related to Zech in the way that like him I grew up fairly poor but was always happy with anything given to me by my parents. In the novel when Zech was a young boy he was really happy being out in the woods and riding horses and herding cows. To him nothing else matter and he was happy. When I was a young boy even though I did not live in the wilderness riding horses and chasing after cows I was happy playing sport with my friends in the streets and being out in parks and not worrying about expensive toys other kids had. After Zech's family started to gain more income he was still very appreciative of what he had and never took all the struggle for granted and that is how I am today.

Leopold A Land Ethic

"In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo-sapiens from conqueror of land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for the fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such..." Leopold

I think many people can agree with the author when he says this. growing up we always hear that humans are the superior race of animals. And that may be true in many ways but we are part of this planet as much as all the other species that have been here long before us. We have taken the planet as if we own it. We have killed many species of animals as well as plants sometimes for necessity and sometimes for sport. We should not think just because we have evolved more than other species and consider ourselves superior that we are owners of the planet and we may choose to do with it what we please. We are merely another member of a community and must learn to share every resource provided to us.

"The less violent the man made changes, the greater the probability of successful readjustment in the pyramid." Leopold

I think that no matter how violent, the changes we make to an environment will affect the species that live in it. The best thing to do would be not to make anymore changes to the environment. Or to make sure that if we are going to make changes to plan ahead and think of all the life we might be destroying and find ways to preserve that life. In class we learned how Florida environmentalist saw how much destruct6ion change would bring to the land and they fought to keep part of the land reserved. But not a lot places thought or simply cared about what and who change would affect.

"One of the requisites for an ecological comprehension of land is an understanding of ecology, and this is by no means co- extensive with 'education'; in fact, much higher education seems deliberately to avoid ecological concepts."

I dont understand what the author means by "much higher education seems to deliberately to avoid ecological concepts." I think that not only in our class but other classes ecological awareness is taught and is a subject that can be discussed about in any subject. I think that as we grow we are starting to better understand the land and we are staring to appreciate it more everyday. We are taking precautions when building making sure that all life is accounted for when making changes to an environment.

 

Louv Nature Deficit Disorder

"Television is only part of the larger environmental/cultural change in our lifetime." Lou 4

This sentence really stood out to me when doing the reading. ADHD is something that has been around for a long time but it is a disorder that flourished recently due to the advancement of technology. As new technology bloomed our attention for it grew. Walking around the streets or taking public transport one will see people on their cellphones, listening to music, or even on their laptops or tabs. Every day we let technology draw our attention away from nature. 

"ADHD may be a set of symptoms aggravated by lack of exposure to nature." Lou 11

I don't agree with the author when he says this. I think that the lack of exposure to nature can have a great effect on ADHD but if lack of exposure to nature caused ADHD a lot more people would have the disorder. Many people live in cities where nature is hard to find. Having lived in a big city myself I can say that it is very hard for a child to go outside without experiencing danger. Of course humanity has learned to integrate nature to these cities because theres nothing more beautiful than nature. 

"Much about ADHD remains a medical and political mystery" Louv 3

What does this disorder have to do with politics? I have always been skeptical about this disorder in that I don't understand why people and kids believe they suffer from it simply because they can't focus when working or doing a task. This disorder is over-diagnosed. Doctors are giving diagnostics based on little information and not many ways of testing for these symptoms. I believe we all have times where we can't function without some sort of stimulant but it does not mean that we suffer from a disorder. I believe that kids growing up hearing more and more about this disorder become more prone to "catching" it. 

All in all I think technology is requiring us to multitask more taking our attentions and making us have to split it in many ways to compensate for all the new things we have. We should really take back to our roots sometimes and spend sometime away from technology. Focus on our sense of place take in the surroundings and breath in fresh air. I see people that are constantly looking at nature through a phone, computer, or tablet rather than being out there enjoying it and taking it in.

Orr Biophilia vs. Biophobia

"In varying degrees humans have always modified their environments." W.Orr 188

I 100% agree with this quote. Since humans first started to evolve they started to change the places they were living in to better accommodate their needs. To this day the human race continues to change their environment to "make life easier" as we like to say. In earlier times we would modify our environment to protect us from nature. Predators, climate, and anything else that could eliminate our chances for survival.

But is it possible for us to be neutral or "objective" towards life and nature? I do not think so. W.Orr 193

I don’t agree with what the author says here. I think everyone no matter how much they may dread nature has to feel some sort of connection to it since we all have to deal with it on a daily basis. We live on a planet full of life. Our everyday lives depend on nature. The air we need to survive comes from nature. Thanks to the trees in nature we can breath clean air. Each part of the planet has specific climate that we have to deal with on a daily basis. So I think humans have learned to be at least neutral towards nature. I have some days where I don’t really feel like being outside and there are days where that’s all I want to do. So I think in some way we are at least neutral towards nature.

"For our politics to work as they do, a large number of people must not like any nature that cannot be repackaged and sold back to them." Orr.192

I dont understand what the author means by "repackaged and sold back to them." Who does he mean by "them"? The public? I don't understand why politics would strive towards a biophobic society. We don't need to be biophobes in order to survive. Technology has been able to help us protect more of nature now. I think now that we see the importance of nature we have made critical progress towards protecting more of it. We have moved as a society towards clean energy which helps protect the planet which we benefit from.

I think the author had very interesting points and I think that biosphobia is something that is very much affecting many people. People are dreading going outside and connecting with nature but as a society we have to be thankful for nature and appreciate what nature offers us. And we should learn to preserve it.