The first reading was like an introduction to some of the problems we face on this planet. Some of the topics that were discussed include: food, water, energy, and climate.
In this chapter I learned that the population of the world is currently on the decline from what it was 50 years ago. I also read that it is predicted to peak at about 11 billion people. I was also shocked to learn that AIDS is as huge of a problem as it is. "Worldwide at least 68 million people are expected to die of AIDS by 2020" (McKinney, 4). Which as I read may also help to reduce overpopulation. This reading had interesting and unknown facts all over in it.
Although many people may see genetic engineering of crops to be only a detriment to the human species, this reading points out that doing so would actually produce more food and produce more food more efficiently; this would be beneficial to the many people in the world who can not obtain food because of costs and it would help them obtain food with a real nutritional value. These crops are also beneficial because they use less water for the same amount of output. Using these types of crops with more efficient irrigation would allow humans to have more water for themselves to use for drinking and bathing.
Energy sources and pollution also rank among the top of many of the challenges we face in today's world. In the world, nearly 42% of the world's population has no access to modern energy. Today much is being done to curb the use of energy and also to replace more hazardous ways of producing energy with new, cost effective and renewable sources. Such examples are windmills, hydroelectricity, even using flourescent light bulbs is a good way to conserve and produce more energy with less of an impact on our environment. I, personally, would like to see much more development and usage of the solar panel in our world. I think that this renewable source seems to go overlooked far too often.
Share and Voice 12: Water Bottles!
14 years ago
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This reading put up a good argument for genetic engineering of crops, but it is a subject I have always been a little wary of. I hope we discuss this topic further in class because I would be interested in learning more about it and hearing the opinions of other people. Also, you mentioned that you would like to see solar panels used more. I agree, and it was encouraging to see that some places, such as Mauritius, are promoting solar cells.
ReplyDeleteThe reading did put a lot of knowledge in my head that I had no idea about before this. It's crazy to think that the population is going to peak at about 11 billion. I think that crops that are genetically altered can really help improve the malnourishment crisis around the world.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter did have a lot of interesting facts that I never knew about. It was also very eye opening for me. I agree with you on the usage of solar panel. I think it could really improve the situation, but sadly it is often not looked into enough.
ReplyDeleteRandy,
ReplyDeleteWhat a huge number 68 million people are going to die by 2020 from AIDS. That’s now only 11 years away. As far as genetic engineering, I really don't know where that will end up, but it definitely seems to be an avenue worth pursuing, especially in areas of the world where there soil isn't what it should be to get productive crops.
Randy- I think that solar panels and wind energy are the most efficient ways to power our country. I am right with you in saying that solar panels are all too often overlooked. One thing I have been thinking about is buying my first home after college. How smart would it be to immediate rip out half of the roof and install solar panels?? Or for those of us who want to build new, why not include solar panels in the blue prints to begin with?? With our generation going from the children, to the people with children, I think we can make a huge impact on energy conservation.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your comments on AIDS, I think we are all unaware of how serious the issue is. Of the 68 million people that are going to die by 2020, 55 million are in Africa. Let's be honest, how much does the average UMD college student know about AIDS in Africa?? I think it is our job to not only learn about diseases and environmental problems worldwide, but to do our part to help control them and fade out of humanity.
Very good reflection of the reading, I look forward to reading more of your blog posts! --S
Randy: Great job reviewing this reading! I thought that this chapter gave us SO much information on a lot of different topics and was definitely a great overview for hopefully whats to come in this class! I was shocked by the statistic of 42% of people not having modern energy. I suppose I definitely take this for granted as I have energy everyday! My roommates and I actually just switched all of our lights in the house to energy saving lights... other than the fact that they broke our kitchen light... there working out great! I think finding great renewable energy sources is a really important topic in the environment.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, Great post again!
Randy,
ReplyDeleteThis chapter had a lot of interesting facts. I was actually surprised when it said that the population was actually decreasing.
I think a lot of us take energy for granted, and don't realize that 42% of people don't have the convience! I was aware of some of the renewable energy sources but there were a few that I really didn't know much about. So I look forward to looking more into it.
Great post!
Randy-
ReplyDeleteI also thought that the chapter had a lot of interesting facts. I didn't know that AIDS was as big of a problem as well. It's mind blowing to know how lucky we are to have clean water and electricity compared to the third world countries around the world who have nothing. I think that we take a lot of our resources for granted. Hopefully we can all make a change in our environment.
Windmills, hydroelectricity, and using fluorescent light bulbs for energy would be something I think a lot of people would be willing to invest in! After having to start paying my own utility bills, I know that having a way I could use less energy is something I would be willing to invest in. Fluorescent light bulbs are something my roommates and my self are all currently using but if there were a way hydroelectricity or windmills could heat my house, I think I would be in heaven! :)
ReplyDeleteI also thought that population part of this article was very interesting! I found it very fascinating that the overall population in the world is still increasing, but that the growth rate is declining. One of the main reasons why this is occuring is due to infectious diseases taking over the poorer parts of the world. In Africa, the spread of HIV/AIDS is a HUGE problem. The article stated that by 2020, 55 million sub-Saharan Africans will die from AIDS. This is way too many. We need to get more health education in these poorer parts of the world in order to help stop the spread of infectious diseases.
ReplyDeleteRandy- good job on your review. I was also interested in some of the same facts you stated. Like " 68 million people are expected to die of AIDS by 2020." That is a crazy large number. I think you dont hear about it as much because of other things going on in our world today, but it is still a huge issue. Do you think someone will have a cure for AIDS by then? Probably not. This is why we need to get more and more Health Educators over in those parts of the world where there is a lot of cases of AIDS to educate. Your blog looks great keep it up!
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you on the solar panels and wind energy...it is so crazy that we are not using this potential energy that is out and its FREE!! I even watched a show on this on how groups of people built their own eco-friendly houses with their own water system (which was basically rain collections) and the water was never wasted either unlike our houses today. The always went somewhere else in the house where it was needed. The house it self was made out of old tires and earth material (mud and rocks). They also did the whole solar panel thing too. It was so crazy to see this little community basically living on their own!
ReplyDeleteIt is really crazy on how many people are expected to die from AIDS and a lot of it has to do with the lack of education and resources. But lucky for us we are slowly trying to make a difference on this and at least we are making aware of it! Love the post!!
Hey there Randy. First off, nice first review. Otherwise, it was weird to think that nearly 42% of people don't have any source of energy per say. I can't even imagine what life would be like without that.
ReplyDeleteRandy,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some good points about genetically engineered foods. It is much more efficient in many aspects. But there are downsides to this as well. The biggest concern I can think of is the fact that genetically engineered foods are much more vulnerable to bacterial diseases, fungus, and other microbes. So although, we can produce much more much quicker, one single type of bacteria could wipe out an entire field of crops. So that's just something to think about.
I really like how you mention the use of solar panels. Light energy is so abundant in our world yet we seem to push it aside. If we can incorporate solar panels into more of our technology, it could be very beneficial to everyone. Good review!
Randy,
ReplyDeleteIn relation to your statement to genetically engineered crops, there has definitely been some controversy. I have briefly studied the problems with genetically engineered crops here at UMD in evolution and genetics courses. Just to name a few, genetically modifiy crops can decrease the nutritional value of food, reduce the efficiency of antibiotics, and can contaminate other crops when their pollen is blown into another field. At the current time, I am not entirely convinced of the value of genetically modified crops. Some researchers suggest that world starvation has more to do with uneven distribution of wealth than inadequate production of food. Overall, I thought you provided a very thorough and insightful review! I liked how you applied your own thoughts and comments to the reading!
Randy- Great job summarizing this review. I also wasn't aware of how many people are estimated to die by the year 2020 from AIDS. Also, my roommates and I are currently using fluorescent light bulbs in our house. I'm not sure if it has helped our electricity bill but I'm glad it's better for the environment! For future posts you could consider adding key terms from the reading. Other than that just keep up the good work=)
ReplyDeleteHey Randy,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the first review, I have to say with all honesty that I did not know that "the population of the world is currently on the decline from what it was 50 years ago." I guess for some reason I would have guessed it to be growing! In addition to this I was shocked that in the world, nearly 42% of the world's population has no access to modern energy, I really had no idea and have a hard time absorbing the idea that nearly have of the worlds population have no access to energy? That is crazy to think that some people live SOO drastically differently than we do. It makes a person think about the resources that we take for granted everyday, as well as use in excess with no thought of people who might not be living with such luxuries. Like I said great job and keep up the good work! :)
Randy-
ReplyDeleteI found your review very interesting. I especially found the statement that nearly 42% of the world's population has no access to modern energy. I look at how much energy I use in a day whether it be lights, tv, my computer, etc. its hard to imagine life without any of those things.
Hey Randy,
ReplyDeleteI like how you think using solar pannels as a way to help the environment. Idon't really know much about them but it's something I would like to learn more about. It seems like we have all these tools and ideas that could work, its just a matter of doing it. Also, some facts about water and energy are a little shocking. We use so much everyday and don't realize it. This really makes you think twice about the little decisions made each day.
You did a nice job of summarizing this reading. The areas you pointed out that were shocking to you were also ones that made an impact in my mind as well. Something that I found to be on the positive side though was the idea that the population growth is decreasing slowly. As discussed today in class, it is an issue that will no doubt be beneficial and helpful to the future of us and the next generation.
ReplyDeleteNice Job Randy! You summarized everything very well. I would like to mainly comment on how we should be using more solar power. It seems that solar power was popular only for a short time and then kind of died down. I think that the manufactures of solar panels have troubles in making advancements with solar technology but once that is reach we may start to see a wider usage of solar power. People just look at the costs and not the benefits in this type of situation. We got to do something. Keep up the work!
ReplyDeleteI also didn't realize how huge of aproblem AIDS is, because it isn't directly affecting the U.S. as bad. I really need to be aware of other countries who aren't as fortunate and are facing these problems! I also always had a negative outlook towards genetic engineering of crops, but you make a really good point. It may actually be a good thing to help us out in a positive way!
ReplyDeleteHey Randy!
ReplyDeleteQuick note: don't forget to change your title to Reading Review 1: The Challenges We Face.
But overall, great post! Hm, interesting...68 million people will die of AIDS by 2020. It is looked as a good and a bad thing. Bad for obvious reason, and good for population decreasing reason. But such a sad thought :(
I am really interested in knowing more about genetically modified crops! I feel like it would help our starving world. Why don't we use it more? What are the reasons? Maybe I should read up on that.
Thank you for informing us on how to conserve energy!
I agree that I would like to see much more development and usage of solar panels in our world. Money is always an issue though.
Good job Randy! See you in class
I was also shocked that at least 68 million people are expected to die of AIDS by 2020. It openned my eyes to be more aware and makes appreciate life so much more.
ReplyDeleteImagine how effective modern energy is to us everyday; now think about now having it at all! I was struck by the fact that 42% of people in the world have no acess to it. Can you imagine how they survive daily?!
See you in class!