James Locklove and the Gaia theory

James Locklove was born in 1919 in Hertfordshire, England to working middle class parents who believed strongly in education. After primary school James was unable to afford University so he studied at Birkbeck College until he acquired enough money for university. He believed that this prevented him from becoming over-specialized, helping him develop the Gaia theory. He later was accepted into the University of Manchester to study Chemistry, but he was only able to afford 2 of the 3 years he needed. But with a professors recommendation he earned himself a position on the Medical Research Council. He later earned his Phd in Medicine at the London school of Hygiene and Tropical medicine. He later invented the Gaia Theory. The Gaia theory is a hypothesis stating that the earth is more than just a floating rock in space. It states that the Earth is a living orgasm that regulates itself to be able to sustain life. This theory helps us understand just how important the earth is and just how urgent situations such as climate change, and pollution are.

Donora Smog

• The Donora Smog of 1948 happened In Donora, Pennsylvania. Donora is also known for being a Mill Town. People began noticing on the last week of October 1948. The factories involved in the incident Donora Zinc Works and U. S. Steel Corporation. However, after the incident they DENIED any responsibility for the disaster even after the government’s findings. Approximately 500 residents became ill, they report symptoms of respiratory problems. No doubt, countless others suffered in silence. The Donora Zinc Works shut down its smelters to try and eliminate as much smoke and industrial fumes. Luckily, rain helped to disperse the Smog and the skies cleared eventually cleared. It  contributed to the deaths of 19 people within a 24-hour period. (20 died in total) The results from the incident; 2 had Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis and 17  had Chronic Heart Disease or Asthma.(All Between the Ages of 52 and 85.) Through this incident it began the environmental movement in the US. Focusing on the nation’s harmful and sometimes fatal side effects on life and the environment from air. The enactment of the Clean Air Act and creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are a legacy of the Donora tragedy.
  
  

Glacier National Park

Located in Montana, Glacier Nation Park is the tenth National Park in History. It was founded by George Bird Grinnell and other friends of his. They did not want nature to be ruined and therefore, they asked President Taft to sign a bill saying the park will not be torn down. On May 5th, 1910, Grinnell and his friends were proud that they were able to save a piece of nature. There, you can see many things starting from animals, flowers and also blue water. What makes this water blue? The water is so clean and clear that the reflection of the sky makes it blue. Hiking is an excellent choice for his trip, but if you're lazy, you can go horseback riding or even take a train. On your way there you can see animals walking around with other animals and they seem not to harm anyone. A few years back, the lynx and the grey wolf were endangered and still are and you can get fined for more than a thousand dollars for killing any animal there. Tourist have surprisingly been showing up more than the years before, due to the clean, drinkable water and also the long trails such as Mount Cleveland. Even though it may be incredibly cold while hiking up, or maybe even a bother to live in the mountains, it seems like a really cool experience.

Clean Air Act

The Clean Air Act of 1963, began because of the horrendous event during October 1948. When Donora, Pennsylvania had a thick cloud of air pollution formed above their industrial town. Which had killed 20 people and sickened around 6,000 people. The Clean Air Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate air pollutants in order to protect public health and welfare. It has protected us the people for four decades, by curbing air pollution. It was the first federal legislation to actually pertain to "controlling" air pollution was the Clean Air Act of 1963. Ways that us the people could reduce air pollution, at home you could conserve energy and recycle; buying smart you could choose products that have less packaging and are reuseable, last buy rechargeable batteries for those devices used frequently.      

Zion National Park

For my presentation I did Zion national Park in southern Utah. This is the biggest national park in Utah. This park was made to help grow population of animals that are on the edge of extinction. This park use to be the home of the great mammoth that is now extinct. It is home to the Peregrine Falcon and 288 more different species of birds. It receives a little over 3 million visitors annually. I would love to take a class trip and live the experience.

The Precautionary Principle

The precautionary principle is:

Actions should be taken to prevent damage to the environment even in cases where there is no absolute proof of a causal link between emissions or activity and detrimental environmental effect.  Embedded in this is the notion that there should be a reversal of the "burden of proof" whereby the onus is now on the operator to prove that his action will not cause harm rather than on the environment to prove that harm (is occurring or) will occur.

In other words, should those who wish to introduce a new chemical, a new industrial process, a land-use change, and so on, have to demonstrate that their change will not harm the environment before proceeding?

QUESTION:  Do you accept or reject the precautionary principle?  Explain and defend your answer.  Examples are always good.

David Attenborough

David Attenborough was born on May 8, 1929, in Isleworth, United Kingdom. David was raised in Leicester and went to Clare College, Cambridge to study Natural Sciences and graduated in 1947. After completing his degree in Natural Sciences, his first job was in the Navy. He is a Naturalists and nature documentary producer who created the documentaries Planet Earth and The Life of Birds. Before he began his career, he collected fossils, stones, and other natural specimens. He is believed to be one of the most travelled men in history. David travelled about 256,000 miles. That is equivalent to going around the world 10 times. In 1952, he joined BBC Television and began his famous “Zoo Quest” series. He presented political broadcasts, archaeological quizzes, short stories, gardening, and religious programs. He was responsible for the introduction of color television into Britain. He resigned in 1973. His services to television were recognized in 1985, and he was knighted. He has received honorary degrees by many universities across the world. David is a Patron of the World Land Trust. This organization buys rain forest and other lands to preserve them and the animals that live in them.