...Systemic Pesticides and the Honeybee Population Beekeepers have been experiencing a large decline in their honeybee populations for the past decade at a startling rate. The disappearance of the honeybees has a much larger impact on daily life in the United States as well as around the world than many would believe, as they are cornerstones in a healthy and prosperous ecosystem. The extremely complex yet small honeybee is responsible for a large majority of the food we consume everyday. While there are multiple theories surrounding the disappearance of the bees, the use of systemic pesticides is leading the way as the culprit. The use of systemic pesticides needs to be banned in the United States due to the negative impact they are having on the honeybee population. As the population of the United States continues to grow exponentially annually, so does the need for an increased food supply. Monocultures have been the answer to this need due to the fact that they allow farmers to mass-produce a single item much cheaper and easier than traditional farming in which multiple crops are grown on a single plot of land. There are many possibilities for the types of plants that can be found in a monoculture but typically wheat, corn, and soy are the main monocultures crops in the United States due to the wide use of these plants in countless products on the grocery store shelves. These monocultures have caused the use of pesticides to reach levels never seen before by the agricultural...
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...is house of disease. People should have a choice to whatever they want to eat not whatever they can afford. Thanks to the modern technology and the developments in the medical field, the population is getting larger and larger. Thus, the average life span has grown bigger. Unfortunately that doesn’t mean that our contributing in our society is going to increase. We are not eating food anymore, we are eating food-like products and we are increasing the possibility of cancer and obesity and the diseases that tag along with it among other types of illnesses and this benefits the industry. The industries don’t want you to know the truth about the food because if you knew you might not want to eat it anymore. And that not just for fast food restaurants, because even when you are not eating at a fast food restaurant, you are still eating food that have been produced by the system. Another question is how old is the food. With the modern technology in transportation, we can get all sorts of seasonal food in every day. A vegetable basket travels thousands of miles to get to your next door supermarket at what cost? How much nutrition values are still in it. By the time you buy it and cook it, most of the nutrition elements get deteriorated. Nerveless the chemicals that have been used in the process of the export. In addition to spraying pesticides in almost everything we grow. Genetically modifying everything they could lay their hands on just to make more in less time....
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...infestation has gone up: Pests which we used to control by bio degradable methods have become resistant to many pesticides and now these chemical pesticides have become non effective. 2. Loss of Bio Diversity: Due to heavy use of chemical pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers we have lost many birds and friendly insects and this is a big loss in long term. 3. Chemicals in water: These chemicals which we have been using in our farms go down and contaminate ground water which effect ours and our children health. 4. Excess use of fertilizers have made the soil infertile. 5. Overuse of chemical fertilizers may affect human's health. The Story of Village Palampur I. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT A. NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS Questions Within The Lesson Q.1. What is the difference between multiple cropping and modern farming methods? Ans. Difference between Multiple Cropping and Modern Farming : Multiple cropping and modern farming are two ways of increasing production from the same piece of land. Under multiple cropping, production is increased by growing more than one crop on a piece of land during the year. It is the most common way of raising agricultural Under modern farming method, production is increased by using modern technology in place of traditional agricultural practices. Under this method, high yielding varieties (HYVs) of seeds are used in place of simple seeds. HYV seeds promise to produce much greater labour and capital. They retain a part of...
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...historical book Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson, the horrific consequences of insecticide use on the environment and ecosystem are chronicled. Carson’s novel was originally published as a three-part journal article in the New Yorker in June followed by the publication of the book in September of 1962. The book is known for beginning the modern environmental movement, which eventually led to the banning of “the domestic production of DDT and the creation of a grass-roots movement demanding protection of the environment through state and federal regulations” (Carson/Lear 9). Carson used her widespread knowledge...
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... 5 . Electricity 6 . Medical field 7 . Killer science 8 . Biowar 9 . Conclusion Introduction We are in the age of science and technology. Everything in the universe has its uses and abuses. The same applies to science. Science has revolutionized the human existence. It has made man's life happier and more comfortable. Man cannot live without the aid of science. Science has so much engulfed our lives that nothing can take place in our day to day work without the help of science. There is the other side of the coin also. That science gave birth to destructive weapons like dynamite, guns, rifles, rockets, atom bombs, hydrogen bombs only to destroy people. Science in old age In our olden civilization also there had some science in their daily life. The people used wind mills to lift water from the wells, they used turmeric as it is a good antibiotic , the people guessed the future perfectly without any knowledge , the Tamil poets before 1100 years who said that world is formed through the burst of sun is proven by scientists in 16th century. The big temple which is built in 10th century is still a...
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...disease and pests through genetic modification. Canadians stand to benefit from genetically modified disease and pest resistant crops as an alternative to harmful pesticides that can be consumed by unsuspecting people. Genetically modified plants are able to fend off pests while...
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...Class: Environmental science NO MORE HONEY: WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF BEES WERE TO BECOME EXTINCT Introduction Bees are an integral part of our planet’s ecosystem. They pollinate up to one third of the crops on Earth (Ashraf, 2012) and are responsible for providing us with many of the foods on our dinner table each night. Einstein famously postulated that if bees were to become extinct, mankind would be soon to follow. Bees are facing colony collapse disorder, a situation where they leave their hives by either flying off or dying. This disorder resembles the mysterious disappearance of the Mayans centuries ago; do we want to follow in their footsteps? What Einstein was referring to in his famous quote is the symbiotic relationship of life on the planet. Since we all are part off an interconnected ecosystem where each element of our world plays an important role we should take care of each element. The percentage of bees disappearing is surprisingly high, for example in the U.S. 90% of the wild bees population has died out (Gerber, 2007). The U.S. is just one example - there are many bees dying out in Europe, such as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom where 80 percent of the bee population has gone missing (Gerber, 2007). According to Keith Tignor, the state apiarist for Virginia, beekeepers today are losing 25 percent of the beehive compared to 30 years ago when the rate was between 5 and 10 percent. The phenomenon of colony collapse disorder has now become a global issue;...
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...RUNNING HEAD: Impacts of Human Behavior on the Environment 1 Impacts of Human Behavior on the Environment Psy 460 Impacts of Human Behavior on the Environment 2 Environmental psychology is the study of the link between human behavior, the direct impact on the environment, and the psychology of humans. The physical or manmade environment such as building houses or workplaces, and natural environments in nature, are all important parts of environmental psychology. The study that includes environmental psychology is diverse and requires more studies to determine what changes need to be made. Modern technology such as, the development of chemicals, manufacturing plants, population increases, mining and mining processes and other human activities have brought many issues and concerns about the environment. Some of the environmental issues that are impacting our environment negatively are: global warming, climate changes, more intense adverse weather such as stronger hurricanes and tornadoes, while other areas have drought and rainy conditions (Steg, 2013). Technology can create negative impacts to the environment by humans attempting to improve on nature in areas where nature should be left alone. Controlling nature, for example, by building dams over rivers to generate electricity has adverse effects on fish and other water species. The oil and chemicals that are used...
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...enabling humans to live forever. Background: Genetic Engineering has been an important technique for most of our modern history. Humans have been selectively breeding and domesticating animals and plants for our own purposes for millennia. By selectively...
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...soil pollution can even lead to widespread famines if the plants are unable to grow in it. 2. Effect on Growth of Plants: The ecological balance of any system gets affected due to the widespread contamination of the soil. Most plants are unable to adapt when the chemistry of the soil changes so radically in a short period of time. Fungi and bacteria found in the soil that bind it together begin to decline, which creates an additional problem of soil erosion. The fertility slowly diminishes, making land unsuitable for agriculture and any local vegetation to survive. The soil pollution causes large tracts of land to become hazardous to health. Unlike deserts, which are suitable for its native vegetation, such land cannot support most forms of life. 3. Decreased Soil Fertility: The toxic chemicals present in the soil can decrease soil fertility and therefore decrease in the soil yield. The contaminated soil is then used to produce fruits and vegetables which lacks quality nutrients and may contain some poisonous substance to cause serious health problems in people consuming them. 4. Toxic Dust: The emission of toxic and foul gases from landfills pollutes the environment and causes serious effects on health of some people. The unpleasant...
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...comfortable. Modern science has many wonders. Electricity is one of its greatest wonders. It is a source of energy. It can run any type of machinery. With the help of electricity, we can light our rooms, run buses and trains and machinery, lift water for irrigation and can accomplish a multitude of other tasks. Much of the progress that mankind has made in different fields right from the stone age to the modern age is due to the progress made in the filed of science. Not only material progress but also the mental outlook of man has been influenced by it. Agriculture, business, transport, communication and medicine to name a few are all highly indebted to the wonders of science. We have become scientifically much more advanced than our ancestors. This is because the world has undergone a tremendous change because of the rapid strides made by science and technology. The discovery and development of a large number of powerful energy sources – coal, petroleum, natural gas, electricity etc. – have enabled humanity to conquer the barriers of nature. All these have facilitated the growth of fast modes of transport and communication, which have metamorphosed the world into a global village. Science has given man the means of travelling to the moon. Science is a great help in the agricultural field too. The food production levels and quality have improved immensely due to multiple factors. Soil analysis, hybrid varieties of crops giving higher yield, fertilizers, pesticides, advanced tools...
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...Brandon Hines Safety, Health, and Environment Developing Today’s Safety Aspects In the last century, the modern aspects in safety for Process Technicians have helped make a better work environment, for those who make the products we use in our everyday lives. Many unfortunate, tragic, but educational events helped point the industry in the right direction. Through these events the industry has grown and developed newer safer equipment, improved its employee’s safety/well-being, and created a safer, more aware community. On December 3, 1984, a toxic gas cloud escaped from a chemical plant in Bhopal, India. The cloud slowly made its way into the community killing over two thousand people and seriously harming many others. The gas cloud was composed of methyl isocyanate (MIC). MIC is a major component used in the production of Sevin and Temik, pesticides used to control insect infestations and crop production in India. This was the first time that a major chemical manufacturer has had a deadly leak near a populated area. This helped show that the community needed to be more aware of what was around them. The industry began investigations to discover what really took place that day in order to prevent such an event from occurring again. The Union Carbide plant produced a wide range of pesticides that were very critical to the economy of India. For the production of these products, a number of steps were required. The first step was the reaction of carbon monoxide with chlorine...
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...(2010), water pollution “began in the nineteenth century as a result of urbanization, industrial development and modern agricultural practices.” Water Pollution is categorized as two sources Non-point source pollution which contributes to eutrophication in freshwater resource as a result of water pollution because usually this type of pollution results from “land runoff, precipitation, atmospheric deposition, drainage, seepage or hydrologic modification,” according to Epa.gov (2010). However, Point Source Pollution happens because the dumping of the sewage, garbage, ship oils, and other waste from human activity. These pollutants and toxins kill the ecosystem. These would be the negative human impacts. Additional effects are contaminated drinking water which can cause a variety of health problems such as, ear , eyes and throat irritation, aggravate symptoms of asthma and chronic bronchitis just to name a few. These pollutants are a threat to public health These effects from pollutants have damaging consequences on the drinking water supplies, fisheries, wildlife, and recreational use such as swimming. The growing human population is also a problem because the demand for water already exceeds the current water supply. As the human population continue to increase so will the demand the demand for water. Humans pollute the water with trash, pesticides, fertilizers, sewer overflows, oil, grease, pet’s form of waste, decaying plant materials and incompetent sewage...
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...Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….1 Origins of the Organic Movement………………………………………………………...2 Pre-World War II………………………………………………………………….3 Post-World War II………………………………………………………...…........5 Impacts of the Revolution…………………………………………………………………9 Future Plans of the Organic Revolution………………………………………………….10 The Organic Certification Process……………………………………………………….11 Negative Impacts and Criticism of the Organic Movement …………………………….12 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….13 Works Cited……………………………………………………………………………..14 Many organic practices simply make sense, regardless of what overall agricultural system is used. Far from being a quaint throwback to an earlier time, organic agriculture is proving to be a serious contender in modern farming and a more environmentally sustainable system over the long term. -David Suzuki The organic movement has been in swing since the early 1900’s. Many different companies, consumers and governances have all joined the bandwagon and work to further the goals of an organic world. The organic movement is no where near complete and many dedicated individuals are working to further its progress. Many retailers such as Whole Foods, Alfalfa’s, Wild Oats, and Trader Joes, are all companies dedicated to selling all-natural and organic food products to consumers. Even larger retailers like Wal-Mart and Target have opened their doors to a line of organic products. But what exactly does organic mean? Organic is best described as a way of growing...
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...Silent Spring RA Renowned biologist and author Rachel Carson, in her book, Silent Spring, describes a harmonic and beautiful town which experiences a plague over time. Carson’s purpose is to warn the world that if we continue to abuse the environment, we could very well end up like this town. She uses imagery and tone to convey that this can be the outcome of our actions. Throughout the text, Carson’s tone shifts from reminiscent and joyful to dark and lifeless to show that the people had caused this plague by abusing nature. Her tone is lively as she describes this town as a beautiful and harmonic place where life is flourishing.“THERE WAS ONCE a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings.” Carson uses this joyful tone to convey the reader that this town truly was a place of beauty and life. As she concludes describing this beautiful town, her tone suddenly shifts. Her tone becomes dark and lifeless as she describes a “strange blight” that the town experienced. Carson explains how “Some evil spell had settled on the community… and there was a strange stillness.” She also explains how the people were confused as the plants, animals, and even some townspeople had died. Then, she explains how there was, “No witchcraft…. The people had done it themselves.” The people were confused as to why the town was withering away, however, they had abused the environment so much that they had caused this blight. This relates to...
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