...Production and Consumption of Humans. SCI 207 02/27/2012 Production and Consumption of Humans. We as humans produce and consume billions of resources each year. While one billion of the population is obese, another one billion is starving. The world relies on food production and consumption to survive. America is a strong resource for food production and consumption as well as mechanical vehicles for harvesting food. These vehicles also consume oil and a byproduct gasoline in order to function. This paper will focus on two production habits of humans being, food production and farm equipment production, and two consumption habits being food consumption and oil consumption. By focusing on these habits this paper will attempt to uncover some basic principals to maintain the world population. All things seem to be circular in nature for example, the world needs food for consumption in order to have mass distribution of food we need well defined agriculture and farming. This farming must meet the population demands therefore the use of high-powered equipment such as tractors and tills must be implemented. These high-powered machines run on oil products therefore consuming this natural resource in order to produce food for consumption by the masses. So what things should the world be aware of when producing food and consuming it? According to Walker, P., Rhubart-Berg, P., McKenzie, S., Kelling, K., & Lawrence, R. S. (2005), “The US population typically consumes...
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...in the human diet. It is rich in proteins which have shown to have a high energy unit as compared to other food types. Proponents of meat consumption support its consumption as it has a greater nutritional value and is good to the test buds. Apart from the nutritional reasons, it is also thought meat consumption maintains the ecosystem at equilibrium. If meat consumption was to stop, it is thought that animals like cattle, sheep, goats and poultry will multiply to levels that are ecological disastrous. As most of these animals are herbivorous, their uncontrolled increase would exert extreme pressure on vegetation. This may cause wanton destruction to vegetation that may destabilize the ecosystem. In as much as these arguments appear logical and plausible, they still do not give any moral permissibility of eating meat. Just like any reason in support of unacceptable practice, proponents of eating meat do not give any solid ethical justification why humans should continue killing animals to please their test buds. There is no moral justification whatsoever to rationalize the eating of meat. Meat is said to contain some very essential nutrients that may not be found in plants and vegetable. This is however no moral justification of killing animals to obtain meat yet there are more reliable sources of proteins and vitamins. It appears that human nature is feeding on animals mainly for gustatory pleasure. As there are vegetables and fruits that can adequately supply human beings...
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...concern with environmental change has come to forefront primarily since 1970, with discernible levels of environmental degradation fuelling public concern with the scope of contemporary environmental transformations and the advent of satellite imagery aiding environmental research (Colombo B. et all 1996). At the present date are estimated roughly 6.5 billion people in the world and the figure continues to multiply. In contrast there are a restricted number of natural resources. On the worldwide root the human population has revealed a J shaped pattern of escalation over the past years, while the availability of natural funds are mandatory for human survival is in slow decline (Cohen J.E.1995). Population policies which gears to reduce future growth represent logical responses to the environmental implications of population size (Stern et all 1995) although fertility diminution cannot be seen as sufficient response to contemporary human induced environmental change. A decrease in human numbers does not necessarily suggest a decrease in environmentally significant behaviors. In addition, supposition that each further individual has an equal impact on...
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...edible oil used in Kerala households until 1980’s.Due to structural changes in various sectors of Kerala economy the importance of coconut declined. There was a shift in coconut oil consumption towards other edible oils in Kerala households. Among the various food items in consumption basket of Kerala households, edible oil is an important component, which acts as a major source of energy for the human body and has direct impact on health. In India edible oil is used in the preparation of every day meals. (Achaya K.T,1975; NCAER 1985-90). The major source of fat requirement by our human body is satisfied by edible oils and thus forms an indispensible item of the dietary pattern (NCAER 1995). As the economy grows, and income rises the household demand for edible oil increases due to changes in food consumption pattern. The annual per capita consumption of edible oil in the country shot up from 3kg in 1950 to around 7.5 kg per annum in mid-1990s and reached 14.2kg during 2010-11, but still lower than the global average of 24kg/year. (Sthanumoorthy...
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...EESA10 H3-S L30 "HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT" Assignment #2 Issued: Monday, March 9th Dept. of Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Canada Due: Monday March 23th at 5pm, box outside SW-511A TA: Steven Huryn [pic] Question 1: Reference dose or RfD, is the maximum amount of acceptable oral dose of a toxic substance set by the EPA (United States Environmental Agency).( Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2009) The EPA uses RfD as a benchmark to set other regulations to prevent people from being exposed to amount exceeding the RfD standard. The EPA also has a unique RfD for every substance it evaluates. However, often separate acute and chronic RfDs are determined for the same substance. (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2014) Cancer slope Factor, or CSF, is used to approximate the potential risk of cancer associated with exposure to a carcinogenic or potentially carcinogenic substance. (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2014) This approximation is usually expressed in units of a population affected per mg of substance/ kg body-weight/ day. A toxicity value that defines quantitatively the relationship between dose and response, or the slope factor, is calculated when the chemical is a known or probable human carcinogen. And different than RfD, High-quality Human data, or an epidemiological studies, on carcinogens is preferable to animal data. However, when human data is limited, the attention is given to...
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...Innovation and Sustainability Why is controlling human production and consumption important to our material resources this earth has created for us? This is the essential question so many are asking in today’s society. Many decades have been addressing the ecological impacts of consumptions and production therefore air quality has improved, waste and industrial pollution has been controlled more and products are more proficient with more informed consumers to boot. As we know these are steps in the right path, however more must be done to manage consumption and production of our material resources. Elemental changes are needed in how natural resources are removed and the way products are produced, dispersed, used and disposed of. Action is needed at all levels of society from individuals and industry through to central and local administration in order to reverse past and current trends and live within biological limits. Thus in this thesis, I will discuss two material resources of consumptions and productions that humans are constantly producing and consuming and how we can potentially decrease them. The first consumption called deforestation often leads to a production such as farming. The second consumption to be discussed is urban sprawl, which leads to the production of water pollution. However, let us first define deforestation and urban sprawl. “Deforestation commonly defined as the elimination of trees and other plants from forest areas more quickly than they can...
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...Is our consumption society sustainable? The concept of a sustainable society has been discussed for decades. Moreover, attention is paid to the direct effect that consumption has on this issue. Sustainability is defined through meeting consumer needs without compromising the needs of future generations (OECD, 2002). But it doesn’t bring in question what quantity of current needs is really necessary (Conca, Princen& Maniates, 2003). Many scientists regard consumption orientated society as the main culprit for the destruction of our planet. What is known until now is that consumption patterns had a large impact on the environment in the last 50 years. One of its consequences is global warming that altered our climate (Cahill, 2001). But the dreading consequence lies in the amount of waste with which these patterns burden our planet, through the process of production and even more after the death of the product. The products are made with a short life-cycle in mind, but in order for the golden arrow of consumption to be strong, consumers are convinced to throw away the product even before its expiration date. Making the product obsolete while it is still able to perform degrades the environment. However, there are also business oriented people who regard consumption as a driver for economy advancement. This paper will address the estimated consequences of these two views and try to analyze the milestones in attempt to identify the direction in which our consumption society...
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...Chapter 6 - The Source of Economic Growth - * An economy’s output of goods and services depends on the quantities of available inputs such as capital and labour and on the productivity of those inputs * Y = AF(K, N) * Either the quantity of input must grow or productivity must improve (or both) in order to have growth * Pg 182 – equation 6.2 * Growth accounting equation is the production function written in growth rate form Growth Accounting * Output growth can be divided into three parts: the resulting from productivity growth, increased capital inputs or increased labor inputs * Growth accounting measures empirically the relative importance of these three sources of output growth Growth Accounting and the Productivity Slowdown * One explanation for productivity slowdown is that there has not been a slowdown at all but rather is the result of a measurement error * Another explanation is that there was a slowdown due to the large increase in oil prices that occurred in 1970’s as a result of the actions of the OPEC oil cartel * Another explanation is that the productivity slowdown may have resulted from the onset of the revolution in information technology - Growth Dynamics: The Neoclassical Growth Model - * Growth accounting does not explain why capital and labor grow at the rates they do * The growth of capital stock is the result of the myriad saving and investment decisions of households and firms * This model is useful...
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...Overconsumption and Overpopulation and their effect on the Environment The effect of overpopulation and over consumption on the environment has had a massive negative effect. Overpopulation is an undesirable condition where the number of existing human population exceeds the carrying capacity of Earth. We are now adding one billion people to the planet every 12 years. That's about 220,000 per day. (Howmany?.org) This makes overpopulation a big threat to our environment but the bigger issue is that we are not using our resources efficiently to solve the problem. The problem includes shortages of all our resources, war and social conflict, limits on personal freedom, overcrowding in large cities and the health and survival of other species. In the last fifty years, there have been a vast number of people and organizations rising up and speaking against this problem, searching for a solution to this detrimental issue. Howmany?.org is just one of many organizations that are empowering people to find the best population size for Earth. They do this through outreach and advocacy programs that are created to add population into conversations and get people thinking. While overpopulation is not the only cause of environmental problems, it is a root cause that people should be aware of. Growth in population, affluence, and technology are jointly responsible for environmental problems concerning overconsumption. We use technology to produce and gather most of our resources. ...
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...lives. * Omnivore’s paradox: One of the fundamental components of our identity as omnivores is that we have the autonomy, freedom and adaptability to consume a wide range of food. However this liberty also implies dependence and constraint. Omnivores cannot obtain all the nutrients it needs from one food alone and omnivores must also avoid harmful foods. * The principle of incorporation dictates that food and cuisine are a central component of the sense of collective belonging. * Disgust is a socially constructed biological safeguard. The psychology of eating behavior reveals that children have the tendency to accept only a limited range of food they are familiar with. This gives us insight into our natural instinct as humans to put new exotic foods through thorough examination before we consume it. * Because of how complex identifying a food can be based on its cultural origins, the culinary system provides a pre-fabricated matrix where one can identify a food by understanding its place in the world. * In today’s society as food is becoming more processed and integrated through globalization our cultural and physiological identity through food is becoming threatened. Week 2 Reading summaries Paul Rozin, “Food is Fundamental, Fun , Frightening and Far Reaching” (1999) * Food is a foundational system that has evolved to deal with problems of food selection and is the source of many general behaviors and mental adaptations. * Food...
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...The role of moral leadership for sustainable consumption and production some theoretical and normative explorations Onno M. Vinkhuyzen1,2 and Sylvia I. Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen1,3 1 International Environment Forum, Geneva, Switzerland 2 European Bahá’í Business Forum, Tamboer 167, 6866EH Heelsum, the Netherlands, onno@ebbf.org, +31647326786 3 Public Administration and Policy Group, Wageningen University, Hollandseweg 1, 6706KN Wagenigen, the Netherlands, and Turku University, 20014 Turun yliopisto, Finland, sylvia.karlsson-vinkhuyzen@wur.nl, +31858770774 Abstract: In this paper we argue that an adequate understanding of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) involves a mature consciousness of the interdependence between ourselves and the rest of our human family and its habitat. The principles, the actions and the vision that form the basis for SCP are not unknown, but there is a considerable gap between knowledge and action and behavioural incentives are not sufficient for system change. In the conversations between the authors of this paper, a practitioner and an academic, on the reasons for this knowledge-action gap there emerged a common recognition of the potentially significant role of values and particularly values-based leadership in the processes and partnerships that work for sustainability transitions in SCP. Our starting point is that values, what we humans consider to be good, are formed by a range of factors (cultural, political, social, religious) and are...
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...Institution Affiliation; Instructor: Course: Date: Introduction According to Ammannati (2012) Genetically Modified Organisms are organisms whose genetic composition has been altered in order to suit some conditions. The undertaking is done through extensive research on specific organisms such as bacteria, insects, fish, plants as well as animals. The Genome of these organisms is altered to achieve production and or pharmaceutical goals. Although the field has had some criticisms over the years since its inception, it has proved to be very helpful in the production of food materials, experimental medicine and gene therapy, development of hybrid agricultural products such as hybrid planting seeds and herbicides. Mechanism of Creating GMOs. The basis of creating these products lies on the fact that most living organisms are prone to pathogenic attacks. Scientists therefore design products which are immune to the attacks and which are resistant to unfavorable climatic conditions. The procedure long involves much scientific research. There is a wide range of organisms that scientists have subjected to genetic engineering. The two main methods employed in genetic engineering are Recombinant DNA Technology as well as Reproductive Cloning. The first case involves the scientist combining genetic materials from different organisms. This is based on the fact that DNA molecules from all organisms be it plant or animals have similar chemical composition. The resulting DNA sequence from...
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...population and consumption. Before delving into the project, I chose to do some reading on population and consumption. Through my reading, population was explained to me the simplest by Robert W. Kates, an American geographer, independent scholar, and professor at Brown University as, “the simple arithmetic of adding births, subtracting deaths, adding immigrants and subtracting out-migrants” (Kates 12). Additionally, I was able to grasp a greater understanding of what exactly consumption is. By reading “Population and Consumption: What We Know, What We Need To Know”, I learned that there is not one definition that can sum up the meaning of consumption because there are so many ways it can be viewed: “For physicists, matter and energy cannot be consumed, so consumption is conceived as transformations of matter and energy with increased entropy. For economists, consumption is spending on consumer goods and services and thus distinguished from their production and distribution. For ecologists, consumption is obtaining energy and nutrients by eating something else, mostly green plants or other consumers of green plants. And for some sociologists, consumption is a status symbol when individuals and households use their incomes to increase their social status through certain kinds of purchases” (Kates 13-14). Once I had a better understanding of the topic, my group decided that we should compare two countries based on their population, land area, biological resources, and consumption. Being...
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...Are Genetically Modified Foods Safe for Human Consumption? Arianne Liz Quila DeVry University Professor Donham-Miller/English 135 Advanced Composition December 16, 2010 It’s a sad reality that many Americans are unaware that they have been eating foods that were genetically modified. In fact, more than half of the processed and unprocessed foods sold in supermarkets have been genetically engineered and yet, 59% of us are clueless about it (IFIC, 2008). The technology of genetic engineering or genetic modification is widely used in food industry because it produces plants that have better qualities such as bigger size and longer shelf life while reducing the production cost at the same time. However, there are concerns regarding the safety of GM foods for human consumption. This is due to several health incidents in the past that have been linked to ingestion of GM organisms such as the death of 37 people in 1987 caused by a food supplement that contains GM bacteria(Taggart, 2010, par. 7). Research studies also show that GM foods could cause allergic reactions, antibiotic resistance and even organ deterioration. Although genetically modified foods possess favorable attributes, they could also introduce new allergens and toxins that are dangerous to human health making these foods unsafe for consumption. What are GM Foods? Genetically modified (GM) foods refer to food items in which the genetic make-up has been altered. Some processed foods can also be considered GM foods...
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...Animal Cruelty Liz Rasey English 112 Humans have been using animals for consumption ever since we have been around on the Earth. As the populations of humans rapidly increases throughout many centuries so has the consumption levels. Just within the last few decades has the awareness for animal rights gained tons of popularity. PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) was created in 1980 and “Focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in the clothing trade, in laboratories, and in the entertainment industry.” ([->0]) As the knowledge of animal cruelty becomes more popular , will people take action to ensure the lives of animals are protected against the way they are enslaved for food purposes? Animal rights activists and animal welfare organizations have slightly different beliefs and will both be discussed vs. people for animal experimentation and for food productions . Animal rights activists believe that “the rights to humane treatment claimed on behalf of animals, especially the right not to be exploited for human purposes” (The American Heritage Dictionary 2005). They also believe that humans and animals should have the same rights. The three major types of foods used for food consumption are the chickens, pigs and the cows. But there are definitely many others. “Every year in the United States over nine billion chickens...
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