Lauren Ortega
Dr. Wasserman
Science In Perspective (4)
I wonder how nice it must feel to be around such an open range, surrounded by acres and acres of plain fields, without any signs of large cities for miles, and little to no rumble of people but rather the sound of the animals around you, tractors, breeze, etc. As I stare out my train window in route to Geneva, Switzerland, I spot farms of all sizes and I cant help but wonder how nice it would feel to be back on my own ranch. Where the only things I hear (which are my personal favorites) are my alarm clocks being the roosters, cattle mooing to be milked, and peacocks crying for no reason, just being the pretty birds that they are, but with the sound that one wouldn’t have expected. In those days, there was nothing sweeter than that. But I also wonder how these farmers and small town dwellers must feel when they think about the fact that the human population is growing at an unprecedented rate, and how people from the city are brining their innovations to the country side for reasons that pretty much revolve around business and profit.
(Picture I took when I was on the train when I was heading to Geneva)
I watched a documentary named “Food Inc,” and although I know it was all mostly in respect to the truth about where our food came from, the documentary also shed some light on the reality that not all farmers have lost their integrity and have continued to farm in an eco friendly/natural way. More and more people are becoming skeptical about where their food is really coming from, and although that is good, it shouldn’t have to be that way. Unfortunately the fact of the matter is that our food is handled in a way that we don’t spend enough time focusing on because we are too busy or too ignorant to look into the actual process of how all those foods in our very kitchens came to look and taste the way they do. My point doesn’t end there though, not only is our food processed in an unsanitary manner, so are the animals we use to produce all of the food we eat. For example the cattle, chickens and pigs that were secretly filmed, were shown to be in extremely confined areas, and when you have too many of anything in one place, they don’t have space to breathe and can rot faster than normal or even be more susceptible to sickness. The cattle and pigs would literally sink in their own feces because of how much there was, chickens would not see the light of day, and would plop down after their bodies couldn’t take the abnormal weight that their feet could handle.
One of the things that made me want to mentioned “Food Inc” was that in many huge industrial farming grounds, a lot of the feces and waste from the animals was disposed of in a way that not only affected the environment, but the health of humans. Where does all that waste go? Well it makes its way into rivers and streams as runoff, then eventually hits bigger water ways. Some of the effects that came after was that many people became sick with salmonella (E. Coli) from contaminated meat. All of that contamination leads to polluting ecosystems and effects the species living in these areas. I remember mentioning in my last blog that although we may not all know this, we live in such an interconnected world. Everything we do, anything we take from, get rid of, abuse, improve, etc all inevitably is is linked together to serve a greater purpose. Also that every environment is the expression of the interaction between its identity and its inhabitants who, with time contributed to its enhancement, its customs, -cultures and traditions. But can we really say that we have contributed to the enhancement and overall betterment of our planet in a sustainable manner? Maybe not.
The purpose of mentioning all of the above, was to emphasize the fact that since the rise of agriculture and since the rise of technological advances, we have marked every inch of this planet. There is no where on Earth where humans haven’t already been, and will continue to be this way until our planets ecosystems and environments give out. Farmers or not, city dwellers or not we all contribute to the steady pollution that is released into the atmosphere. Pollution can harm the health of people and animals, damage crops or stop them growing properly, and make our world unpleasant and unattractive in a variety of other ways.
I’m currently adding on to that statistic, because I’m on a train. The motorbike, tram, plane, vehicle etc hat you use everyday are all negative aggregates to the issue of pollution that in turn enhances climate change.
It all started when I saw a student throwing away his water bottle in a trash bin that wasn’t meant for recyclable things. I noticed that it wasn’t just in that particular classroom that there weren’t any recycling bins, it was like this on the entire second floor. Around the city though, there are so many bins placed all around the city that you wouldn’t be able to say you never saw one in Angers. From what I have noticed living here in Angers, and other cities/towns I have been to in France it just looks like the French seem to care more about sustaining their environment than anywhere else I have been while in Europe and even in the states.
Since my project/blog was going to be to bring recycling bins into the classroom, I tried reaching out to some people here at UCO and although I did not receive a response, there is still a feeling of assurance in my gut. I have seen so many people here doing the “right thing” and I cant help but wish that it was mutual in the United States. Sometimes in class when we talk about issues about over population (living in one planet but needing 3 to sustain us), biocapacity, human footprints, etc make me realize that the environment isn’t the problem, its us and the biggest difference between the United States and other countries is that we live in an enormous fast paced country with so many different cultures, values, traditions, etc that we tend more to ourselves than our surroundings. In France especially, I don’t think the issue lies on people not liking the idea of general change. I think its more that the French don’t wish to grow at the pace of countries like the U.S in so many respects.
As I started traveling around Europe, I kept in mind what kind of ways the city went about dealing with air pollution (pollution in general) and most of them if not all followed some kind of regimen that aided the specific issue at hand. Some countries though, more than others seemed to really understand the severity of pollution and have made it far more critical to take action and uphold to any laws or regulations that are created in the hopes for keeping their country’s environment clean and sustainable for years to come. Cities like Paris, Barcelona, and Rome are all some of the most polluted cities in Europe. For a long time they ignored the issue of air pollution/pollution in general and didn’t start worrying a lot about these problems until very recently. It took many climate change officials, environmentalists, and the community to start rousing up the serious effect pollution is bringing not only to the health of the people but to the environment. In March, a spike in air contaminants briefly turned Paris into the world’s most polluted city. The “noxious smog was so dense it almost obscured the French capital’s totemic landmark, the Eiffel Tower” (Willsher). The current pollution index in Paris is 65.07, and that would be considered high in comparison to cities like Angers that has a Pollution Index of 20, which is ‘very low’ on the index value of pollution. (AirQualityNow). Similarly, Spain and Rome easily fall in the same boat as that of Paris. On May 6th, the European Environment Agency (EEA), showed that Spain exceeded the thresholds put in place to protect human health on 150 days out of a maximum of 183, during summer 2014, making it the worst performing country in Europe (TheLocal). Spain has been battling air pollution problems for some time. The Pollution Index in Barcelona is 72.38 and that is considered ‘high’ from the scale that measures the pollution levels (AirQualityNow). Madrid recently scored an ” F grade” for its efforts to clean up its air pollution. To add on to that statistic, Jonathan Gómez Canteroa climatologist and member of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change told The Local, “It is true that some cities like Barcelona and Madrid have high levels of pollution and there are very few policies to reduce it, if any” (TheLocal). Its not just in Europe where this issue is the most prevalent, it is all over the world. In some places more than others of course, but greenhouse gas emissions are prevalent at all levels around the planet. Its an issue that is manmade, and there is no one else to blame besides the people who have walked all over the face of it.
(In Park Guel-Barcelona. Here it was well kept, however just outside this park not so much)
However despite the growing concern and frustration, and the fact that we can never go back in time and take back the emissions we let out into our planets atmosphere, we must take note of our past and learn from them to try and save the world. We are adaptable creatures, with enough knowledge of our climate’s future that can help to find ways to frame that future. One thing is for certain though, and that is the fact that we’re already stuck with some amount of guaranteed climate change at this point in time. Rather than trying to recover the past, we need to be thinking about best possible futures. Although cities like Paris and Barcelona have awful emission records from most pollutants you can think of, they are slowly taking action to cut back on these emissions that are rising at a an alarming rate. “It was a gradual, mutual, apprenticeship that slowly tinted the mentalities of the local government with a deepening environmental awareness” (Bess). Cities like Angers, Florence, Geneva (Switzerland), Austin, etc have not had the same continuous problem of pollution like the bigger cities, but when the issue became prevalent they quickly took action to stop pollution in its tracks. As I had mentioned in my last blog, I talked about Florence, Angers, Austin, and now Geneva all have very firm regulations regarding the act of getting rid of waste. All around Florence, Angers, and Geneva there were bins of all shapes and sizes that were placed for the public to dispose of their waste in the appropriate place and in the appropriate way, and people really seemed to abide by these rules without feeling like it was a regulation that was pressured on them. And it seems like these forms of recycling and keeping the environment clean were old traditions that have only been bettered/revamped. “Since the early 1980’s large scale recycling programs had started around the same time in most French cities” (Bess).
(In Geneva, very clean streets. Like this all over)
(United Nations. This is where decisions for global actions are taken)
In Geneva for example, the Pollution Index was 21 which is considered ‘very low’ (AirQualityNow). Some of the ways Paris officials have tried to help reduce emissions was by having a “day without cars” (this was applied to 30 percent of cars) and it was said to have a really good turnout. It led to such a dramatic drop in both air and noise pollution that the mayor’s office is now planning more vehicle-free days in the French capital. Airparif, which measures city pollution levels, said levels of nitrogen dioxide dropped by up to 40% in parts of the city (Willsher).
(Up in the mountains in Switzerland. It was the prettiest site. So clean, so fresh)
Coming from one of the biggest cities in the world, it is great to see that these ways of cutting back on emissions is handled in such a supportive way. In cities like Austin and Geneva, no one is really asked to use their bikes to drive to work or walk instead of taking the bus, people just do it because they know that its the most efficient way to not only benefit their own health, but also the environments. The City of Austin has a long history and strong track record of sustainability leadership through initiatives that support prosperity and jobs, conservation and the environment, and community health, equity, and cultural vitality (Office of Sustainability-Austin). In 2007, the Austin City Council adopted a resolution to “make Austin the leading city in the nation in the effort to reduce the negative impacts of global warming,” establishing a local goal aligned with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reduction targets. Since adoption of the Climate Protection Resolution, the City of Austin has made significant progress in limiting emissions growth.
Before I got to Europe I never really took so much time to look into the rise of green house gases, rising temperatures, and really just climate change in general. I knew about the problems we were having, but it wasn’t until I began this course (Science in Perspective) where I got to read, listen, learn, and understand the complexity and seriousness of all of the problems we are causing that is being released into the environment. I traveled to many different cities, and I felt like every city had a really unique about it. Something that was common in all (some more than others) was the issue with green house gas emissions. Back home I never really thought about other countries being able to possibly pollute as much as the US did. Especially in some of the major cities in the states like Los Angeles and Houston for example. I was alarmed to find that those major cities (amongst many others Im sure) are neck on neck with other European major cities. Apart from learning about a wide variety of cultures, and seeing how differences in things like language, traditions, religions, etc can be reasons for people to differentiate themselves amongst all the masses. That was very evident, because it made me feel like I needed to find myself (as strange as that sounds), I wanted to find out who I was and what I really valued. But if there is one thing that doesn’t separate us from one another is the planet we live in and share. We all play a huge part in the making out what our world looks like today and how it will years from now. Although we may separated by continents, and other barriers, I have learned that its so important to see past that and link arms to lower and in a perfect world, stop the current issues such as pollution (along with many others) and save whats left of our planet. Because it just seems like now we are living on edge. According to biologist Stephen Jay Gould, “We will not fight to save what we do not love.” When we become part of a place, it becomes a part of us. Then we are driven to defend it from harm and to help heal its wounds. (Miller&Spoolman).
Works Cited
Armendariz, Alan, Lucia Athens, Zach Baumer, Joep Meijer, and Francois Levy. Austin. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub., 2011. AustinTexas.gov. Office of Sustainability, 2014. Web. 2 Dec. 2015. <https://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Sustainability/FINAL_-_OOS_AustinClimatePlan_061015.pdf>.
“Air Quality Now – Comparing Cities – Current Situation.” Air Quality Now – Comparing Cities – Current Situation. Air Quality Now, 02 Dec. 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015. <http://www.airqualitynow.eu/comparing_home.php>.
Bess, Michael. The Light-green Society: Ecology and Technological Modernity in France, 1960-2000. Chicago: U of Chicago, 2003. Print.
Food, Inc. Movie One, 2008.
Miller, G. Tyler, and Scott Spoolman. Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections, and Solutions. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2007. Print.
“Spain Is Most Polluted Country in Europe.” – The Local. The Local, 07 May 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015. <http://www.thelocal.es/20150507/spain-has-highest-ozone-pollution-levels-in-europe>.
Willsher, Kim. “Car Free Paris Results In Less Air & Noise Pollution.” Popular Resistance. Popular Resistance, 05 Oct. 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015. <https://www.popularresistance.org/car-free-paris-results-in-major-drops-in-air-noise-pollution/>.
“Switzerland.” Switzerland. Climate and Clean Air Coalition, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015. <http://www.unep.org/ccac/Partners/CountryPartners/Switzerland/tabid/131841/Default.aspx>