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Ecology and Environmental Issues Blog
Ecology and Environmental Issues Blog


Environmental Protection + Economic Growth
Related to country: Germany

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This is a departure from the topic of biodiversity which I would like to explore in more detail, but when I came across this specific example it inspired me to share it, and hope that others will share similar success stories.

I spend a lot of time studying environmental problems and discussing these problems with my peers, and one sentiment that I hear quite often is:
"We can't preserve that...it will hurt the economy!" or, "We can't do this differently, it will be more expensive and damage the economy!"

Creativity, inventiveness, ingenuity... These are the characteristics that differ human beings from the rest of the animal kingdom. I think by using these characteristics, and facing our tough dilemmas, we can find solutions to even our most difficult problems.

When reading the required text for an ecology course I am taking, I found a very great example which illustrates this idea. I would like to share it, and I would like to open up a forum for the discussion of other success stories that you have heard of.

Instead of focusing on the impossibility of a situation, lets instead find hope in what we have already achieved, and use that to go on and achieve even greater things.

The example I would like to present deals with air pollution caused by sulfur emitted from coal burning plants.

THE PROBLEM: Sulfur dioxide is a major source of air pollution world wide, and a major contributor to the problem of acid rain.

SOME SOLUTIONS:
1) The technology exists to produce cleaner burning coal, but this process is very expensive.
2) Inorganic sulfur can be removed from coal by washing it, but this will not remove organic sulfur, and the process is also very expensive.
3) Coal gasification converts goal to a gas in order to remove the sulfur. The gas produced from the sulfur can then be used to augment supplies of natural gas. This process is not yet competitive enough.
4) Scrubbing removed the oxides from the gases in the smoke stakes, but is also an expensive producer.

Looking at these solutions, it would be easy to conclude that there is no win win solution when it comes to sulfur emissions from coal. However, in Germany they did find a solution that is win-win.

AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION:
"A German company in 1980 purchased coal-scrubbing technology and improved on it...rather than disposing of the calcium sulfite rich sludge the company further processes it to produce building materials such as sheet rock or wallboard, which are sold worldwide.

Another innovative approach to removing sulfur has been taken at a large coal burning plant near Mannheim, Germany. The smoke from combustion is cooled, then treated with liquid ammonia..the sulfur-contaminated smoke is cooled in a heat exchange process that allows the chemical reaction between the sulfur rich smoke and ammonia to take place...waste heat from the cooling towers is used to heat nearby buildings, and the plant sells the ammonium sulfate in a solid granular form to farmers to use as fertilizer.

Thus, Germany, in response to tough pollution control regulations, has substantially reduced its sulfur dioxide emissions, and in the process it has boosted its economy."

(Taken from Botkin's book, "Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet", Page 512)

June 25, 2009 | 7:29 AM Comments  0 comments

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An Introduction to Biodiversity - An Ethical Perspective
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I will be discussing biodiversity as the subject of the next few posts. The reason I have chosen this topic is due to the fact that in the recent past the one environmental issue that usually gets everyone attention is the extinction and/or endangerment of species. Who can claim to not feel a pull on their heart strings when they see the plight of endangered animals? Many of the other environmental issues that we face are not so easy to picture in our mind (can you describe what global warming looks like?), but this is not the case with endangered species. They are something that we can see, and touch...something physical.

Before I go on to discuss this issue in more detail, I would like to first present a document regarding the ethical and moral reasons that we should worry about the conservation of species. Unfortunately, I could not find a digital copy of this document in order to provide a link. However, I have provided a link to the website of the organization which drafted this document.

An Ethical Basis for Preserving Biodiversity
(1980, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources)

1) The world is an interdependent whole made up of natural and human communities. The well-being and health of any one part depends on the well-being and health of the other parts.

2) Humanity is part of nature, and humans are subject to the same immutable ecological laws as are all other species on the planet.

3) All life depends on the uninterrupted functioning of natural systems that ensures the supply of energy and nutrients, so ecological responsibility among people is necessary for the survival, security, equity, and dignity of the world’s communities.

4) Human culture must be built on a profound respect for nature, a sense of being at one with nature, and a recognition that human affairs must proceed in harmony and in balance with nature.

5) The ecological limits within which we must work are not limits to human endeavour; instead, they give direction and guidance as to how human affairs can sustain environmental stability and diversity.

6) All species have an inherent right to exist. The ecological processes that support the integrity of the biosphere and its diverse species, landscapes, and habitats are to be maintained. Similarly, the full range of human cultural adaptations to local environments is to be enabled to prosper.

7) Sustainability is the basic principle of all social and economic development.

8) Personal and social values should be chosen to accentuate the richness of flora, fauna, and human experience. This moral foundation will enable the many utilitarian values of nature – for food, health, science, technology, industry, and recreation – to be equitably distributed and sustained for future generations.

9) The well-being of future generations is a social responsibility of the present generation. Therefore, the present generation should limit its consumption of non-renewable resources to the level that is necessary to meet the basic needs of society and ensure that renewable resources are nurtured for their sustainable productivity.

10) All persons must be empowered to exercise responsibility for their own lives and for the life of Earth. They must therefore have full access to educational opportunities, political enfranchisement, and sustaining livelihoods.

11) Diversity in ethical and cultural outlooks toward nature and human life is to be encouraged by promoting relationships that respect and enhance the diversity of life, irrespective of the political, economic, or religious ideology in a society.

June 24, 2009 | 3:49 PM Comments  0 comments

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An Introduction
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I would like to welcome you to my blog, which will focus on ecology and environmental issues. I hope that through this medium I can help raise awareness and encourage actions which will bring us closer to achieving sustainability in all aspects of our lives.

My name is Jade Johnston and I am originally from Manitoba, Canada. In 2009 I graduated from the University of Manitoba with a BA in Sociology with a minor in Statistics. I currently hope to further my studies by enrolling the a Masters program in Human Ecology with a focus on human interaction with the environment.

From a young age I have been interested in environmental and social justice issues. I have always been an active volunteer when it comes to these issues.

In the year 2003 I volunteered for Ten Thousand Villages in one of their retail shops. Ten Thousand Villages is an organization which provides employment for women in the third world.

Also, in 2005 I participated in a seven month youth volunteer project called Katimavik. This project placed me in three different Canadian communities with eleven other young people to volunteer full time. My main activities with this organization included working as an archivist in a museum, assisting an activities coordinator in a rest home, and assisting the head of a food bank in distribution.

Finally, in 2007 I joined the youth organization Youth Challenge International which links young people from Canada and Australia with partners in developing nations for the purpose of community development. I journeyed to Costa Rica with twelve other young people for ten weeks and working in a small village assisting the local people turn a collectively owned section of rain forest into an eco tourism park which could both sustain the forest and provide additional income for the residents.

In addition to the various places I have lived through my volunteering experiences, I have also lived in Denmark, Scotland, England, and Belgium. Each place, and the wonderful people I have met there have further enriched my perspective of the world that I live in.

I hope that through my academic background and my personal life experiences that I can promote understanding of the important environmental issues of our time.

June 24, 2009 | 4:34 AM Comments  0 comments

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