Environmental Stewardship Personal Statement

Science is in my blood. I grew up always being fascinated in science both physical and environmental. My love for science started early when I was able to play outside every day and performing my own experiments in the backyard. Throughout middle school and high school, I took every available science course, I simply just wanted to know more. I did not know my exact path of study until my senior year in high school. I enrolled into an AP Environmental Science class, a brand new test run course at my school. Thinking back to AP Environmental Science, it was not just the material that directed my study. Ultimately it was my teacher, Mrs. Andre, who strengthen the flames of desire and intrigue to continue along the environmental studies path. Her drive and passion every day is what inspired me to focus on environmental education and communication.

As the world responds to climate change, one of the greatest personal challenges is an intellectual one. Where ought one to direct the limited amount of time and energy one has to most effectively engage the challenge of climate change? This question begins with how one gathers and processes information. There are so many particulars to understand and so many locations that demand attention. Where should one begin?

Benjamin Halpern and Andrew Rosenberg have differing viewpoints as to whether or not our marine resources can be sustainably managed. Halpern believes this can be achieved if traditional fishing should be limited from marine protected areas to allow maintenance of these fisheries. But when speaking about sustainable approaches for our marine resources with the public there’s a lot of resistance because the public tends to view these areas as excluded. In other words, the public is not allowed traditional fishing, water sports, or other similar activities in those areas. That’s why there are different types of sustainable use and management of those resources. Areas like nursery grounds to protect ecosystems are different from other areas settled for fishing species like the commercial lobster, for example. Some species are set aside and protected until they reach a certain growth so then they can eventually migrate to an area where they can be reached by local officials.

These last two election cycles have demonstrated the importance of climate change in relation to politics and the american people. What is unfortunate is that what seems to be a very crucial and real problem in our human survival, according to scientists, is being debated by people who do not have the scientific credentials to even discuss the science behind the reality of climate change. Those behind the skeptics, have funded a successful campaign against the reality of the facts and have introduce doubt into the sciences.

There have been plenty of disputes regarding the infamous topic global warming, despite the fact that there is a unanimous scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change. A history professor at UCSD, Naomi Oreskes, discusses this in her article, “The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change”. She begins her investigation by researching credible experts and environmental organizations, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the National Academy of Sciences, and several others. By utilizing these various sources as evidence it strengthens her argument about the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change. In this case, Oreskes audience consists of

Our lack of unawareness and obligation results in a postponing action. Due to the procrastination, we are now not prepared to deal with the upcoming problems of the long term future. As Gardiner states, we have difficulties with many basic issuses such as: scientfic uncertainity, intergenerational equity, nonhumans, nature. All of these issues do play a part in our climate change. For this perfect storm, “an unusual convergence of independently harmful factors where this convergence is likely to result in negative outcomes” (548), we lack the intelluctual tools to actually understand climate change. So far, we have failed to create a distinct way to understand and address

Climate change is one of the most controversial and ongoing topics in society today. Scientist and politicians alike all have opinions, but very often they are not in line with each other. 97% of climatologists agree that climate change is happening, as well as many of the large corporations in this field such as NASA, the Geological Society of America, and the American Association for the Advancement of science. Still, these debates take place on sites such as climatedebatedaily.com or the worldwide conference that was held on June 6, 2015 that took place 79 countries. Both sides claim to have solid evidence that supports their theories, but it is evident to most scientists and corporations alike that the human race is creating our own destruction

It was not entirely clear in the reading how efficient these organizations are and what could make them better. One such example of room for improvement was the IPCCs annual report in which critics jumped on some sloppy and scientifically inaccurate findings, which greatly hurts the credibility of the organization and the cause. Also, it is apparent that political leaders will have varying degrees of proficiency in scientific research and may interpret results differently. This was demonstrated by the examples of Bert Bolin’s scrutiny over the types of words used to relay the implications of their findings on whether human activity was responsible for global warming and to what degree. In the “alphabet soup” of organizations and agencies are efforts as coordinated as they could be and how can the scientific communities voice best be heard on the international stage as well as in the individual countries?

Ever since I was a young child, I had a passion for nature. Aided by my parents, this drive was always fueled by day hikes, week long tenting trips, beach days, and long walks in the woods. This exposure to nature made me realize how precious and fragile it was. My passion for nature then escalated into a passion for the environment and protecting it. After taking Environmental Science at high school my junior year, I was able to blossom that passion for environmental protection into a reality with the inception of the Sustainability Squad. The sustainability Squad is an environmental awareness club who’s mission is, “promoting a sustainable lifestyle in and around York high school by spearheading initiatives such as the garden center and

In the article “Taking Politics Out of Climate Change,” Christina Couch talks about the effects that politics has on environmental issues including climate change. The author mentioned that America is divided into two groups of people with differing opinions on what steps should be taken. This division makes climate change a very controversial subject, and it is difficult to decide what should be done to prevent the negative effects of it. As the country gets split apart on the subject, it will make it even more difficult to make decisions in the future that everyone will be happy with.

Politicians favor economic gain rather than environmental sustainability Global warming is portrayed by politicians as a hoax, because money is more important than the environment. The purpose of this article is to persuade people to take action against global warming. It is a scientific fact that climate change is real, but not enough action is being taken to stop it.

Even though there is evidence proving that the increasing danger of climate change and global warming is a threat to all life, anti-believers argue that although 2014 was deemed the hottest year on record, the year saw record snow and cold in all four hemispheres. Additionally, oceans are rising much less than predicted. In 2005, Al Gore predicted that oceans would rise 20 feet by 2100. However, 80% of the tide gauges show less rise than the official “global average”. In fact, many tide gauges show no rise in sea level, and almost none show any acceleration over the past 20 years (Top Ten Reasons). These statistics accurately represent how torn many are on the subject of climate change. Although there are great points to be made on each side, it is always better to be safe than sorry, and the fight against climate change, believe or not, should be in the back of one’s mind at all

I want to participate in the EcoAmbassador program because it is the combination of my two passions, environmental science and community service. With my intended double major in environmental science and business this internship will provide me the opportunity to further expand my knowledge in the field. It will provide me with the much needed field experience that is necessary to every successful environmental scientist. Also, I want the opportunity apply all the knowledge I’ve learned from high school geology, chemistry, biology, and my senior capstone project. The program will also give me another opportunity to give back to the community by improving the environment, functionally and aesthetically. In Virginia Beach, I was part of Project

Climate change. It has been on all of our minds as more and more controversy and panic are induced by new data being collected all the time. The very thought of it as the truth begins to fade into the foreground is enough to make many people sick. As this problem begins to take political forefronts, the question is, what are we going to do about it? Fortunately, public opinion and political concern as it has in the past and still does, has motivated individuals and even entire nations to take action against the upcoming threat. However, not all individuals are open to the truth of the existence and significance of climate change.

The past semester a core class I took was Politics of Climate Change. I’ve learned many new ideas and concepts about climate change. Now that I am educated on the matter and can form my own opinion, I was curious about what the people I surround myself with think about climate change. I asked many different people about their thoughts and opinions on climate change. I questioned my tutors, stem major friends, my parents, and siblings. I was most interested with what my mother, Oyindamola Eletu, and my sister, Omobukola Solebo, had to say about this important topic. I was particularly interested in what my immigrant, democratic, and religious mother would say on the tasking situation. My sister is a high school biology teacher in California who graduated from TCNJ in 2014 with a double major in education and biology. After interviewing them both, I began to compare and contrast their views and how they came to them.