Knowing Our Planet's Worth Essay

In the fourth chapter, “Fouling Our Own Nests,” of Unquenchable: America’s Water Crisis and What to do About It, Robert Glennon discusses the dangers of water contamination that plague many parts of the United States. His main claim that water pollution requires the help of the entire population stems from an unmentioned warrant: contaminating the national water supply with chemicals from individual communities and industries is detrimental to American society. In order to strengthen his argument, Glennon showcases the impacts of local contamination issues on larger populations and utilizes quantitatively intimidating statistics to solidify his position and inspire his readers to fight for better water regulation.

The inception of U.S. Environmental policy most notably began under the Presidency of Richard Nixon; Nixon oversaw the passage of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and the creation of the Environmental Policy Act (EPA). The Clean Water Act of 1972, in particular, enacted stringent laws to prevent pollutants from entering navigable waters, outlawing open sewers from dumping crud into a local stream and the law also protects land that filters and purifies water as it flows by. The Landmark law passed in 1972, however, has not impeded the pending water crisis facing the U.S. today. The United States must take immediate measures in order to combat the problem; given that the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence now ranks water scarcity as a major threat to national security; right next to Terrorism (Sullivan). The United States should reform the Clean Water Act of 1972 to look for any deficiencies in the law.

The one thing humans need on this planet to survive is water. If we need water to survive, then why are polluting it? Most of our nation’s waterways are in terrible condition because of the pollution in the water. Water pollution not only can cause illnesses, but also deaths for humans. Humans aren’t the only thing that water pollution causes harm to. It is also hurting our ecosystem. Humans are the leading cause of most water pollution. We keep throwing wastes into the water making the water unsafe for humans to drink. Scientists are coming up with ways for humans to decrease the amount of wastes they are putting in the water. We need to stop polluting the one thing that keeps us alive.

ratification on the Kyoto Protocol with certain amendments would be necessary to it secure America’s role as world leader. The Kyoto Protocol and the evolving United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) are excellent ways to restore U.S. reputation and showcase America’s eagerness to flight a major global crisis – climate change. As outlined by Charli Coon in his article, “Why President Bush Is Right to Abandon the Kyoto Protocol,” the U.S. did not spearhead the global warming agenda for many reasons. While, President Clinton signed the Kyoto Protocol, requiring emission levels to fall below their 1990 benchmark by 2012, the State Department rejected the protocol in 2001 because it would hurt the U.S. economy and it excused developing countries from the reduction requirements. During the Bush administration, the U.S. was withheld from ratifying the Kyoto Protocol because of the lack of participation from the developing world. Although the U.S. has the highest carbon emission rate, developing countries are increasingly burning up fossil fuels for energy and are expected to surpass U.S. emission level. The Bush administration argued signing the Kyoto Protocol would threaten the U.S. economy and at that time. Also, the U.S. did not possess any technologies for removing or storing carbon dioxide. They also refuted that there was any scientific evidence for global warming. The conversation on climate change has since progressed among members of the international community. With the topic becoming more urgent, U.S. participation in a successor agreement is possible under certain conditions. Firstly, the successor agreement should allow states to individually strategize initiatives to mitigate climate change that best meets their needs and are within their capabilities. Secondly, there should be “anti-dumping” clauses within any new agreement to protect American green industries, thus incentivizing U.S.

Clean water is something we easily have access to in America, however I’ve recently come to realize that it’s not as clean as we may think. Now, I’m not saying that we should immediately stop using water, but we should definitely work on becoming more knowledgeable about what we’re actually utilizing every single day. I’m sure that most of us can readily agree that water is an everyday essential that we all use, whether it be to drink, shower, wash dishes, cook, and other various things. However, what we don’t know is that water pollution has recently been becoming a major issue and will continue to be one if we don’t take action. Believe it or not, we are all contributing to the water pollution. One example is when we pour cooking oil down

This requires us to work-out new policies, regulations and reasons to reduce water concepts, re-use water and replacing water resources. In fact, we need new policies and regulation that will allow us to do more with less, and cascade water from one use to another. To be successful, we need significant efforts to raise awareness and change attitudes: appreciating the tremendous value water has for our lives, families, communities and nations. Only with this attitude can we create the desire to care for water and not waste

The inception of U.S. Environmental policy most notably began under the Presidency of Richard Nixon; Nixon oversaw the passage of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Clean Water Act of 1972, in particular, enacted stringent laws to prevent pollutants from entering navigable waters, outlawing open sewers from dumping crud into a local stream and the law also protects land that filters and purifies water as it flows by. The Landmark law passed in 1972, however, has not impeded the pending water crisis facing the U.S. today. The United States must take immediate measures in order to combat the problem; given that the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence now ranks water scarcity as a top threat to national security; right next to Terrorism (Sullivan). The United States should reform the Clean Water Act of 1972 to look for any deficiencies in the law.

The Kyoto Protocol, a set of international courtesy rules introduced at the Earth Summit in 1992, was one of the biggest steps taken in the direction towards reducing carbon emissions in industrialized countries. This protocol aimed at a five – pronged approach: commitment (towards reduction of greenhouse gases), implementation (of clean mechanisms), minimizing impact (on developing countries), integrity (through accounting, reporting and review) and compliance (through

What would you do if you were told we were no longer going to have clean water? Would you cry or perhaps throw a fit? Or would you actually do something about it? You would probably do all three! We are facing times in which this could actually happen. However, not enough people know about this issue, furthermore, if nobody knows that there is a problem, then there is nothing to fix. The first step in taking care of our environment is educating the public about our potential challeng. Pointing out the importance, and facing what the longterm effects will result if we do not take care of this. We are in a crisis mainly due to ourselves. Polluting our groundwater can create an immense problem, especially if we are ever in desperate need of purified water. Water is crucial for us to survive and thrive, but if we keep destroying forests and digging up all the flora then it is inevitable that we will be in trouble. Furthermore, if you rip plants and trees out of the soil, then the more polluted our ground water will become which will make it harder to purify.

In the United States today, we take water for granted. It is everywhere, it seems abundant, and yet the demand for water is greater now, than ever before. Oil has been a major force of conflict and tension, yet water stands on the brink of becoming just as critical as oil. With the growing number of people and industry on the planet, the competition for water is growing. Additionally, within the united states, the quality of water is under scrutiny. The recent tragedy of Flint Michigan illustrates this best. Increasing pollution and chemical run off has made our drinking water unsafe. Moreover, our aging infrastructure contributes to the danger of pollution from sewage, and other contaminants. The key is to find

Being a world power and a major source of global warming the United States should be a driving force in creating a solution, but it is not. In fact, the United States has increased carbon dioxide output 4.5 percent from 1997-2001 (Gelbspan 11). One proposed solution to global warming is the Kyoto Treaty. The Kyoto Treaty states that developed countries will need to lower their carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2012 (A Stepping Stone 8). The needed reductions for emission levels after 2012 are currently being negotiated (Milne 10). The Kyoto Treaty has been embraced by many countries such as Great Britain and Japan, but not the United States (McKibben, Climate of Denial 34-35). Participation from the United States in the Kyoto Treaty would add legitimacy to the solution. As a world leader, the United States should not stand on the sidelines as most of the international community attempts to create a solution. This creates a viewpoint in the international community that the United States does not care about the environment and how they are harming it. This negative view in the international community will ultimately harm the United States image as a world power. If the United States continues to reject proposals, such as the Kyoto Treaty, from the international community, the international community will likely begin to reject and disregard the

Clean and abundant water provides the groundwork for flourishing communities. Still, as a nation we are heading towards a national water crisis. Ocean and marine dumping, leaking chemicals, dredging, and run-off all participate in the depletion in quality water in the United States and little to nothing is being done to stop it. Our country is struggling with keeping an abundance of clean water to support its life, yet its life needs uncontaminated water to survive. There are many easy solutions to jolt a foundation in attacking this problem, but the lethargy of American’s are stopping them.

H-O-M-E 4 letters with deep meaning. Home is our shelter, our family, and place where your heart is. Earth is our home, our live depend on what the earth provide and we cannot live a second without the thing that the earth provides. At the beginning, God have created the earth completely balance with its function. The forest stands as the heart of the earth because trees provide human oxygen and absorb the carbon dioxide. The earth cooled, the water vapor condensed and fell in torrential downpours at the right distance of the sun not too far and not too near. The earth perfect balance enables to conserve water. The water cut channel is like the veins of the earth body. Everything has been designed perfectly link to each other’s. We cannot imagine if the living things in the earth did not link to each other, how can a human survive. Trees cannot live without water and sun, Human

Joint implementation is a form of trading in which a member country can receive emission reduction credits when it funds an emissions reduction project in another country that effectively reduces emissions in that country. This area of the protocol has received the most attention and debate, especially surrounding the development of the "clean development mechanism" (CDM) through which joint implementation could occur between developed and developing nations (CRS Report 98-2).

Pollution, specifically global warming, is of growing concern to people and governments. It is a controversial issue whose validity is still being debated by scientists. The Kyoto Protocol is an international attempt to address global warming through emissions controls. Traditional neoclassical economic models do not incorporate pollution in rudimentary theories of supply, demand, or pricing, as a result, firms do not consider pollution as a cost of production, which leaves government regulation as the primary method for controlling these externalities. The goal of emissions trading is to allow one business, which can make greenhouse gas emission reductions for a relatively low cost, to sell