How I made meaning out of this colloquium class experience

I was being told I need to protect the environment since I was small. I was encouraged to recycle and not to waste water. However, I have never been told why I need to do that. Usually I just got some answers like “why not? The Earth is our home so we need to protect it”. The Colloquium class gave me a full picture about why do we need to protect the environment, with the scientific evidences behind it.   

 

          I see there are two major parts in this colloquium class: global warming and oil crisis. Almost about half of the classes focus about global warming.  Global warming is a result of burning fossil fuel. Burning fossil fuel releases carbon dioxide, which would trap the heat from the sun. As a result, the temperature of the earth rises. The class spent significant amount of time explaining what the result would be if the earth temperature rises to a certain degree and how would that affect our lives.

         

          The second major part is about oil crisis. During the class I learnt that United States is heavily depended on oil. The cities, the roads and the infrastructures are all designed for cars, which are run by oil. Oil will not be depleted in a short period of time, which I was surprised by that, but it would be more and more expensive. The class focused on how would expensive oil could affect our economy and our lives.

          The class also gives me some interesting facts, like underground water tunnel in Florida and where our fish come from. In conclusion, the colloquium class answered the question that why do we need to protect the environment.