Will modern civilization endure? Will we transform ourselves into a sustainable society and vital ecosystems?

Will modern civilization endure? I cannot find any reason why not. Mankind had overcome lots of disasters throughout history, and every disaster made mankind stronger if rational thinking was present. I believe even the global warming turned out to be a greatest disaster of mankind, modern civilization will still endures or even better.

            Future can be predicted by looking at the history. According to history, society collapse usually not because of disaster, but education. Even the society collapse, with education, the civilization would be rebuilt. For example, during the late middle age, Black Death was all over Europe. Thousands of people die every day. At the end, over one third of the population in Europe was dead and the societies were collapsed. But not long after the end of Black Death, it was the Renaissance period. The Black Death was one of the reasons that people started questioning about the church and the Bible. They started thinking rationally. Within few hundred years, the European conquered the world.

            Another example was the big economical crash in 1929 in United States. The society was basically collapsed. But within less than twenty years, United States turned into a world super power. The 1929 crash did not make United States collapse, but even stronger. I believe the reason behind it was because education and rational thinking.

            Not every disaster would make a country stronger. The rational thinking and education are the key points behind it. China was pretty damaged after World War II and after the civil war. Instead of rebuilding the country, Chairman Mao chose to spread his religion of communist. Take the Great Leap for example. The point of Great Leap is to produce more steel than United States to show United States that the Chinese were better in terms of industry. Farmers melt their tools in order to produce steel. The result was obvious: no farmers, no food. Tens of millions people die because of hunger. The way of thinking “we need to prove that we are not weak” still affecting the Chinese today. Chinese government rather spends billions of dollars for Olympic or World Expo rather than helping the farmers or improves their citizens’ life. Riots are lot more common today in China and I believe there will be a huge revolution very soon.

            Modern civilization will endure, as long as mankind keeps their rational thinking. I believe we will also able to transform ourselves into a sustainable society and vital ecosystem. However I think the Europeans will turn into a sustainable society early then the Americans. When the resource is running out, the Americans probably use its military force to get what it wants. The Europeans are not going to fight with the Americans, so what they can only do is find an alternative way, which is what they are doing now. The French has lots and lots of nuclear power plant and the German is promoting the solar power. I believe the Americans will turn into a sustainable society much slower than the European, just because it has lots of cheaper, easier options.

Highpoints and the things you found most difficult about colloquium

 As my last journal entry said, I learnt a lot in the colloquium class. The colloquium class did answer lots of my questions in a very scientific way, which means the answers have evidences backing up. The high point in the class which I found interesting is the facts about global warming. I think the most difficult part about colloquium is the writing part, just because I am not a native English speaker.

            The class displayed the evidences about global warming, the consequence of global warming and the solution about global warming. Before I took the class, I don’t really know the consequence of global warming. I thought the Earth would suddenly turn in hell like in about one hundred years. I thought it would like the movie “the day after tomorrow”, millions of people die overnight. After the class, I find out it is not that bad. Millions of people would die not overnight, but over a decade. If we don’t act quickly now, the Earth will turn in hell for a while, then people will get used to it once the infrastructures are being shifted. Actually there are people that benefit from global warming. For example the wine maker in England will be able to produce better wine than those in Italy due to the climate shift.

            I learnt many facts about global warming. I also learnt that the solution of global warming is right here. As I said in my last journal entry, the colloquium class did answer my questions and clear up some of my wrong conception about global warming.

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.

         

The Nature of Everglade

The Nature of Everglades

            This article is about Everglades in Florida. Everglades is a one of the unique regions of the earth. First it states a brief history of Everglades. The Spanish mapmaker just printed over the unknown blank space because form them, that place was truly mysteries; fabulous with a wealth they were never able to prove. Then he talks about Everglades from different aspects: the grass, the water, the rock, The River of time and the life on the rock.

            The grass in the Everglades is unique. Saw grass reaches on hundred miles from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico, sixty/seventy miles wide. It grows up to fifteen in places of deepest water. Besides those facts, the article focuses on how pretty about the grass and how do they react to the hurricane and fire.

            The water in the Everglades is from Lake Okeechobee, and water in Lake Okeechobee is from the rains and northern lakes and streams. In Florida, there are only wet or dry season. In rainy season, it can cause full flood, overflowed the flat country for miles, north and south.

            The rocks hold the fresh water and the grass and all those other shapes and forms of air-loving life only a little way out of the salt water. The material of it came from the sea, soft lumpy limestone. A diversity of life lives upon the rock that holds it: trees, southern longleaf, bark patches, rattle snakes woodpeckers and dozens of other birds are there in their seasons.

End Game

Everglades in Florida is dying.

          Although over the course of twentieth century, Florida conservationists had helped stop plume hunts, preserve millions of acres of wetlands mandate minimum flows to Everglades Nation Part, and secure the largest nutrient cleanup in history, the everglades is still dying.

          The main idea of this article talks about the road to restore an everglade is hard, not because of technical difficulty, but politics. At the first half of the article, active environmentalists debated with the senators about the Everglades Restoration Plan. At the same time, President Clinton administration’s revised study had suggested that to build an airport. After all debate and other political stuff, at last the airport was not built; the Everglade was not yet saved, but it was not yet doomed. Millions of acres of ecosystem remained in public ownership. Water quality was improving.

          When environmental protection supporters fight against policies that could improve economy and creating jobs, it is always an uphill battle. It is human nature that they would like to put themselves in a better environment rather than saving other species. Second, many people do not really understand how is the environmental protection plan work and how do they related to their lives. In the article, many senators wondered if the plan that would save the everglades works.

          At the end of the article, because of the rejection of airport, the author of this article suggested that money doesn’t always talk. I believe it is true that money doesn’t always talk, but most of time.