Nuclear Power

Nuclear power may not be the newest form of energy to be developed but it is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s societies. Personally, I do not think it will be the solution to our energy crisis, but it will play a large role in the coming years. I have created a list of pros and cons for nuclear power. The positive aspects of nuclear power are about equal to the number of negative aspects of nuclear power. Nuclear power is not the solution to humanities’ nuclear crisis because it proposes too many devastating risks and it is not a renewable energy source. Since Uranium is not renewable, there is not an unlimited amount of nuclear power available. Nuclear power could be considered a transition source of fuel. The world is going to need to find alternative sources of energy that are renewable and will have almost zero environmental impact. Nuclear power doesn’t fit into this criteria but it will help the world during this time of transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.


Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power:

Pros:
• The generation of nuclear power emits relatively low amounts of Carbon Dioxide.
• The technology for nuclear power is already available so it does not need to be developed.
• Each power plant can generate a high amount of electricity.
• The amount of pollution that is emitted from nuclear power plants is considerably less than the amount of pollution emitted by plants running on fossil fuels.
• Nuclear power plants need little fuel and Uranium is evenly deposited around the planet.
Cons:
• The waste produced from nuclear power plants is extremely dangerous and has to be carefully looked after for thousands of years.
• The possibility of an accident increases with the increasing number of nuclear power plants. A nuclear accident would be devastating.
• There is the possibility that nuclear power plants and the waste of nuclear power plants would be a target for terrorists.
• The amount of Uranium is limited. It is estimated that there is only enough to supply power plants for the next 30 to 60 years.
• The radiation from nuclear power plants is a threat to the health of many.

Something Unexpected

My Environment and Society class is reading a book called Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman. I found the following information intriguing yet pretty disturbing. One of the interesting things about greenhouse gases that are being emitted into the Earth’s atmosphere is the diversity of sources that they come from. According to Hot, Flat, and Crowded, humans are “throwing up other green house gases, like methane, that are released form rice farming, petroleum drilling, coal mining, animal defecation, solid waste landfill sites, and yes, even from cattle belching.” Also, according to Friedman, a herd of cattle belching can be worse than a high way full of hummers. Yes, this is what I meant by disturbing. I would rather not think about all the millions of cows that are releasing 600 liters of methane a day into the atmosphere. Gas from cattle releases high amounts of methane into the atmosphere. Methane can be quite detrimental to the Earth’s atmosphere because it is able to trap twenty-one times more gas in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. This just proves that humans have all kinds of impacts on the Earth’s atmosphere since we’re the ones that dramatically increase the production of cattle.

Politics and the Environment

I’ve always wondered why concern for the environment within the U.S. government is usually considered a political issue. In my opinion, it makes more sense for people to be conscious of the Earth regardless of their political beliefs. Yet, this is not the case in the United States. In the 1980s a new philosophy came about that said everything the government does is inefficient. Some people believed that too much government intervention jeopardized the freedom of the American people. The conservatives were especially opposed to what they believed was excess government intervention. The Conservative Movement began which basically fought anything that would help the government’s sphere of influence. Movements concerned with environmental aspects and sustainability usually need the influence of the government to make them successful. This is why often conservatives compared with liberals are not as focused on environmental aspects. I believe we have come to an era when global warming is so evident that everyone should make combating climate change a priority. In Europe, almost all of the political parties have made new environmental ideas and improvements a large part of their political platforms. In the next few years, the United States is going to need to make many environmental advancements and improvements to catch up with Europe.

Green Games at UNC

Here at UNC most of the dorms participate in a competition called the Green Games. The Green Games is a competition in which residents and RA’s of the dorms participate in activities to promote sustainability and environmentally friendly actions. The dorm that organizes the most activities with the most participants wins the Green Games. The winner of the competition is determined by a point system. The prizes that are awarded usually have some connection with sustainability. Last year, Morrison was the dorm that one the entire competition and they receive prizes like low flow water fixtures, LED or motion sensor lights, a ClearStream recycling system, a foosball, ping pong table, an electric bike, a DVD collection of sustainability related movies, and a solar charging station for laptops! The last time I heard my dorm was in second place for this year’s competition. I think it’s neat that the Green Games encourages the entire dorm to participate in environmentally friendly actions and to be conscious of sustainability.

Copenhagen Climate Conference

In three days the largest international political conference will be held in Denmark. About 15,000 participants from 192 countries will take part in the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 7th until the 18th. The main purpose of the conference is to take action on climate change. According to the United Nations, “We cannot continue using fossil fuels the way we do today.” The Copenhagen will hopefully succeed in developing a Copenhagen Protocol to prevent global warming and climate changes. The government of Denmark has decided that the Conference in Copenhagen has decided that the subject of the conference will be on climate change and the conference itself. The planners of the conference have worked hard to make the conference itself environmentally friendly. Participants of the conference have been encouraged to used public transportation. Also, a windmill near the location of the conference is being used to supply electricity for the conference. Personally I believe that the Conference in Copenhagen will be one of the most important international meetings in today’s society. The future state of our planet relies on decisions that will be made in the near future. The Conference in Copenhagen has a chance to make a difference.

My English class has spent a few classes focusing on Environmental issues. I talked previously about the day we discussed ecological literacy. The other day we perused a website called 350.org. The website organized the International Day of Climate Action and much more. On October 24, 2009 people at more than 5200 events in more than 180 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the world. The number 350 represents the amount in parts per million as the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The number 350 is also a symbol where the planet needs to head in the future as humans continue to cause global warming. I am obviously biased because I am an environmental major, but I thought this was a very cool website. There are animated movies and many pictures of people gathering to promote the 350 campaign and International Day of Climate Action.

Bio Invasion

For the past few classes we have been learning about the biodiversities of ecosystems. Globalization has been one of the main causes that have led to the bio invasion of species. Professor Gangi described the rule of 10 for bio invasion. The rule of 10 is that for every 100 species, 10 are going to be able to reproduce in a new environment. One of the 10 species will be a nuisance species. Nuisance species usually affect the bio diversity of an ecosystem by bringing disease vectors and over competing with other species for resources. Professor Gangi talked about two particular species that I had no idea even existed. Honestly, I think I would prefer not knowing the existed. They are the snake fish and lamprey. The Lamprey is the first photo and the lamprey is the second photo. Both of these species have serious potential threats to waterways in the United States and other parts of the world. In the past they have been exposed into new environments and negatively affected the lives of other species living in the area. For example, the lamprey was able to get into waterways that weren’t its natural habitats and they can suck the blood of the fish living near it. A snake fish even has the ability to crawl out of bodies of water and move across land to another body of water. Both of these species have been able to make it to new waterways through the globalization of humans and can cause many problems in their new ecosystems.

Almost the End

As the end of the semester is growing closer, I am finishing up all my assignments for this class. A few days ago my group will finished writing our case study essay and then we turned it in on Thursday. That will be our last written assignment for the class. I can’t believe the semester has gone by so fast! I’m definitely looking forward the winter break and not having any school work to think about. Especially after this case study I am ready for a break.

New Urbanism

New urbanism describes a movement of development that promotes walkable neighborhoods that have a range of house types with different available jobs. New urbanism began in the United States in the early 1980s. It is said to be closely related to Environmentalism. The developers of new urbanism hope that their planning and strategies will reduce the traffic congestion, increase the supply of affordable housing, and reduce sprawl. Southern Durham Development Inc claims that the proposed development around Jordan Lake would be an example of new urbanism. The company’s website shows a video that defines the goals of a new urban neighborhood. I am sure the developers have many plans to reduce the development’s environmental impact and make it an example of new urbanism, but the location of the proposed development seems to contradict the strategies of new urbanism. New urbanism is supposed to rein in on urban sprawl. The location of 751 South appears to be an example of urban sprawl. The neighborhoods wouldn’t really be an expansion of the city of Durham. Instead it appears to just be another example of the city sprawling outwards. I am perplexed how the developing company can call the proposed development an example of new urbanism when its location contradicts the strategies of new urbanism.

I started this blog at the beginning of the year with almost no idea what this class was going to be like. I was also unsure whether I was still going to want to be an environmental major by the time exams rolled around. I have heard that at least half of the freshmen in college will change their major. So far I have not changed my major and I am pretty happy with what I am planning on majoring in. I am still conscious of the fact that there is a good possibility that I may decide to switch my major, but at this point I do not plan to. The environmental class that I have been taking has reassured my choice in Environmental Science. It has probably been my favorite class this semester. I really like the professor and think he does a good job getting students to care about what he is teaching. The class always keeps me interested and it has helped me find an area to focus my career around.

UNC and Jordan Lake

I am a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but I am originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. So, I am not very familiar with the triangle region and I had actually never heard of Jordan Lake before I started on the Case Study. So, I didn’t realize how close Jordan Lake is to Chapel Hill. One day as I was walking to class I happened to notice the storm drains on campus. Each one says, “drains into Lake Jordan.” I was surprised and excited to find out how close UNC’s campus is to the lake. It made me realize that the students at UNC also play an important role in protecting Jordan Lake.

Another Interview!

Part of my assignment for the case study was to interview a knowledgeable person about the issue that the case study focuses on. I chose to interview a lady named Elaine Chiosso who is the Executive director for the Haw River Assembly. The Haw River Assembly is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1982 to help restore and protect Haw River and Lake Jordan. Chiosso told me about the petition that was started by the Haw River Assembly against the proposed 751 South. The following summary on the issue regarding the boundary changes of Lake Jordan is based off the information given by Elaine Chiosso. Durham County didn’t go through the proper legislation for the state or county. As a result citizens started contacting the Haw River Assembly. The public suggested the Haw River Assembly get involved with the conflict regarding Lake Jordan. The citizens wanted the county to send the survey back through the process. Yet, the petition proposed to the planning commission of Durham County was denied. According to Chiosso, a petition is valid if it can get support from 20% of the public. Since the boundary line of Lake Jordan is drawn as an arc, the petition must have 20% public support from the east and west side of the boundary line. Although the petition did manage to collect the support of 20% of the public, it was still announced invalid. She also informed me that the boundary line was set when the lake was built in the 1970’s. The boundary of a lake is usually determined by the normal pool elevation line. This distinguishes between where the lake ends and the river begins. The Haw River Assembly also used submitted its own survey along with the survey that was proposed by the developer. There are various types of survey methods that can be used that are considered valid. The method used by the developer guaranteed a boundary change. This type of method is called surface water elevation. The method used by the Haw River Assembly was called Creek Bottom Elevation. The survey also used a method called Thalweg. The Haw River Assembly does not want support the survey paid for by the developers because it would allow the critical watershed area to change enough to allow development in this area. The development is called 751 South. The developer’s survey would also allow other people on the other side of the line to develop around the lake. Lake Jordan is on the impaired water list and is significantly affected by storm water pollution.
At first I was a little skeptical about being able to find a person that would be willing to talk to me about the issue, but it turned out to be pretty simple. I might have gotten lucky because Chiosso was pretty willing to talk to me. The interview was also helped clarify a lot of the factors causing most of the controversy. There are multiple surveys that can be done to determine a lake’s boundaries and they’re all valid. Personally I think this is a main factor creating problems between the developers, counties, and citizens.

An interview

If you’re interested in the controversy revolving around Jordan Lake, I found an interview with Matt Saldana on the North Carolina Public Radio. Matt Saldana is a writer for the Independent Weekly and covers this particular issue. The interview is a recording that I found on the Independent Weekly’s website. It is a little old and there have been important decisions regarding the issue that have been made after the interview was published. Yet, it is a good way to understand the background information and fill in any gaps that I may have missed. The following link will take you to this interview.

http://wunc.org/tsot/archive/sot0107a09.mp3/view

What is a Watershed?

So I found this picture that defines a watershed boundary. The definition of a watershed boundary is helpful, but I thought the picture was even more helpful. The picture helped me grasp the concept of a watershed boundary.

Jordan Lake Boundaries

As I was doing some research for the case study, I came across the map that is seen below. Since the map is animated, I liked how it helped me understand the changing watershed boundaries. The map makes the controversial issues easier to understand and visualize. There are certain laws that prohibit high density development within a one mile boundary of Jordan Lake. This one mile boundary is called the watershed boundary. As the map shows, the yellow block is the proposed development. The red boundary line is the proposed line, while the blue line is the existing watershed boundary. The proposed development cannot be continued until the watershed boundary is adjusted to the red line. In October of this year, the Southern Development Inc succeeded in changing the watershed boundaries. This map is a little old. So the red line is now the actual watershed boundary of Lake Jordan. The next step for the developing company is to rezone the area. The company wants to change the zoning from low density development to high density development. The process of rezoning has turned into a debate within Durham County.

CASE STUDY!

As I mentioned before, I have been working on a case study in my environmental class. The case study has focused on Jordan Lake and the proposed development within the lake’s watershed boundary. The controversy that has evolved with the development around Jordan Lake has become very heated in the past year and is still unresolved. The company called Southern Durham Development in Durham County wants to build a development that is called 751 South. The development would be considered high density development. 751 South would consist of 164 acres of dense development. It would also be located in southwest Durham County. The development would be composed of 1300 residences, 600,000 square feet of office and retail space, fire station, elementary and middle school, and other amenities that would accommodate for its location outside of the city limits. It is estimated that the total development is would cost about $500 million. The development would be considered high density development because so many people would be living close to each other. One of the goals of the community set forth by the developers is to make the community compact so that it will be more sustainable. There are a number of steps that Southern Durham Developing Inc must follow in order to go ahead and build on this piece of land around Jordan Lake. First, the watershed boundaries of Jordan Lake must be changed then the zoning of this area has to be approved from low density to high density. Currently, the necessary watershed boundaries have been passed through the Durham County Board of Commissioners but the rezoning process is still continuing. Rezoning of this area will allow high density development near the lake. The controversial issue regarding Jordan Lake has created a fine line between those that support the zoning changes and those that do not. Those that are opposed to the zoning changes argue that the development will provide too much exposure to pollutants from human societies. The Lake is already on the EPA’s list of impaired waters so it already does not meet quality expectations determined by the state. Jordan Lake is also the drinking water for Apex, Cary, Chatam County, and Mooresville County. Those that are opposed to the changing zones and boundaries of Jordan Lake live in the areas that get their drinking water from this lake. It is safe to say that almost everyone wants to drink the cleanest water possible.