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Reflections

My biggest "Aha" moment has to be while studying the topic of modern agriculture and finding out exactly why the U.S. has such a water crisis despite having massive aquifers. Because it's using water in the worst possible ways. It's all illogical. I mean, why have some of our largest food producers out in the deserts of California? It just doesn't make sense.

I definitely feel like I'm way more prepared for the coming elections. I'm an informed voter and I plan to make the best possible decision of who should be in which seats based on facts rather than opinions.

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Sustainable Maryland

The bill that stuck out to me the most has to be the “Environmental Human Rights” bill that was never voted on. I can understand why this bill was never voted on. What does environmental human rights even mean? The wording of the bill is ambiguous. We couldn’t possibly apply the ideas of human rights to the environment, could we? How would we combine the rights of humans with the rights of the environment?  Many lawmakers and politicians would question how to implement this law in a way that would benefit their constituents, the environment, and the economy.

However, the appeal of this bill is definitely there. There are many combinations that can benefit both humans and the environment. For example, the rights of humans to have clean air has the close correlation of planting more trees in polluted areas and stopping the deforestation efforts that build more corporate buildings. This helps clean the air and provide habitats for wildlife in these more urban areas. Rights should apply to everyone and everything. We should have a more egocentric way of thinking and acting in order for everything on this Earth to exist in sustainable harmony.

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Rational

"My reason for taking this class was originally to fulfill the requirements for a degree in environmental science. Now that I’ve switched to Biology, it’s become just an elective, but that’s fine with me! I’m very excited to engage in this class. In my environmental science classes, we touched on how the environment affects industries and how businesses operate.

Looking through the contents of our textbook, I have to say that chapter 4: Putting monetary values on the environment and living things along with chapter 3: Valuing Ecosystems interests me the most."

Yep, that was me at the very beginning of this class. My excitement about being here has not died and I must say it's been my favorite class this semester. My interest in the price of the environment and the value of our ecosystems has finally been satisfied, however. Our textbook did a great job of explaining how economists have tried to put prices on the environment and its many free services and how the value of the environment is still a discussion full of opinions.

|Photo credits of Stock|

Allow me to educate on the topic of valuing our environment.

The verdict is still out about how to officially value the environment, but there are many ideas as to how.

Dollars and values don't go together. How many dollars could wind or waves cost? Whatever your answer would be is just an opinion, your proposed value and view of them.

Values can change. You can love the trees with all your heart while standing in the beauty of a forest and enjoy your view of the city from a high rise building. Do they have similar values? How would you put that into the dollar value? Would it change with time and situations? That's why this is difficult.

It is pivotal that we find a way to do this, however, because of the power a definitive number would give those in environmental activism and lawmaking.

Money talks and if we can get it talking for the environment, we'd have much more leverage in the economic and political worlds. Imagine if a company saw how much money they lost with each parcel of carbon they put into the atmosphere. They'd definitely listen to that.

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Environmental Justice

Environmental Justice is the act of giving voice to the people who have suffered the majority of the consequences of industrialization in a political space. The EPA’s definition is very similar to this, though, my definition touches on how the voice is for the people who have suffered the most from pollution. The EPA’s definition focuses most on everyone in general, so passing laws for the benefit of even those least affected. The most important similarity is that each definition pushes for legislation for these changes to be enforced.

The only way change will come to these communities is if the plants built there stop production and air purifying efforts are put into place. The Inflation Reduction Act Community Change Grants Program would give the funds for these changes to be implemented. Air purification is expensive and to close these plants would require funds to build a new sustainable plant to replace it. This has the added benefit of opening new jobs in places where poverty may be high. The communities are where the next generation of environmental justice leaders are coming from and this grant would give them a head start towards their careers and their duty to their communities.

For my song, I chose “The Times They Are A-Changin’” By Bob Dylan. The lyrics are as follows:

“Come gather 'round people, wherever you roam

And admit that the waters around you have grown

And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone

If your time to you is worth saving

Then you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone

For the times, they are a-changin'

Come writers and critics who prophesize with your pen

And keep your eyes wide, the chance won't come again

And don't speak too soon, for the wheel's still in spin

And there's no tellin' who that it's namin'

For the loser now will be later to win

For the times, they are a-changin'

Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call

Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall

For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled

The battle outside ragin'

Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls

For the times, they are a-changin'

Come mothers and fathers throughout the land

And don't criticize what you can't understand

Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command

Your old road is rapidly aging

Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand

For the times, they are a-changin'

The line, it is drawn, the curse, it is cast

The slow one now will later be fast

As the present now will later be past

The order is rapidly fading

And the first one now will later be last

For the times, they are a-changin'”

References

Dylan, B. (1964, January 13). Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin'. Genius. https://genius.com/Bob-dylan-the-times-they-are-a-changin-lyrics

Steinberg, L. (2020, February 19). 12 songs for your climate strike playlist. Earth Day. https://www.earthday.org/12-songs-for-your-climate-strike-playlist/

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Fisheries

"Fish are being taken out of their environment at a faster rate than they can reproduce!"

|Photo Courtesy of Ocean Dimensions|

Classic case of the tragedy of the commons. There’s no rules on who takes fish from the water, how much they take, or considering other fishermen while fishing. Once the big companies get their hands on things like this, they take over and they will take advantage until they can’t anymore. This leaves nothing for the smaller fishermen as the fish can’t repopulate fast enough to fulfill the increased and larger scale fishing schemes. 

The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines ecolabels as “marks placed on product packaging or in e-catalogs that can help consumers and institutional purchasers quickly and easily identify those products that meet specific environmental performance criteria and are therefore deemed ‘environmentally preferable’” (Introduction to Ecolabels and Standards for Greener Products | US EPA, 2023). Ecolabelling is used in the fish industry as a way of informing consumers of the practices used to acquire their seafood. Consumers are becoming more savvy and are more interested in where their food comes from and how it gets to them. Sustainability is becoming more common practice. Ecolabelling is an incentive for fishing companies and independent fishermen to limit the amount of fish they take from the water in the name of sustainability (Giacomarra et al., 2021, 2).

References

Giacomarra, M., Crescimanno, M., Vrontis, D., Pastor, L. M., & Galati, A. (2021). The ability of fish ecolabels to promote a change in the sustainability awareness. Marine Policy, 123(104292), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104292.

Introduction to Ecolabels and Standards for Greener Products | US EPA. (2023, August 23). Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/greenerproducts/introduction-ecolabels-and-standards-greener-products

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Agriculture

"Agriculture, as it is, is outdated and detrimental to our water supply and economy."

|Photo by Megan Leigh Barnard|

In the video titled “Can we create the ‘perfect’ farm?”, Loken explains how the current methods of farming have damaged our landscapes rather than working with it and details a future where we work with the landscape and our environment to fulfill our food needs while also allowing natural biodiversity to thrive. He highlights the current changes that many countries have made towards that future. In the video titled “Growing Up: How Vertical Farming Works”, Rosenberg introduces the modern practice of vertical farming and explains its potential to revolutionize agriculture as we continue into our urban sprawl lifestyles. 

These videos confirmed that our old-fashioned methods of agriculture are officially doing more harm than good for our environment and are definitely not helping in the war against climate change. I learned a lot about the new methods of farming that are taking place right now all over the world (Rosenberg, 2019). The efforts that are seeking to push all farmers into these methods and making it more affordable for them to do so, as well as the push for everyone to switch to a more vegetarian lifestyle are happening right now (Loken, 2020). This is the frontline of change right now!

References

Loken, B. (2020, October 12). Can we create the "perfect" farm? - Brent Loken. YouTube. https://youtu.be/xFqecEtdGZ0

Rosenberg, L. (2019, March 6). Growing Up: How Vertical Farming Works. YouTube. https://youtu.be/QT4TWbPLrN8

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Climate Change

"Let's save our planet because we don't have any backups."

Picture from xtock / shutterstock

For the North American region, specifically the United States, Climate change is at the front of many of our lawmakers’ minds. Young people vote for people who plan to make changes that will help to remedy climate change (Martín et al., 2019). Climate change deniers can’t dispute the fact that summers are hotter than before and winters are shorter than ever. Many states in the U.S. are reporting record breaking wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, and tornadoes, with each year breaking the last year’s record (Long, 2014). Our natural resources are being tested with each change in weather patterns and the economy is taking the hit for crop loss and crop failure. The culture within the U.S. is having to make changes as well. The common act of a gender reveal party for an incoming baby has become extremely hazardous for the environment after the paint cannons caused multiple fires in California (Meeks & Silverman, 2021). 

References

Long, T. (2014, October 22). Climate change and its effects on natural resources. MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/climate_change_and_its_effects_on_natural_resources

Martín, C., Kousky, C., & French, K. (2019, September 23). The challenging politics of climate change | Brookings. Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-challenging-politics-of-climate-change/

Meeks, A., & Silverman, H. (2021, July 21). A couple whose 2020 gender reveal party allegedly sparked a deadly wildfire in California has been charged in the death of a firefighter. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/21/us/gender-reveal-el-dorado-wildfire-charges/index.html

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Introduction

Hi, everyone! I'm Maia.

Some fun facts about me: I'm a big science geek. I'm all about the source code of our existences. I'd like to discover something new about the biological world and get a law named after me, though I don't know if I'm clever enough to be the next Issac Newton haha!

If you don't find me in class or studying, I'm typically deep in thought about something obscure.

What Do Environmental Economics Mean to Me?

Environmental Economics is the effort of including the environment in the economic and political spheres. The issues in environmental economics are the same issues that we talk about in passing with each other on an unseasonably hot day.  "It's hotter this year than it usually is. Let's do something about that!" The economics part just means that the businesses and the government have to say the same phrase too.

Alright, that's it for now! See you through the screen!