3.+What+are+the+consequences+of+not+reducing+waste+of+paper+and+plastic?

 **SYNTHESISE: **  May 24th, 2011

By: Maité

When we waste paper we are wasting very important resources and more paper has to be produced to satisfy people’s demand of paper. The process of making paper has many consequences.


 * -Consequences of Deforestation to produce paper: **

__//- Destruction of Animals’ and Humans’ Habitat: //__ Many animals depend on the forest to live they find food from trees, their home is the forest, but if we cut more and more trees to make paper, forest’s are going to disappear. Many animal are going to become extinct or try to live in places that are not their natural habitat and here they will suffer or harm humans. We are destroying the home of humans too because there are indigenous tribes that live in the forest that depend on the forest resources to live.

__//-Destruction of Source of Oxygen, Food, Medicine: //__ We are destroying forests that gives us many necessary things like oxygen that is what we need breathe to stay alive, Edible plants and fruits that are what make us strong and healthy, and medicine that come from plants and trees in the forest that are what help us to recover from an illness.

If we cut down a big forest we would lose an opportunity of finding new kinds of medicines that could save many lives.

__//-Destruction of the protection of soil and water: //__ The forest produce humidity that are a source of water and they protect the rivers from drying up. The forest also protects the soil. When we cut the trees the soil isn’t protected and it is washed away causing floods. The water evaporates making land and rivers dry.


 * -Consequences of the production of Paper in paper mills: **

__//-Over-consumption of water: //__ In the process of making paper a lot of water is wasted in the factory. When we use water too much we are wasting a very important resource, a resource that guarantees life on Earth.

__//-Over consumption of energy: //__ Paper mills use a lot of energy to produce paper, even when they are recycling paper. When we use energy in excess we are increasing global warming, in this case energy is producing CO <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">2 <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(GHG <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">S <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">: green house gases).Global warming has many other bad consequences for our planet.

__//<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">- Contamination of air and water: //__ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">We are contaminating air and water because to make paper it a lot of the chemicals that are used produce toxic gases and wastes that reach the water and the air which affects the health of all living things.

WHEN WE WASTE PLASTIC WE ARE WASTING A FINITE RESOURCE: PETROLEUM.THE MORE PLASTIC WE MAKE THE LESS PETROLEUM WE WILL HAVE. ALSO, IN THE PROCESS OF EXTRACTING PETROLEUM AND MAKING PLASTIC A LOT OF DAMAGE IS MADE TO THE ENVIRONMENT


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Consequences of extraction of petroleum: **

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">When petroleum is extracted from underground and it transported through pipes or on boats there can be accidents called oil spills that harm animals because they get trapped and can’t move or breathe. Many animals die.


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Consequences of the production of plastic: **

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">When plastic is produced in the factory many resources and energy are used up. The use of energy produces GHGs that cause global warming.

WHEN WE THROW AWAY PAPER AND PLASTIC IT ENDS UP IN LAND FILLS, ON THE STREET, IN THE OCEAN, ON THE BEACHES HAVING A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT.


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Consequences of paper and plastic waste in land fill: **

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Paper thrown in landfills cannot decompose easily because it is mixed and covered with more waste and air cannot reach it. The plastic takes even longer to degrade and the landfills fill up quickly occupying a lot of space, contaminating the air with methane that is another GHG that causes Global warming.


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Consequences of plastic waste on the natural environment: **

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Plastic waste accumulates on beaches and in the sea. When it begins to photo degrade it releases toxins that contaminate the water affecting all the animals that live in it. Also, animals confuse plastic materials with their food, getting caught in it or choking on it.

May 25 2011 By: Maria Camila Orjuela

Book: Conservation and Natural resourses Writters: Jackie Ball, Pul Barnet, Justine Ciovacco, David Diefendorf, Ruth Greestein, Uechi Ng, Anna Prokos, Denise Vega Editor: Justine Ciovacco Page: 22, 23 This edition first published in 2004 by Gareth Stevens Publishing


 * Concequenses of using to much paper**

More than 150 years ago, thick forest filled Europe, the middle East, and parts of united states. Since 1950, more than 20 percent of these forests have been cut down or intentionally burned. Rain - forests the richest, densest forests near the equator are currently destroyed at a rate of more than 78 million acres (32 million hectares) a year. Imagine an area the size of poland filled with trees, and then distroy all the trees. that is the power and in some places the reality of deforestation.

Deforestation can add up to problems for the environment beacuse trees do an amazing number of things. First, they are part of the water circle. Throught evaporation, their leaves help recycle rainwater into the clouds. Also their roots help guide soil runoff and infiltration. the roots of a forest also act a barrier, helping to keep nourshment for plant and trees in the soil. Removal of trees exposes the rich top layer of the soil, which can cause it to lose nutrientes and moisture. Even if rainfall later increases, the soil may be poor for growing. Deforetation also adds to the climate warming process called the Greenhouse Effect. to clear land, forests are sometimes burned. This is quicker than cutting, and the hope is that some of the leftover ash will provide the soil with nutrients. Yet, in 1987 alone, 10 percent of the heat-trapping carbon dioxide realeased into the atmosphere was a result of fires intentionally set to blear parto of the Amazon rain forest. Enviromentalists attribute forest destruction to its root causes: population growth, economic development, and the need to clear land for farming. The dwindling supply of forests is caused by our increasing need for wood and wood-based products, such as paper. Plus, when the soil is stripped of its nutrients, farmers have to move further into the forests in search of new land. Population growth affects the forests, too, as trees are cleared to make way for cities and roads.

May 25 2011 By:Maria Camila Orjuela
 * Internet information:** []
 * Papermaking and environmental impact**

Main environmental problems are many and varied. Among them are:

"Greenhouse effect / climate change / drought

"Deforestation / fire / erosion

"Extinction of plant and animal species / habitat destruction

"Pollution of land, water and air / waste

Some data on deforestation: - In the last fifty years the world has lost an area of ​​forest equivalent to China and India together.
 * Why should we save and recycle paper and cardboard?**

- The Amazon rainforest disappearing at a rate of one football field per second. Note that this type of forest is home to between 50 and 90% of the planet's biological diversity, and we'll an idea of ​​what it is their loss.

- Worsening drought: we are experiencing the driest period of the century. We must bear in mind that forests attract rain, and where there is lots of vegetation increases the humidity and water reserves in the ground.
 * What impact does the lack of trees gives?**

- Hotter summers, the tree also conserves soil moisture and regulate climate. Ie: create microclimate. The treeless land shows variations in temperature, humidity and wind throughout the day and during different seasons, much higher than woodlands.

- Flooding: The soil humus retains rainwater and the roots keep him from leaving the earth. Sad proof of this is that where there has been a fire the following winter is likely to be flooding.

- Erosion: in addition to prevent wind and water carried the fertile soil, the tree prevents the sun desertice the ground, and that light is made to the leaves, not the soil, which dries and cracks. The forest floor is usually soft, while where no tree is hard, like a scab.

- More eucalyptus, the tree is more than just a wood factory:

- It's the best solar collector (harnesses the energy of the sun, which is a free and clean energy.

- Fertilize the soil, inert materials, minerals, etc. are transformed into organic matter.

- He himself is transformed into compost (leaves, fruits, roots and all when he dies.)

- Provides food and hiding in the forest animals.

However, not all trees are equally beneficial. Native species are preferred for each site, because under natural selection are best suited to the ecosystem.


 * Other reasons**

- Currently overseas buy 500 million kilos of waste paper a year 7500 million pesetas, because it is more convenient to import to pick the throw here. Our collection rate is currently 37%.

- Energy savings: in addition to raw materials (water and wood), light is also saved (see box leaflet). If we think that saving energy is not beneficial for the health of the planet, just look where it comes from that energy: hydropower is 17%, the rest comes from power plants and nuclear weapons. The thermal contribution to the greenhouse effect and acid rain generated. Too many comments on nuclear.

"The wastes: about 20% of our garbage is paper and cardboard. We pulled to the landfill daily ten million kilos. With the problems that are beginning to approach the location of landfills, it would be good to start to produce less waste.

MAY 24TH, 2011

BY: MAITE

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #810081; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">__[]__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Carolyn Barryfor <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: auto;">__[|National Geographic News]__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">August 20, 2009 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Though <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: auto;">__[|ocean]__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">-borne plastic trash has a reputation as an indestructible, immortal environmental villain, scientists announced yesterday that some plastics actually decompose rapidly in the ocean. And, the researchers say, that's not a good thing. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">The team's new study is the first to show that degrading plastics are leaching potentially toxic chemicals such as <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: auto;">__[|bisphenol A]__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"> into the seas, possibly threatening ocean animals, and us. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Scientists had previously thought plastics broke down only at very high temperatures and over hundreds of years. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">The researchers behind a new study, however, found that plastic breaks down at cooler temperatures than expected, and within a year of the trash hitting the water. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">The <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: auto;">__[|Japan]__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">-based team collected samples in waters from the <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: auto;">__[|U.S.,][|Europe]__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">, <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: auto;">__[|India]__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">, Japan, and elsewhere, lead researcher Katsuhiko Saido, a chemist with the College of Pharmacy at Nihon University in Japan, said via email. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">All the water samples were found to contain derivatives of polystyrene, a common plastic used in disposable cutlery, Styrofoam, and DVD cases, among other things, said Saido, who presented the findings at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C., today. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Plastic, he said, should be considered a new source of chemical pollution in the ocean. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Cooking Up Plastic Soup in the Seas ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">The toxic compounds the team found don't occur naturally in the ocean, and the researchers thought plastic was the culprit. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">The scientists later simulated the decomposition of polystyrene in the sea and found that it degraded at temperatures of 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius). <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Left behind in the water were the same compounds detected in the ocean samples, such as styrene trimer, a polystyrene by-product, and bisphenol A, a chemical used in hard plastics such as reusable water bottles and the linings of aluminum cans. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Bisphenol A (BPA) has been shown to interfere with the reproductive systems of animals, while styrene monomer is a suspected carcinogen. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">The pollutants are likely to be more concentrated in areas heavily littered with plastic debris, such as ocean vortices, which occur where currents meet. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">(Related: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: auto;">__[|"Giant Ocean-Trash Vortex Attracts Explorers."]__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Plastic Breaks Down Fast ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">About 44 percent of all seabirds eat plastic, apparently by mistake, sometimes with fatal effects. And 267 marine species are affected by plastic garbage—animals are known to swallow plastic bags, which resemble jellyfish in mid-ocean, for example—according to a 2008 study in the journal //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Environmental Research // by oceanographer and chemist Charles Moore, of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Now, it seems, they also face the invisible threat of toxic, plastic-derived chemicals. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Once Styrofoam, for example, breaks down, the tiny polystyrene components start to sink, because they're heavier than water, Moore said. "So it's likely that this styrene pollutant is prevalent throughout the water column and not just at the surface." <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Along with Moore, David Barnes, a marine ecologist from the British Antarctic Survey, doesn't think the Japanese team's lab results can be applied uniformly across the ocean, however. Water temperatures are typically much cooler than the 86 degrees Fahrenheit in the study, he said. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">"We're talking about, effectively, what happens in [zones] of tropical and some subtropical coasts. And there, [the] study may be very important," Barnes said. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Ocean as "Plastic Soup" ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Plastic hits marine creatures with a double whammy, Moore said. Along with the toxic chemicals released from the breakdown of plastic, animals also take in other chemicals that the plastic has accumulated from outside sources in the water. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">"We knew ten years ago that plastic could be a million times more toxic than the seawater itself," because plastic items tend to accumulate a surface layer of chemicals from seawater, Moore said. "They're sponges." <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Moore worries about the plastic-derived chemicals' potential damage to wildlife. The chemicals can potentially cause cancer in humans, he said, and simpler life-forms "may be more susceptible then we are." <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Pollutants also become more concentrated as animals eat other contaminated animals—which could be bad news for us, the animals at the top of the food chain. (Read //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">National Geographic // magazine's <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: auto;">__[|"The Pollution Within."]__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Moore estimates plastic debris—most of it smaller than a fifth of an inch (five millimeters)—is "dispersed over millions of square miles of ocean and miles' deep in the water column. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">"The plastic soup we've made of the ocean is pretty universal—it's just a matter of degree," he said. "All these effects we're worried about are happening throughout the ocean as a unity."

May 24th, 2011 by: Maité

Read more. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #810081; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; vertical-align: auto;">__[]__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What happens to the environment as a result of these unsustainable logging practices? <span class="style1" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Forests are critical protectors of biodiversity and of climate stability by virtue of the habitat they provide and the carbon they store. Logging companies typically fragment forests or destroy them altogether, often making use of devastating clear-cutting practices. These practices degrade the ecosystems which sustain diverse plants and animals, and are responsible for the release of millions of tons of stored carbon. In many less urbanized nations, forest destruction also displaces traditional peoples, whose lives and cultures are intertwined with local forest environments.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What are the specific effects that typical logging practices have on biodiversity? <span class="style1" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Unsustainable approaches to forestry destroy the delicate network of relationships between trees and other living organisms – plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria – in a particular habitat. The interplay of all of these elements is necessary to maintain a well-functioning ecosystem – that is, one which provides an adequate food supply and the conditions that allow its populations to reproduce successfully. Even something seemingly minor, like the construction of roads in previously roadless areas, can have damaging effects. Roads break up the continuity of forest habitats in ways that affect animals’ access to food and shelter, introduce areas of bright light incompatible with the native vegetation, and bring in outsider settlers, who may not have the knowledge to live sustainably in the forest environment.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">How do forests store carbon dioxide, and how much of it do they keep out of the atmosphere? <span class="style1" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Carbon dioxide is taken in through leaves as part of photosynthesis, the process which produces the sugars that fuel the growth of trees. Excess oxygen is released through the leaves, and the carbon from the sugars becomes part of the tree's living tissue, called the cambium. During each period of growth, the old cambium forms a new ring of wood, thickening the trunk, and more carbon dioxide is taken in to form another layer of living tissue. Carbon is also stored in the earth, as dead leaves, branches, trees, and other vegetation partially decompose and create more topsoil.

<span class="style1" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">According to a 2006 report from the UN, forests store about 312 billion tons of carbon in their biomass alone. If you add to that the carbon in deadwood, litter, and forest soil, the figure increases to about 1.1 trillion tons! The UN assessment also shows that the destruction of forests adds almost 2.2 billion tons of carbon to the atmosphere each year, the equivalent of what the U.S. emits annually. Many climate experts believe that the preservation and restoration of forests offers one of the least expensive and best ways to fight against climate change."

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What about the trees that many forestry companies plant to replace what they've logged? <span class="style1" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Rather than truly restoring the native forest, these companies usually create monoculture plantations – that is, farms with only one species of tree. Typically, a non-native fast- growing tree species is chosen, diminishing the diversity that once existed. This type of plantation cannot support the plants and animals that once lived in the native forest, and doesn’t represent a true restoration of what was lost.

<span class="style1" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Monoculture plantations, unlike natural forests, rely heavily on herbicides to eliminate any competitive growth. In addition, plantations rely on chemical-based fertilizers that can damage soil and groundwater. And finally, dead trees aren’t allowed to fall and decompose, completing the natural cycle that keeps soil fertile and sustains the life of other organisms.

<span class="style1" style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">When the trees in a monoculture farm reach maturity, they’re all cut down at about the same time, and the process repeats itself. After another application of herbicide, more trees are replanted and additional fertilizer is applied, continuing the run-off of chemicals which harm local soils and water.

May 24 /2011 By: Maite

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #810081; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">__[]__

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What Causes Global Warming? ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Scientists have spent decades figuring out what is causing global warming. They've looked at the natural cycles and events that are known to influence climate. But the amount and pattern of warming that's been measured can't be explained by these factors alone. The only way to explain the pattern is to include the effect of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted by humans. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">To bring all this information together, the United Nations formed a group of scientists called the International Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. The IPCC meets every few years to review the latest scientific findings and write a report summarizing all that is known about global warming. Each report represents a consensus, or agreement, among hundreds of leading scientists. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">One of the first things scientists learned is that there are several greenhouse gases responsible for warming, and humans emit them in a variety of ways. Most come from the combustion of fossil fuels in cars, factories and electricity production. The gas responsible for the most warming is carbon dioxide, also called CO2. Other contributors include methane released from landfills and agriculture (especially from the digestive systems of grazing animals), nitrous oxide from fertilizers, gases used for refrigeration and industrial processes, and the loss of forests that would otherwise store CO2. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Different greenhouse gases have very different heat-trapping abilities. Some of them can even trap more heat than CO2. A molecule of methane produces more than 20 times the warming of a molecule of CO2. Nitrous oxide is 300 times more powerful than CO2. Other gases, such as chlorofluorocarbons (which have been banned in much of the world because they also degrade the ozone layer), have heat-trapping potential thousands of times greater than CO2. But because their concentrations are much lower than CO2, none of these gases adds as much warmth to the atmosphere as CO2 does. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">In order to understand the effects of all the gases together, scientists tend to talk about all greenhouse gases in terms of the equivalent amount of CO2. Since 1990, yearly emissions have gone up by about 6 billion metric tons of "carbon dioxide equivalent" worldwide, more than a 20% increase

May 18/2011 Posted by:Maite Nahuel (book "PETROLEUM" ccb shcool junior library) The concequences of not reducing plastic: Most plastics are made from petroleum or oil. This natural resource, also used for fuels such as petrol, is very valuable and limited used at today's rates, it may run out in less than 100 years.

May 18 /2011 Posted by:Maite Nahuel

Concequences of not reducing:

Way out in the Pacific Ocean, in an area once known as the doldrums, an enormous, accidental monument to modern society has formed. Invisible to satellites, poorly are not even aware of the existence of the pacific ocean garbage patches. Understood by scientists and perhaps twice the size of France, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not a solid mass, as is sometimes imagined, but a kind of marine soup whose main ingredient is floating plastic debris. The great pacific garbage patch actually consists of two large areas – the eastern and the western patches. The eastern patch is between California and Hawaii and it is over twice the size of Texas alone. The western patch is located between Hawaii and Japan. These Pacific Ocean garbage patches collect currents that carry debris and waste from all over the globe. When the currents reach the great pacific garbage patch, they deposit the garbage they have accumulated. Because neither fishers nor tourists ever visit the area due to the lack of marine life, most people are not even aware of the existence of the pacific ocean garbage patches.

The floating plastic particles resemble [|zooplankton], which can be inadvertently consumed by [|jellyfish]. Many of these long-lasting plastics end up in the stomachs of marine birds and animals, including [|sea turtles], and the [|Black-footed Albatross]. Besides the particles' danger to wildlife, the floating debris can absorb [|organic pollutants] from seawater, including [|PCBs], [|DDT] , and [|PAHs]. Aside from toxic effects, when ingested, some of these are mistaken by the [|endocrine] system as [|estradiol], causing hormone disruption in the affected animals. ||
 * || The existence of the Eastern Garbage Patch was predicted in a 1988. The prediction was based on results obtained by several Alaska-based researchers between 1985 and 1988 that measured [|neustonic] [|plastic] in the North Pacific Ocean.
 * || The existence of the Eastern Garbage Patch was predicted in a 1988. The prediction was based on results obtained by several Alaska-based researchers between 1985 and 1988 that measured [|neustonic] [|plastic] in the North Pacific Ocean.





May 17 2011 Posted by: Daniela Correa

** Consequences of over consumption of plastic and too much waste: **
A consequence of over consumption of plastic, is that birds are eating all what we throw away, and they die because of it. With the environmental impacts of plastic, and the environmental health consequences of using plastic, not only we ingest these chemicals in our bodies, but they accumulate in our air, water and soil. We are recycling less than five percent of all our plastics. Where is it all going? Our landfills, oceans, and forests. Too much plastic is being made and consumed.

The best option, is backyard compostable plastic, The most promising and greenest option is compostable plastic. Made from plant materials such as grasses, corn, soy and sugar, basically anything with cellulose content. These plastics break down at the same rate as paper, leaving nothing but compost."

We need to wake up to the realities of plastic. It poisions our bodies, our oceans, our forests and our landfills. Our blind consumption of plastic is far from sustainable. Think before buying any plastic, and work hard to find products that contain less plastic packaging. Parents and environmental advocates should push for greener packaging from our grocers. We need a sea change, a forest, landfill, and environmental change!

The over consumption of plastics, especially plastic bottles, is creating an enormous amount of waste in America.

Though it’s very easy to recycle plastics in this country, the plastic bottle, the to-go container, and convenient spray bottle are all part of the throw-away mentality that is slowly burying us under [|mountains of trash] that will be around long after humans have decomposed. This means that the bulk of these bottles will be tossed into the trash can by people living the fast food lifestyle, and never reused.

We’ve all heard it before, but I’ll say it again: There is no //away//.

The fantastic concept of “out of sight, out of mind” has been a comforting one, allowing us to consume food and stuff for 24 hours a day and then simply put it in a trash can for someone else to deal with it.

Unfortunately, that “someone else” is Mother Earth. And slowly, this plastic waste is killing her, and later it will be killing us.







Posted by: Daniela Correa Made by: Daniela Correa

The consequences of over consumption of paper are:
- Paper comes from the tres, so as much paper we consume, more tres will be cutted down. - It is needed the 99 percent of water to make paper, so if we use many paper, we waste a lot of water. -The chemicals that are used to produce paper are very toxic, and part of those chemicals go to the rivers, so it contaminates. -Those chemicals used to produce paper, kill fauna. -Because of so much use of paper people are cutting many tres, and there is deforestation. -Some companies plant other tres to replace the one they cut to do paper, but anyway a tree take 50 years to grow, so forests would be without tres for many years. -To create paper people are cutting many trees, and with that they are making deforestation! -There is exploitation of recouces

At the left side is before, and at the right side is how trees are now, and all this because of us... sad dont you think so?

At the left side is before, and at the right side is how trees are now, and all this because of us... sad dont you think so?