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Showing posts from March, 2019

Blog #22

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Title: 8 Facts to Know About Food Waste and Hunger Source: World Food Program USA Many assume that the reason for our global hunger crisis is that we don't have enough food. This is incorrect because we do indeed produce enough food to feed every man, women, and child. However, nearly 33% of all food produced per year is spoiled before it can be consumed. Additionally, about $1 trillion of food is lost or wasted each year, which could feed about 2 billion people. Most of this waste comes from people in rich countries, who waste about as much as a developing country produces. Speaking of rich countries, the United States wastes about 30-40% of the food it produces. One solution that World Food Program is implementing is making local markets more accessible to reduce food waste

Blog #21

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Title: Eutrophication: Causes, Consequences, and Controls in Aquatic Ecosystems Author: Michael F. Chislock Source: The Nature Education Date: 2013 Eutrophication is caused by the addition of factors needed for photosynthesis, which creates more plant and algal growth. Human activities have accelerated eutrophication by loading nutrients or fertilizers into water bodies. Algal blooms are a severe consequence of eutrophication because they raise the pH levels, hurting other organisms. Additionally, when these algae die, the decomposition of them uses up a lot of oxygen, creating dead zones that organisms are not able to survive in. There is also a possibility of algal blooms producing toxins that can contaminate water, hurt fisheries, or even poison wildlife. Further climate change and human population growth is said to increase eutrophication. There is no stable way to stop eutrophication and it is definitely a costly problem. Some attempts at solving eutrophication include intern

Blog #20

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Title: The Arctic "doomsday" seed vault is supposed to ensure our future. Its architects are worried about climate change Author: Brian Resnick Source: Vox Date Published: May 22, 2017 URL: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/5/19/15666206/arctic-seed-vault-flood In the arctic North, Norway created a "doomsday" vault that holds more than 500 million seeds representing thousands of different crops. This was done years ago because of threats of climate change. If the world was destroyed for some reason, there would be crops to grow and a possible food source. However, due to climate change, heavy rains and the melting of permafrost caused a flood to occur at the seed vault. While no damage was done and the seeds are safe, it is interesting to note that we might be nearing the point where we need to use these seeds to survive