Some Climate Change Orgaizations in Health Care

            Ever since I was a little boy I have wanted to be a physician. I remember those times when I thought some other occupation might be for me, but when I tried to prove to myself that was the way, it always failed and the only thing I could see in my future was medicine. One might think that because of all the experiences that I have had with medicine, it might have scared me away, yet that would be false. It really only strengthened my bond of becoming a doctor, so that I could one day help those in need.

            When it comes to medicine, many doctors and scientist are firm believers in that climate change is occurring and that it needs to be taken care of. I want to talk briefly about some of the organizations in health care that are currently taking strides in the climate change movement.

            First, let’s start off with HealthCare Without Harm. This organization is tackling a vast array of issues that climate change is effecting. This organization is pushing for many changes in a variety of topics. Some of these topics being, the carbon footprint of society (like hospitals), treating aliments that climate change now causes, dealing with medical waste/supplies, sustainable energy/buildings, and also sustainable ways of producing food. This organization is doing its best in participate in a wide variety of issues and being a positive advocate for the necessary changes that that need to be made, not only in the medical field but in the world.

            The next organization I want to address is the US Climate and Health Alliance. This organization strives to help educate the U.S. population on the importance of reducing greenhouse gases and the health benefits of doing that. They promote sustainable measures for all aspects of healthcare, and are always trying to inform/educate medical professionals on new ways of creating more efficient facilities.

            The last organization I want to talk about is the American Public Health Association. The group has made the statement that climate change is happening. They are fully aware of the health related issues that come with climate change and are huge advocates for change. They push for legislation in our government and promote the Clean Power Plan, as well as the Paris agreement that was held this year. They also helped to create Climate for Health, which is a network of healthcare professionals/leaders that are promoting a cleaner, more green and efficient future for medicine.

            These are just a couple of the organizations that are promoting change in our climate for a better future. There a many more that one day I too hope to be a part of when I begin my career in medicine.

Third World Farmer

            The game I chose to play was called third world farmer. The game itself is actually pretty fun and is set up as an arcade game. It is very easy to play, so picking it up is easy for everyone to understand. The premise of the game is all about trying to be a farmer in a third world country and the struggles that come with being in that situation.

            You start off with fifty dollars and four family members that are able to work in the field to help produce crops for your family. The two adults can do more of the work load, while the two children can only do a little in comparison.

            The game deals with many issues that arise in farming lands in third world countries. First being that money is very scarce. Also when money does come around, people like to take it away from you, like corrupt government officials. The climate is probably the biggest factor that is seen in the game. The crops that are planted, either corn, wheat, cotton, or peanuts, can all be destroyed easily by the weather. Some of those factors are drought, unfertile soil, and excessive heat. On your farm you can also raise animals like chickens, pigs, cattle, and even elephants. They can all be easily killed by the weather as well. Besides the climate being the biggest issue with farm failure, other issues arise as well. Your family that tends to the farm can get sick and die. This can be caused by a lack of food, water, disease, or income if your farming hasn’t gone well for the season. Lastly the other issues that come about are wars and militants that can come and take your crops, animals, family and land.

            Everything seems to be stacked against you the player, who is trying to successfully start a farm. There always seems to be issues that prevent that from happening. The way this game could be used in a classroom is to show the vast problems that farmers have in third world countries. Have each student try to last the longest on the game to see who might be considered a better farmer in a third world country. I had some fun playing it, so I think you would too.

Odyssey 2050

            I wanted to write my blog on the same thing I wrote my wiki page on this week, reason being I wanted to talk more about a film rather than a reading to change it up.

            Odyssey2050 is a film that was initially released in 2012 with aims to help get the youth involved with the ongoing change in our climate. The film was an advocate on showing young people that unfortunately climate change isn’t necessarily their fault, but it will encompass their life, so it is time to take action and work towards helping ongoing activist. This film was made in Costa Rica, by Daniel and Miguel Bermejo and directed by Bruce Callow. This film also tried to promote many different ways for kids to get involved through workshops and the internet to learn more about the climate that surrounds them.

            The movies itself is about a group of space travelers/aliens that come across Earth in the year 2050 and are discussed by what has happen to the planet. They are surprised that humans are completely aware of what they are doing to the planet, yet don’t seem to care what the outcome is. The film used both animation and real life pictures/film to show what is actually occurring on our planet. Some of the topics that are brought up are greenhouse gases, how our atmosphere takes in solar energy, glacial melting, and more. With the details and information that is seen in the year 2050, the aliens decide to go back in time to warn humans of the damage that they are doing and what their future will be like.

            I personally thought that making an animated film was a great way to help interact with children and young adults to really show them what is necessary for today and the future of our planet.

This is still from the film of some of the alien character

Exposure

            Quite frankly I’m not the biggest fan of cli-fi types of books. Not only that, I’m not the biggest fan of fiction too. Though this book drew me in simply by its name, Exposure. I thought for a moment that this could be a fictional book about exposing some of the hidden truths about climate change in the future and what wasn’t expressed to the public until the climate was changed permanently. Though I was completely wrong.

            The book actually seems to be about contradicting the idea of climate change. The main character is a scientist who is on the road to expose the “truths” or what he considers the flaws that arise from renewable energy sources. In this altered future, energy has been changed to more reliable sources and has pushed out fossil fuels. With fossil fuels being removed from society, the economy moves in a different direction. This scientist is out to prove that the claims about climate change are false and because of that society suffers greatly from the altered economy. With knowing this information, he is constantly trying to evade terrorist/criminal elements that are trying to stop him from revealing the truths behind climate change.

            Up to this point, I am not that far into the story, but I find it interesting because it takes a whole new way of looking at climate change. Even though it is fiction, and as a class we have learned that climate change is a real entity in our lives, it strikes my interests in seeing a story made up to see the other side of climate change.

            The author of this book, Dr. Rex Fleming, is scientist with a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Michigan. He is also a mathematician, with 45 years’ experience in government and industry that dealt with weather/climate research.

The Grapes of Wrath

            The book I chose to read was called The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. It is quite an interesting book taking place during the 1930s. At this time in history, the Depression was going strong and plays a big part in the story.

            During this time in the Depression, many farmers living in the southern plains were being hit with a massive drought. States like Oklahoma, where our story starts off, are having huge problems with crop failure. The farm lands in this area were being over used, which was causing loose topsoil to form. When the drought hit, the soil wasn’t getting saturated with water causing dust storms to flourish and is where the term “Dust Bowl” originated from. People couldn’t grow their crops, which was their one source of income and also their way of feeding their families.

            With the issues that occurred, people had to figure out a way to get food on the table for their families. During the Depression, there wasn’t much work for anyone in our country, so people became desperate for anything they could get. Food was hard to come by because no one had money and the shortage from the crop loss.

            The one big movement that arose during this time was by farmers and just about anyone that needed a job moved west to California. California was a newer land that had better soil, that wasn’t over used like in the Dust Bowl. People came by the thousands, looking for work, a lot of them though would not even reach California. Those that did were competing for work, which ended up leaving the majority still unemployed and struggling to survive.

            This book follows the Joad family through their journey westward. After their family farm is destroyed by the drought and perceiving dust storms, they start their way west. This book takes you on the journey with them, through all of the good and bad, as they proceed to California for a new life.

An Inconvenient Truth

       I would first like to start off by stating that An Inconvenient Truth was a very well done documentary film. Al Gore did a fantastic job on explaining many of the causes that scientist have clinically proven to be causing global warming or what is also considered climate change. This film does an excellent job at showing hard core facts that are irrefutable to those who put climate change out to be a sham. Through Gores experience as a child, to his travels as a Politian, he has seen what us humans are doing on a first hand basis which has promoted him to take the initiative to help educate the people of the world, one city at a time.

            Al Gore brings many different topics to the table which all encompass the information we have already learned about in our class. I found it pretty interesting that he used the example about the hottest years up until the year 2005. Where the statistic showed that the hottest ten years had happened in the last 14 years. I remember our class seeing how this statistic changed for the years leading up to 2015 and how every year since has been hotter, ending with 2015 being the hottest on record.

            One really interesting thing about watching this movie is seeing how things have changed since this film came out in 2006. How some things have gotten better, like fuel efficiency of automobiles and forms of alternative energy. Also seeing how somethings have still trended in a negative slope, like the fact that each year has still gotten warmer and the ice caps are still melting at a record rate.

 

Gore makes a statement that really questions why people would

choose money/economy (the gold) over the planet that they inhabit

and contains everything in our lives.

           Gore defines what global warming (aka climate change) is and many specific issues that contribute to the ongoing change in our climate. Some being about the amount of carbon dioxide that is being put into the atmosphere, the burning/cutting down of trees, politics (Money/Economy), the melting of the ice caps, ocean levels rising, animal extinctions, powerful storms, drought, extreme heat and flooding were some of the topics that were addressed by Gore.

            This documentary was extremely powerful, because it used facts and statistics to show the undeniable true behind the problems, us humans have contributed to the changed planet we live on. Even after digging at the viewer with all of this information, Gore does it with a unique way to educate us but not scare us to a panic. He shows that there is plenty that can be done to change our situation. It was very encouraging seeing this film because I knew that I could make a difference with the tools I already have and that our society has the technology and tools as well.

            I want to end things by quoting Gore after a scene in the movie about his son being in a car accident. He states, “This turned my whole world upside down and then shook it until everything fell out. My way of being in the world, it had just changed everything for me.” (An Inconvenient True) I saw this as a powerful quote that could be put into the context of our planet and what we have done to it. The recent changes that have occurred are mostly because of us humans and I don’t think a lot of us see this as a serious issue. This planet is in such a bad shape and is leading into an even worse direction. We have to realize that the Earth is our home, our planet, our everything. Without it, we are nothing. You get so close to seeing it all disappear, then you realize it is time to make a switch. Hopefully this film might have helped spark that idea in your mind or was a wake up call and encouraged you to participate in changing our planet for the better.

We must change our climate because this is the only Earth we have.

The Great Transition: Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Wind Energy

            The book I chose to read was The Great Transition:  Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Wind Energy, by Lester R. Brown. What drew me to read this specific book was because I have such a fascination about alternate forms of energy. As you can tell from the title of this book majority of the topics revolve around the more recent solar and wind energy markets.

            The beginning of the book started off quite similar to Bill McKibben’s Eaarth, and it also has the same feel in regards to having a large number of statistics thrown at you all at once. Though this is where things changed completely from Eaarth. As most of you who are reading this know, McKibben’s book is quite depressing, going on and on about the almost infinitive reasons on how we are destroying our planet. This book how ever put a smile on my face quite quickly. The statistics in this book really show that us humans are actually trying to make stride to step away from fossil fuels in a positive way.

            Right away on the first page of the first chapter Brown states, “The worldwide transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy is under way.” (Page 16) Then goes on to give a very powerful statistic saying, “We can now see this new economy starting to take shape. We saw it in 2013, when Denmark generated 34 percent of its electricity from the wind. In January 2014, wind supplied a whopping 62 percent of that country’s electricity. Portugal and Spain each got over 20 percent from wind in 2013, and Ireland, 17 percent.” (Pages 16-17) These statements really do show that first world countries, who are the leading causes to climate change are making large strides in renewable energy.

            The book goes into detail about many different topics like nuclear power, fossil fuels and how they affect the economy. Also about how large companies like Exxon-Mobil, Shell, and Chevron are trying to keep fossil fuels in the mainstream economy. Some other topics include the price of wind and solar energy and how technology is bringing down the cost so eventually it can be cheap enough for everyone to switch over.

            These are some of the interesting topics in the book thus far! I am excited to see what else has to come, but so far it has been a more positive experience!

Amazon Deforestation

            On our planet there are a few extremely large rainforests that cover our planet. These areas of lush forest are home to millions of species of animals, many being insects. The climate is considered tropical, which is extremely warm and humid. The Amazon rainforest probably being the most well know, is located in northern South American in countries like Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

            The issues with deforestation of the Amazon are huge. The Amazon is home to millions of animals that use the land which includes all of the vegetation and the water that runs through the area. The trees that inhabit the land are considered “Carbon Sinks.” This means that the trees withhold carbon dioxide, so that it doesn’t go into the atmosphere. The significance of this is that those trees are trying to stop climate changes to the best of their ability. When that extra carbon gets into the atmosphere we shall see even warmer temperature than we already have. Another product produced by the trees is oxygen, which is created by taking in that carbon in the air.

            Most of the causes of the Amazon deforestation are caused by man. There are a couple of main issues: mostly because of Logging, agriculture, and cattle farming. Most of the trees being logged is done illegally. When the logging is done, and the trees have been extracted, this leaves huge open area of land, open for the other issues. With the cleared space the land is being used by farmers for agriculture and cattle raising. The main plant being farmed is the soy bean. With the soy bean being over farmed the soil becomes infertile. The cattle are probably the biggest problem. The animals that are being raised completely destroy the vegetation that surrounds the areas of these farms. Another way that people have been opening the space and removing trees is by burning large areas. The burning of the trees causes huge amounts of greenhouse gases to enter the air. It is like a double edged sword, by burning all the trees, they put gases into the air that the trees are actually trying to take out of the air.

            These are some of the many issues that arise out of the Amazon deforestation. Hopefully with better ways to inform and regulate the areas of the amazon, things will change positively for the rainforest and its creatures.

This is an image that shows some of the Deforestation that has taken place up to 2006

Here is a link to a National Geographic Page that has some more information about the Amazon Deforestorestation:  http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/last-of-amazon/

I think there is hope in the distance... but it sure looks far away

In the next chapter of eaarth- High Tide by Bill McKibben, things seemed to start kind of pleasantly! I actually thought to myself that this chapter might actually give me some kind of hope to look forward too. That it did, but just as I started to get excited, things took a turn downwards.

            McKibben gives all of these statistics about the possibilities of new forms of renewable energy. Anything from solar and wind power to the possibility of clean nuclear energy. Then came the issues. All of the new forms of cleaner energy are there to grab but the problem that seems so prevalent is how our economy is set up.

            Moving to these new forms of energy come with a price, quite frankly an enormous price. Our economy has been configured in such a way that it needs fossil fuels and coal to work reliably. With more and more people starting to get informed and educated on climate change, they realize that these costly changes need to be made.

            So why don’t we make this change already!? The problem is money, and it always is. With our economics in the united states, money talks. Let use Exxon Mobil as an example. Our society so heavily depends on fossil fuels that Exxon’s revenue has grown to record levels. McKibben makes this statement about Exxon saying, “Exxon has spent the last decade underwriting an elaborate disinformation campaign to sow doubt about climate change and with reasonable success; 44 percent of Americans believe global warming comes from “long-term planetary trends” and not the pumps at the Exxon station.” (Page 55, eaarth) Money has quite the presence in our society, enough to create false ideas.

            Another powerful element that comes into play that slows change is politics. With the money to have strong lobbyist in government, companies like Exxon, can slow the change that is so desperately needed on our planet. These companies might even know that change is required, but the purpose of a company is to create a product that can be sold to create a profit. That is exactly what they are doing, following the money. If we don't change now, the money that is being gained won't make up what will be lost in the long road.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Iz0NKA1yuo -Here is a little video about some things that will help the planet, while also saving us some money.

What is Happening with Our Environment?

            The first chapter of earth was very concerning for me. I am a fan of being outside in nature and have noticed some of these changes but not on the scale that the chapter promotes. As I went through the chapter I was demoralized by the one simple fact that, this is all our fault. Plain and simply put, the environment is the way it is because of human beings. The radical changes in such a short period of time have all seem to come from one central principle, the growth of technology.

            Technology and the industrialization of our world is the main beneficiary to the exponential decline to our planet. Humans are incredibly intelligent but seem to overlook our environment in the eye wealth and convince. When it comes to technology, people can make some incredible things that can help feed the world, like artificial fertilizers. Which at the first, when we see the big picture that we could feed the world more efficiently, it seems like a great idea. Though the problem is we as humans can jump to conclusions rather quickly, without seeing the whole picture. Sometimes we don’t think things through the whole way, which in this case, what might be the future outcome of artificial fertilizers. Also sometimes in the wake of profit, the future problems, don’t seems so bad. Yet that is the issue, ignorance created by greed might just be the big issue that pushes us as humans to destroy our planet.

            The scare thought is that even though we have all of these incredible minds that can produce amazing technology to better the world, it might be too late to reverse what has already been done. That is the scary part to me. We as humans must now have to evolve how we live on our planet because of the things we did to it, and there might not be any way to go back to that equilibrium that our planet once was at. It was our doing that put the planet where it is, now its our responsibility to take care of what we did to our one and only home.

Some Background Information About Myself

My name is Thomas White. I currently attend Western Michigan University. This is my second semester at WMU, as I previously attended Macomb Community College for two years before I came to Western. I am a pre-medical student, majoring in Bio-medical Sciences with a minor in Chemistry. It has always been my dream to become a doctor ever since I was a little boy. After being through many things in the medical field, good and bad, I've still never steered away from becoming a physician.

I am from the east side of Michigan, an area that is about forty miles north of Detroit, called Washington. I've lived there my entire life and really do love the area. I have an older sister and a twin brother. My twin brother is younger than me by two minutes and I always seem to hold that above him. Many of my family members attended Western Michigan and loved their time here. I am enjoying my time here as well, and I can't wait to see what the future has to hold! My family has a dog named Oliver! Being away from home makes me miss him so much!

In my free time I like to be with friends and spend time with family. I like to get out and exercise as much as I can during the busy school semester. I play a lot of different sports but my two favorite to play would have to be tennis and golf. I’m also a fan of movies and playing the occasional video game too!

When I am not in school during the summer, I work at a golf course as a cook and a retail graphic design company. I am a super friendly individual and I am very easy to talk too!