Population and it's affects on global climate change

How many people can comfortably live on our Earth without damaging it irreparably? The estimates range from 2 billion all the way up to 147 billion. The reason the variation is so large is because it all depends on how we use the products on our Earth. Say we use all petroleum and coal and try to have a population of 8 billion people, theres no way it’ll work. Now if we change that by switching our energy sources to renewables such as solar, wind and hydro we could have a population of 147 billion. However, I believe that a population of that size would be quite uncomfortable.

Not only is there the fact of global warming but also the space we have in which these people can comfortably live. Taking all the land in the world with a population of 147 billion, the amount of land each person would have is 1742.2 feet. That is not taking into account apartment buildings. In cities like New York and Boston they have apartments buildings the size of sky scrapers with thousands of people living in them. The other aspect that does not take into account is that not all land on Earth is usuable. Some land is too dry or to wet to be habitable for humans, unless we took drastic measures which would contribute to global climate change.

Population needs to be kept under control which would help keep global climate change under control as well. Earth has limited room and limited resources and we are pushing those limits, to continue will result in horrible consequences for its inhabitants. We must think about our actions now and stop reproducing at such alarming rates, yes, that means you, Duggar Family and Octo-mom.


World Population Counter

Climate Change and Our Crops

The global climate change is an obvious factor to our weather. It is causing the summers to be much hotter than ever before. The heat causes droughts for many farmers resulting in less crops which means less money for them. They have had to change crops due to the fact that the crops they had been producing could no longer grow as the climate had become so warm.

Farmers in recent years have had to use more pesticides, which not only costs more but pollutes more. Their reason for having to use more pesticides is because the insects stay in the area longer. The longer and warmer the season, the more time the insects have to breed, grow and feed on the crops. With the diminishing crops farmers are losing money, which is a negative effect for everyone. As it causes prices to rise on vegetables and other crops.

Rice is a crop which has been hit hard. It needs a lot of rain to grow but because they have been lacking rain the crops have been drying up. Many of the countries growing rice have had to switch their crops to bananas and other plants that do not need as much water. Having to switch crops hit everyone hard.

If the video does not show up on the page, select "Swapping Crops - Climate Change"
Swapping Crops - Climate Change - The most amazing bloopers are here

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2003/aug /27/climatechange.climatechangeenvironment

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jul/22/local/me-climate-farms22

Radioactive Cancer

Through extensive research a link has been found between the rate of diagnoses of certain cancers and the proximity of power plants. The incubation time for cancer is "50 years" of exposure to radiation. Everyone is susceptible to the radiation but it is more likely to affect older people and younger children. Some of the cancers that are highly affected by the radiation are thyroid cancer, breast cancer, bone cancer, leukemia, a sarcoma, liver cancer and testicular cancer. Along with causing testicular cancer the radiation can alter ones genes causing mutations in the next generation.

One of the poisons that have caused the rate of cancer to rise is Iodine 131. This is a chemical that has been released at nuclear accidents all around the world, however it only lasts for 6 weeks. It enters the body through the lungs and the stomach as it deposits itself in leafs which people then eat. The nutrients and poisons travel throughout the body and in the thyroid they cause cancer. As a result of one of the nuclear accidents more than 2000 children have had to have their thyroids removed due to thyroid cancer.

Strontium 90 is another one of the poisons, this one lasts much longer than Iodine 131. This chemical lasts for 600 years. It concentrated in the milk of mammals and in humans it can cause breast cancer, bone cancer and leukemia. It causes breast cancer from being concentrated in the breast and causes bone cancer and leukemia by being past through the breast milk to the infant. Cesium 137 also lasts for 600 years. It deposits itself in the muscle and causes a muscle cancer, a sarcoma.

One of the most deadly elements is in nuclear energy. This element is Plutonium 239, less than 1 millionth of a gram is deadly to humans. Along with being so deadly it lasts for 500,000 years continuing to cause cancer all those years. In each nuclear power plant over 200 kg is made each year which is enough to wipe out the entire population of Earth. When it enters the body it is stored in the liver causing liver cancer. Not only does it cause liver cancer though it also causes bone cancer as it is stored in the bone. It can enter through the placenta of an unborn baby and cause mutations. Another way it affects the future generation is through depositing itself in the testicles and causing mutations that way. Quite obviously nuclear energy is not the answer, it causes cancer.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0415-23.htm

Health Effects Due to Global Warming

As the global temperatures have changed many other things have changed as well. One of those things is disease, as a result of climate change and other environmental factors the amount of diagnosed diseases have gone up. One of the major diseases is asthma. Just in the past "20 years" diagnoses and hospitalizations have increased "30%." That 30% increase is easily related to the pollution increase which causes climate change. One of the relations made between asthma and pollution is the sulfur dioxide in the air. Sulfur dioxide constricts the airway making it even harder for an asthmatic to breathe, it also contributes to global climate change.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(COPD) is another disease directly related to climate change. The rates of COPD have increased steadily along with the rates of pollution. "100,000" people in the U.S alone die from this disease each year. A decrease in pollution would have a direct impact with lessening this disease.

Diseases such as diabetes, heart conditions and cystic fibrosis already dangerous, can be further aggravated by the air pollution that causes global climate change. The climate change we are facing has many negative impacts and has greatly increased the rate of diagnoses of many diseases.

medicenenet.com

Flooding

Currently we are already feeling the effects of global climate change as our waters have begun rising. When you drive by the beach or another body of sea water you probably will not be able to tell how much the waters have risen. But just during 1993-2003 global sea levels rose around 3 millimeters each year. That may not sound like a lot but in the grand scheme of things it is because it takes just half an inch of water on flat land to cover three feet inwards. If we continue as we are the water is going to rise even more as we pollute which is the cause of global climate change.

There are several reasons why the water is rising and they all begin with the climate change we are experiencing. One of the reasons is that as the air warms it melts the ice in the Arctic, that water spreads into the ocean and causes it to rise. Another reason is that the water melting from the ice caps is warmer and as the water particles warm up they expand causing the water levels to rise. If the water continues to rise as it is, we are going to be facing lots of valuable land loss.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18022014