Poisoning Our Planet if It Term Paper

From the point-of-view of the variation and flexibility of the species such cultivated woody crops rank as no more than cornfields. While the tree farms are conveniently be stretched on the private lands, national forests those are considered priceless reservoirs of most of the biological diversity of the nation cannot expand so easily. The commercial logging is considered as the greatest danger for survival of the national forest system. The timber sales are growingly concealed beneath the post fire recovery and fire prevention missions, forest health initiatives and restoration programs. (Endangered Forests: Endangered Freedoms)

Wetlands disappearing

Declining wetlands and reservoir construction are having spectacular influences on a global scale. (the Importance of Wetlands and the Impacts of Reservoir Development) the data of USF & WS reveals that the United States added 2.3 million acres in ponds and inland mudflats during the period of mid 1950s and mid1970s. The country added about 1.4 million acres in inland lakes and reservoirs added about 200,000 acres of sub-tidal territory. But America has to part with 11 million acres of palustrine wetlands- those are on the verge of natural conversion into uplands. Such natural conversion is a significant phenomenon to think of. The fact however settles down that there prevails a natural inclination towards conversion of wetlands. Moreover, the Fish and Wildlife Service data are quite misleading. During the period between mid-1950s and 1970s about 9.2 million acres of wetlands were observed to have disappeared. As the Service, about 87% of such disappearance is attributed to the Agricultural purposes while about 1.2 million were disappeared due to urban development and other unidentified sources. However, during the period of mid-1970s and 1980s merely 3 million acres of wetlands have been lost. Out of that farming included 1.6 million acres, urban development comprised 200000 acres and others accounted for about 1.2 million acres. (Our Disappearing Wetlands)

California has lost the greatest percentage of 1%, but 21 other states have covered or tilled at least fifty percent of their original wetlands. Fast developing Florida has filled in the most acreage -- a land size bigger than all of Massachusetts, Delaware and Rhode Island taken together. About three-quarters of the bottomland hardwood swamps of Louisiana towards south have disappeared while the farmers tilled the land those were drained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers much before. (Paradise Lost: America's Disappearing Wetlands) a large part of the problem in vanishing wetlands has direct influence from humans. Such influences involve wetland disappearance as a result of urbanization that is particularly evident in case of Southern United States, deforestation and logging, conversions for rice field paddies, conversion of new farmland and even the occasional fish farm. (the Importance of Wetlands and the Impacts of Reservoir Development)

The shopping centers and riverfront homes credibly grow on damp land without the normal requirements: indicating the public or seeking permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the agency in charge of controlling the use or destruction of wetlands. The vulnerability of wetlands seems in its simplest form seem to fume to a curious circle. Human necessitates a place to live, work, shop. The search for reasonably priced, attractive alternatives-that may be in former wetlands. The developers construct homes where the demand depicts the desire of the people want to live. Therefore, more and more people transit into new ranch houses in the former wetlands. Increasing number of builders constructed there. It is predicted of the suburbs where herons once stood like statues calmly anticipating for a meal to float by. About two Americans now reside on or near the coast necessitating an average of one half acre of land apiece for new schools, post offices, and other public services. About 70% of Americans are expected to inhabit on the coast by 2050. Hence, the stress is ever growing. (Paradise Lost: America's Disappearing Wetlands) When more wetlands are gradually vanishing there could be some prospectively serious global influences. It is anticipated that there will be serious affects on wetlands from the rising seal levels in consequence to the global warming. (the Importance of Wetlands and the Impacts of Reservoir Development)

Ignoring Global warming

During the past one century, global temperatures have increased by 0.6 degrees Celsius. Some of the recent decades are considered to be the warmest, became evident when people started to maintain temperature records- varying the face of the planet. Global warming could curtail the agricultural productions, enhance the sea levels and entail more extreme weather. The study of the global warming involves great ambiguity. The developing countries are accountable for just over one-third of the greenhouse-gas emissions. However, they emit less than one-fifth per person as do the industrialized nations. That will enhance as the individuals increase the consumption of more cars and necessitate more energy. Such countries are predicted to have emitted about two or three times as much as the developed world by the end of 2100. The Farmers are required to vary their crops according to the climates. It is growingly clear that even the modest warming presently is having large influences on ecosystems. Insurers may confront more floods, storms and other disasters. This entails vulnerabilities and scopes. Companies that open up low-emission cars clean coal-burning technology, and hardier crop plants -- or search out the cheap ways to slash emissions - will surpass from those that cannot move as fast. (Global Warming)

But most of the largest carbon dioxide emitting companies of the nation are not successful in reaching, revealing and dealing with the financial risks posed by climate change, as per the new analysis conducted on 20 of the largest companies of the world. The United States is accountable for more than twenty-five percent of the greenhouse gas emissions of the world. American industry giants like Chevron Texaco, Exxon Mobil, General Electric, Southern Company and Excel Energy, continue to pursue business approaches that discount the global warming threat, contrary to the foreign counterparts. Such approaches leave them and their shareholders particularly vulnerable to the enhanced financial risks and overlooked the market opportunities posed by climate change. The companies probably anticipate mitigating the climatic variation of risks and seizing new market scopes till they construct the basis of better functioning environmental management systems and appropriately concentrated the governance practices for a carbon-constrained world. The companies confront very practical financial and legal hazards from global warming and their responses to it. (Many U.S. Industry Giants Ignoring Global Warming)

The corporations of U.S. have a large influence on the environment inside or across the borders of the nation and that impact are associated with the long-term viability of the company, the value of the shareholders and competitiveness. The variations in rainfall and weather structures related to global warming gives rise to market disruptions in respect of some industries similar to the impact of controls aiming at global warming. Complete programs in this regard have been adopted by only a few companies to deal with this concern as an emerging financial and environmental vulnerability. The climate variation is going on and it has started to influence the economy and expected to influence our companies along with their values and investments. (Many U.S. Industry Giants Ignoring Global Warming) However, the Bush Administration argues against taking up of measures as too costly. The striking limits on the U.S. would suffocate growth and place America at a competitive disadvantage around the world. According to the Energy Secretary Abraham, no nation is expected to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions at the cost of its growth and prosperity. (Global Warming)

Acid rain

The acid rain is considered to one of the most threatening and widespread forms of pollution and the environment are adversely affected by its influences. Acid rain, often known as 'the unseen plague' is expected to go undetected in an area for years. Acid rain, conceptually, refers to the rain that contains an increased number of acids in it than what is normal. It has been observed that in some parts of Europe and North America the acid content in rain has quite radically enhanced during last few decades. Presently, it is quite normal in many places for rain evidenced to be ten to seventy times more acid than the non-contaminated rain. Such acid rains damage many animate and inanimate systems. Forests, trees, lakes, animals and plants are affected by acid rain. The architecture and artwork may be severely damaged by acid rain. The acid rain may entail severe ailments among humans and it may also become fatal. Its adverse affects on the respiratory problems is considered as one of its major effects. Most are feeling problematic for breathing, particularly the people those have asthma. Asthma combined with dray coughs, headaches and throat irritations are resulted from the sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides. The United States Congress Office of Technology Assessment viewing at the influence of acid rain in North America in the year 1982, found out that…