Thursday, January 28, 2010

Gas Drilling


The pro oil drilling groups argue that oil drilling will stimulate rural economies and give them jobs. However, it is still very harmful to the environment. It does more harm than good. Many pro drillers also argue that hydro fracking does not contaminate the water we drink however; much of the water in New York is contaminated from chemicals being pumped into the ground that stay there for long periods of time. Fracking also uses an obscene amount of water. There are many people in the Oneonta area who are anti drilling and fracking. The pros and cons of drilling both have its benefits. Drilling does contribute to local economies. Also, natural gas is cleaner and better for the environment in the long run. However, the chemicals we are putting in the ground are harmful to the environment right now and the chemicals are also contaminating the water we are drinking.


1) Is there a way to make hydro-fracking more environmentally friendly?

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Cuba

America should follow in the footsteps of Cuba. Cuba had to learn how to survive on a limited amount of fossil fuels and they have succeeded. Our world has become so dependent on machinery, cars, energy, etc that it will be a shock when we can no longer use them. We need to change our ways and find alternatives to using massive amounts of energy. Cuba has resorted back to farming in their communities. They also use public transportation that is affordable to everyone. It is rare for someone to have a car, which makes their country environmentally friendly. Many people also walk or bike now in Cuba. This has causes them to loose weight and become a healthier country. They are also healthier because of their diet. It is mainly a vegetarian diet because there is not much meat available. Cuba has come to have a very functional society. They have an excellent healthcare system. They try to keep the public healthy and not fix them after they get sick. Many of their doctors live in the community. The education in Cuba is realistic. They go to school for 12 years and learn the basic survival skills. They also learn trades that they can pursuer and have as a career. Cuba has a much more community feel than America. They care about every person in their country and value them. They are not competing for jobs in cooperate America. They are all working together to make their country work.

Questions
1) Cuba was able to adapt to life with limited amount of fossil fuels. They reverted back to using old farming ways and provide food for their community. They also use public transportation that is affordable to everyone. People walk and bike more, which makes them a healthier country in general. They have survived and thrive as a country on limited fossil fuels.
2) Relocation could be a solution to reduce energy. It would force our society to become live in a sustainable community. They would farm and be able to make their own food and the necessities that they need. They will help each other as a community and provide for one another and use the resources they have around them. However. Our society would have to get use to living with limited fossil fuels and the comforts of our society now. They would have to get used to manual labor and biking and walking everywhere they needed to.

1) Why have we not followed Cuba’s example of how to survive with limited fossil fuels? Are we waiting till we completely run out of fossil fuels?
2) Why does our government think that Cuba is such a threat and not allow us to go and visit Cuba and study what their society and the alternative uses of fuel they have?

Monday, January 25, 2010

Eating Fossil Fuels

Everything in our life uses hydrocarbons including the food that we eat. Every piece of food that we put into our mouths has been produced with fossil fuels in one way or another. For example, farmers use an enormous amount of hydrocarbons on their farms from irrigation systems to tractors to seeding to the transportation of their crops. However, fossil fuels are running out and our country is going to be in total shock when it happens. Without these fossil fuels farmers will not be able to keep farming and provide our society with the basic crops. Also, with the decline of fossil fuels it is making food prices soar. People will soon not be able to afford the basic food necessities and become starved because they cannot afford food and support their families. Our society is trying to do everything to prevent it from happening including using more fossil fuels for technological advances. Our society as we know it is going to end and we are not ready to handle that. Our society is projected to double by 2050, which is not an option. We can barely support the population we have now and fossil fuels are running out. In order to regain control of our society and fossil fuels crisis we need to decrease our population by one third. This of course will not fix the fossil fuel or oil crisis but it will help regain control of our society and begin to back track and stop trying to advance our society. We need to find alternative uses to fossil fuels such as resorting back to old farming ways. Farmers could do more manual labor and use manure to fertilize their crops.

Questions:
1) When we run out of fossil fuels it will be more than likely that we will no longer have modern fuels. We will run out of fossil fuels so quickly that there will be no alternatives and farming will become to a complete halt. Most farms could not run because they do not have the money or fossil fuels to run their farms and tractors and plows. Also, most of our society will go through starvation because there will no longer be cheap food available.
2) The U.S should learn from North Korea to not be so dependent on fossil fuels. They were so dependent on fossil fuels it caused an agricultural downfall, which lead most of their society into starvation. It also caused them to loose massive amount of oil and coal which everything in their country ran on.

1) why are people refusing to believe that we are going to run out of fossil fuels very soon ? do they think that by ignoring this reality that it will affect our society ?
2) If there is an agricultural collapse what will America do in order to avoid a food crisis and starvation of our society? Will we go back to old farming ways?
3) If there were an agricultural collapse in the U.S. would it affect us the same or worse than the agricultural collapse in North Korea?

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Joyride

This article was about how the advancement of automobiles and Americas dependency on automobiles. It quickly took the place of horses, bikes, and walking. It has changed our society forever. The first car that was made was from the model T Henry Ford created. He made cars cheaply and available to the working class. Cars opened up the possibilities of being able to travel around the country and move from place to place. As travel became more common there were gas stations opened, mechanics, highways being built, etc. As cars became more popular and widely used people realized they did not have to live in the cities. They could move to the suburbs and drive to work in the cities. This created a huge housing boom. Everyone could afford to buy a house in a neighborhood in the suburbs and live a more luxurious lifestyle. Without cars people could of never have moved to the suburbs. Cars have shaped what our society is now. It is also a major contributor to America’s oil dependency. Cars and houses use so much oil and we are so dependent on it now that it will be a shock to the nation when it runs out.

Questions
1) The car shaped Americans way of life because if allowed them to live with mobility. They could live in the suburbs and still work in the city. They could take trips and even move to a different place for jobs. This also caused the house market to be booming and the construction of highways and gas stations. The tractor allowed farmers to plow more land and grow more crops. No longer did they have to do everything manually or with horses. Cars and tractors were able to run because there was cheap oil and gas.
2) Energy contributed to the post WWII housing boom and suburban development because everything ran on energy. Houses needed electricity to heat the house and run the appliances which all used energy. Also, the construction companies needed energy to build more houses for all the WWII families and soldiers.

1) What would farming be like today if the tractor weren’t invented? Would faming have died out by now?
2) Why did public transportation never become as popular as cars?
3) If the automobiles never took off like it did what would our society be like today?

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Reading 4

This first article was talking about how Jevon’s law. Jevons thought that our economy would become unstable because of how dependent we are on fossil fuels. Jevons said that if we used our resources more efficiently we could make more money off of it, which would cycle back into the economy. If we put more work in trying to obtain fossil fuels it will cost more money and affect the economy negatively. The demand of that resource will be so outrageous that people will no longer be able to use it in their daily life. America has such a big population. If we keep growing in size it will take a toll on the economy. For example, we have a huge population that is dependent on oil. When the oil runs out what is going to happen to our society and how we continue on.
The second article talks about how we need to fix our economy. We have become to advance to quickly. We need to slow down and take a step back from technology. If we do not then our economy is going to fail. We can hardly handle our economy now how could we possible support the demands of an even bigger one. The author stated that we need a new kind of economy. We need a “steady-state” economy that would maintain the economy we have now and not grow it. This would slow the economic fail of our current economy and could even turn our economy around.

1) Jevons main concern was that consumers were becoming to dependent on fossil fuels. He knew that the consumers were not aware that these fossil fuels would eventually run out and our society would not be able to handle that change.
2) The airplane to helicopter comparison was about two different economies. The helicopter symbolized about the type of economy we should have. We should have a steady and hovering economy and not try to grow and go forward as fast as we can. The airplane symbolized how our economy is now. Always moving forward at a fast pace. We never want to stop and don’t think of the consequences of out actions.

1) Why does Jovens not really talk about alternative uses to fossil fuels? It seems like he thinks our economy is going to fail no matter what.
2) The “steady-state” economy seems like a good idea but is it possible for our society to slow down after years of a face-paced economy?
3) Why is our society so dependent on technology?

Reading 4

This first article was talking about how Jevon’s law. Jevons thought that our economy would become unstable because of how dependent we are on fossil fuels. Jevons said that if we used our resources more efficiently we could make more money off of it, which would cycle back into the economy. If we put more work in trying to obtain fossil fuels it will cost more money and affect the economy negatively. The demand of that resource will be so outrageous that people will no longer be able to use it in their daily life. America has such a big population. If we keep growing in size it will take a toll on the economy. For example, we have a huge population that is dependent on oil. When the oil runs out what is going to happen to our society and how we continue on.

The second article talks about how we need to fix our economy. We have become to advance to quickly. We need to slow down and take a step back from technology. If we do not then our economy is going to fail. We can hardly handle our economy now how could we possible support the demands of an even bigger one. The author stated that we need a new kind of economy. We need a “steady-state” economy that would maintain the economy we have now and not grow it. This would slow the economic fail of our current economy and could even turn our economy around.

1) Jevons main concern was that consumers were becoming to dependent on fossil fuels. He knew that the consumers were not aware that these fossil fuels would eventually run out and our society would not be able to handle that change.

2) The airplane to helicopter comparison was about two different economies. The helicopter symbolized about the type of economy we should have. We should have a steady and hovering economy and not try to grow and go forward as fast as we can. The airplane symbolized how our economy is now. Always moving forward at a fast pace. We never want to stop and don’t think of the consequences of out actions.

Questions

1) Why does Jovens not really talk about alternative uses to fossil fuels? It seems like he thinks our economy is going to fail no matter what.

2) The “steady-state” economy seems like a good idea but is it possible for our society to slow down after years of a face-paced economy?

3) Why is our society so dependent on technology?

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Chapter 6

This chapter makes you realize how much transportation and communication has influenced our society over the years. Transportation has advanced our society to what it is today. We use transportation to get everywhere we need to today. First there were animals such as horses that helped in transportation. Then, there were steam ships and trains that allowed goods and people to travel long distances. Then came cars, jets, planes, rockets, etc. With transportation there needed to be communication. Mail is too slow so the telephone was invented and then came computers and the Internet, which made communication what it is today. You can run a business from across the country by using a computer and the Internet.

1) Better transportation will make our economy more efficient because it allows goods to be transported easier and faster. If there is a more efficient way of transporting goods it will keep the costs of goods down. Also, these goods could reach even more people and help branch out to new buyers throughout the world.
2) Better communication would be if electronics could run on less energy. We could use solar power to power our electronics and not need to have them plugged in all the time. With better communication people would not have to travel so often. They would be able to talk from their homes or offices, which would cut down their use of cars, trains, planes, etc.

Questions
1) Why does America use transportation for everything we do? Why do we not bike or walk like people do in many other countries?
2) Why is there not more talking about the improvement of public transportation? if people took the bus or subway more often would it make a big impact on the use of our energy ?

Here is a link that talks about the future of transportation: