The Environment - (5/8 - 5/12)

Image Source: https://goo.gl/05UH5V

Summary:

     The environment is home to billions upon billions of species on earth. There are many parts of the environment. The atmosphere is the layer of gases that protect earth from harmful things such as radiation. The biosphere is the region that is occupied by organisms (land, ocean, sky, etc.). Finally, the hydrosphere are the sources of water on earth. These parts of the environment are rendered useful to us since the hydrosphere is necessary for life, the biosphere provides home for all living organisms, and the atmosphere provides oxygen, protects earth from harmful rays from the sun, and traps heat which makes the earth a good place for life. 

Constructing Explanations: 

    This week, I constructed explanations through the 21 Environmental Accords  sheet. the 21 Environmental Accords is a list of agreements of actions that cities that follow these accords must take in order to maintain a healthy environment. In summary, the 21 accords say, "Reduce the use of energy, reduce waste, ensure cities are safe and environmentally friendly, protect the environment (especially in urban areas), ensure public transportation that is accessible within walking distance in the city that does not affect the environment, and ensure everyone is healthy and has access to safe drinking water. In this sheet, I worked with the person sitting next to me to construct explanations essentially translating the 21 Environmental Accords into our own words. After that, we asked, "what is the purpose of this environmental accord existing?" and wrote down the purpose(s) of why that environmental accord existed and its (positive) impact on the environment.

XCC - Cause and Effect:

     One cause and effect relationship I noticed this week was regarding the environment and the sources of pollution. Since there are more emissions being put into the air and there are more forests being deforested, the global climate is increasing at a rather fast rate. Another effect that comes from pollution is that the biosphere is being affected. Since there is also waste being put out in the ocean, it is harming, if not killing the sea creatures that inhabit the source of water which not only can affect the food chain, but is also harming the hydrosphere which is our only source of water, which can eventually kill us. These are the cause and effect relationships I noticed that come from pollution and effect the environment