Month: April 2017

Editorial

Have you ever thought about whether turning off your lights to save electricity really helps the earth? Or if disregarding   the meat options actually make an impact? To some, these actions may seem futile compared to the impact that mass industrialization has. Such concerns are understandable. Dishing out tips is simple, but tracking the effects of them is not as straightforward.

By now, many of us have probably seen media coverage on environmental issues and ways to combat them. While awareness is immensely important, what is the point of that if no one takes action?

The alarms have been blaring for quite some time. Everywhere we turn, the signs are glaring. While some may think the sun is the reason for the increase in warm temperature, it is moreso attributed to man-made causes. The Intergovernmental Panel, a group of 1,300 independent scientific experts from around the world under the United Nations, concluded that there is more than a 95% probability that human activity in just the past 50 years have warmed the planet.

Commonly known as the greenhouse effect, certain trapped gases have created a blanket around our planet. Emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides have interfered with the balance of Earth’s atmosphere and contributed to the mass warming. The majority of these greenhouse gases result from the burning fossil fuel to produce energy, although deforestation and industrial processes have also contributed to this ongoing problem.

We also have to address some misconceptions as well. Generally, the terms weather and climate are used interchangeably. However, there is a slight difference between them. Weather refers to the changes of an area throughout a short time span.  On the other hand, climate change refers to the overarching conditions that characterize a region over a long period of time. Based on this, climate change has a much graver connotation: prolonged changes in an atmospheric region that cannot easily be reversed.

Despite the importance of practicing eco-friendly methods due to the alarming reality, these changes in lifestyle may be temporary. Because the results are not immediate or apparent, people may feel discouraged to continue their efforts in the long run. Not only that, but people may project the responsibility onto someone else. Due to the massive amount in population, the responsibility is not explicitly directed towards anyone. As a result, this dilutes the severity of global warming issues and undermines the importance of collective efforts.

Considering how our lives are directly impacted by the effects of global warming, we must carefully consider the full extent of our actions. Human societies have enjoyed the current climate for years after the end of the last ice age several thousands of years ago, and a warming climate will bring about many changes that can affect our water supply, agriculture, the natural environment, as well as our own healthy and safety.

Although it is hard to tally how much of an effect we make, it is better than doing nothing at all.  The statistics at least provide us with concrete, substantial evidence of the increase in global warming.  Drawing upon facts from NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) climate website, the consequences are severe.

1. From 1884 to 2016, 9 out of the 10 hottest years occurred since 2000. The exception is in 1998.
2. Carbon dioxide levels have been the highest in the past 650,000 years.
3. Global sea levels have risen by 8 inches since 1880, and they are predicted to rise another 1 to 4 feet by 2100 due to the expansion of seawater from the icecaps.
4. Glaciers are retreating among several areas in the world, including Alps, Andes, Alaska, Rockies, and Himalaya.
5. Since the early 1980s, hurricane frequency, duration and intensity have increased.

The magnitude of these effects may not completely register with people.  We may think that because some of these consequences have not personally affected us, then we are safe from the dangers of global warming. The real questions is: can we still stop global warming? In short, no. Humans have already produced too much greenhouse gases emissions, and climate change has already taken place. If we were to completely stop the creation of these gases, it would still take several decades, centuries even, to see a effective change in the planet.

While the harsh truth of reality may be discouraging, there is still a solution. People can prevent the absolute worst of climate change from happening. This involves a two-step approach: mitigation and adaption. Mitigation refers to reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere, and adaptation refers to learning how to live with the changes that have already taken place.

However, noticeable improvement requires a global effort. While it is primarily a massive environmental issue, it also encompasses several other issues. Social, economic, and political aspects of everyday life are intertwined and all contribute to the warming of the earth. To truly make an impact, changes must start at the top and trickle down.

If global warming doesn’t endanger our generation, then it may reach the next.  The luxury of ignoring a critical issue is coming to an end.  The Earth will still be here long into the future, but it may not provide a sustainable environment for us. If we don’t take action now, then when will we?

By Asha Lujan (Guest Writer)

Our planet is 70% water. Our bodies are 50-60% water. You can’t refute that water is important. So, are you drinking water?

Everyone thinks that they are getting enough water. But, how much water is enough? 8 glasses of water a day, right? Well that really depends on several factors. How active are you? Are you drinking diuretic drinks? How much do you weigh?

Water is very important for many of your body functions. It lubricates joints, removes wastes, flushes toxins, cushions joints and bones, moistens oxygen for easier breathing, regulates body temperature, and empowers the body’s natural healing process. Most of the cells in your body and your body fluids are water.

The body can produce some water through it’s normal processes about 8%. But, the other 92% of water must be ingested through the foods we eat (fruits and vegetables) and drink.

Being active, exercise and sports can be very dehydrating. If you sweat, you are losing water and electrolytes. Lots of people drink sports drinks to rehydrate after exercise and playing sports but, just like coffee, tea, juice, and soda, sports drinks can also be a diuretic. Diuretics make you lose water in the form of urine.

They can be helpful but, there is a bunch of sugar in them (which is a diuretic) dextrose (which is another form of sugar), and brominated vegetable oil which is synthetic chemical that was first used as a flame retardant. It’s not a diuretic but, yuck!. You are losing water just as you are trying to rehydrate.

So how much water is enough? That depends on your weight. A larger person will need more water than a smaller person. Makes sense, right? An easy equation for figuring out how much water you should be drinking is your body weight divided by 2. The answer is the number of ounces you should be drinking. For example: 200 pounds divided by 2 equals 100.

Therefore, a 200 pound person should be drinking 100 ounces of water per day, pretty simple. But, if you are drinking diuretic drinks you need to replenish your water stores too. For every 8 oz., of diuretic drinks you should replace it with 12-16 oz. of of water. A venti coffee is 20 oz. You would need to drink half your body weight oz. plus 30-40 additional oz. to be optimally hydrated. That’s a lot of water!

That water should also have electrolytes. Electrolytes are: “Salts and minerals that can conduct electrical impulses in the body. Common human electrolytes are sodium chloride, potassium, calcium, and sodium bicarbonate. Electrolytes control the fluid balance of the body and are important in muscle contraction, energy generation, and almost every major biochemical reaction in the body. (medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Electrolytes)

Electrolytes help your body hold on to water. Just drinking lots of water without electrolytes washes away the electrolytes your body already has. Once again you will be dehydrating yourself while trying to hydrate. How do you get electrolytes in your water? Again, there is a simple solution.

You can purchase an electrolyte solution or add a pinch of sea salt. You could also add a squeeze of lemon with the sea salt to add potassium and calcium which are in electrolyte solutions.

For those of you who don’t like water you can infuse your water with some cut fruit or cucumber slices. Fresh and delicious. Happy hydrating!

By Syed Rahim

“Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here.” So goes the tagline of the blockbuster 2014 film Interstellar. In it, the Earth is suffering from a catastrophic crop blight, inflating food prices and leaving millions in poverty. Under the leadership of handsome scientist Matthew McConaughey, a group of hotshot scientists embark on a not-so-stellar expedition across the cosmos to save humanity from extinction.

Spoiler alert: we survive! But not because we found a magical cure for our crops. Rather, we packed our bags and set up shop somewhere else.

Though Interstellar is a work of science fiction, it’s not out of the question to consider the future it shows. Though our circumstances aren’t exactly as dire as portrayed in the film, they’re not a far cry from the potential future scientists are predicting.

And what hellish, apocalyptic future might that be? For one, melting glaciers and rising sea levels means coastal areas being flooded. As ocean water absorbs excess heat and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, coral reefs housing millions of planets will die.
As for the direct effect on humans, estimates by the The Internal Organization for Migration report the displacement of 200 million people by 2050.

“Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress,” according to the World Health Organization.

At the root of those pesky doomsday scenarios is Global Warming, the term used interchangeably with Climate Change. According to the Oxford Dictionary, Global Warming is defined as “a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.”

You may be asking, “All this sounds terrible. Where is the good news?” Well, there is none. The point is that things are only getting worse, and where to go from here is up to debate.

The accepted solution among climate scientists is to limit the emission of greenhouses gases that are warming up the atmosphere. This means cutting emissions from coal and natural gas to reverse our planet’s crash course to superheating. But what if the solution isn’t meant to be found here, on Earth?

The problem with space expansion is the cost involved in sending people out of orbit. Every pound sent out using the Space Shuttle costs $10,000. The launch of a Space Shuttle costs about $450 million.

With the proliferation of private space companies like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, the process of sending average people into orbit will become much easier and less expensive in the future. Dozens of earth-like planets are being discovered every year, some of them not farther than a couple of light-years.

“Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain inward looking on planet Earth but to spread out into space,” remarked renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. “Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain inward looking on planet Earth but to spread out into space.

Once the fight for limited resources begins, it’s only a matter of time before war and disease kill millions. And once our planet has totally been exhausted, there really is no reason to hope for a future.

That being said, don’t worry! There’s no point in being pessimistic. Space travel is expensive, but research and development is driving down the cost every day.

As long as humans have been exploring the Earth, we’ve been looking up at the sky. Our ancestors before us were not only explorers of the seas, but of the stars. As corny as it sounds, the survival of the human race could very well depend on our exploration of the universe. To quote Matthew McConaughey, “We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars. Now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt.”