The Unnatural Kingdom

The Unnatural Kingdom

One method of conservation described in The Unnatural Kingdom is animal relocation. Predictably, it involves relocating animals, but the population has to be monitored by the most advanced technologies available. When, or if the population reaches a desirable number, humans will go in and abduct a number of individuals and relocate them to another suitable environment. This separation promoted diversity in a species. Two herds may develop two distinct gene pools, making the species as a whole more resistant to disease and predation than one homogeneous herd.In the article, a situation of pregnant big horn sheep being relocated is used. 

Another conservation mention described was predation control. This involves monitoring tagged predators of an endangered species. If the predator overextends its "quota" of prey, it is eliminated. 

These two methods both use highly advanced technology at very high  reaction speeds. These two methods are different, but circumstantial. Predation control can be used to help an endangered species to begin recovering, and relocation can help the species stay strong. neither is better, instead the two methods are described like steps in a process in the article. Predator control of mountains lions is used first, and then "Once bighorn herds grew large enough to spare members, biologists moved them around — to establish new herds in long-vacant habitat." One us used, and then the other. Is depends upon how populous the species is. 

Any species recovering from the brink has less genetic diversity than they otherwise would have. genetic diversity expands over time, but suddenly contracts as a species is suddenly killed off. Diversity needs time to reexpand from this contracted state. 

Species used as examples in the article can still be described as "wild." Wild is, by definition, living or growing in the natural environment; not domesticated or cultivated. Animals with digital monitoring collars are still living in their natural habitat, and haven't been domesticated. Society's concept of "the wild" however, is not quite appropriate, but it is likely to evolve over time. 

Executive Summary for the Pew Commission Report on Industrialized Farm Animal Production

Environment:
Large scale farms often do not properly dispose of animal waste such as manure and methane. Animals produce 3x as much manure as humans. This often makes it's way into waterways and then a cholera epidemic breaks out. 


Pesticides and hormones also present a threat to the environment.
Large scale farms also require large amounts of water to feed crops and livestock taken from finite sources of groundwater. 
Large scale farms are also very fossil fuel reliant, adding greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere. 
While animals in large scale farms are given less food, produces less manure, and reaches market faster than ever before, the environment impact has only increased. This is because small farms of the past achieved a balance in the natural productivity of the land, while modern large farms are very unbalanced. 

Water Stress:
87% of water usage in the United states is for Agriculture. It takes  countless gallons of water to irrigate crops, then countless more for the livestock on top of those crops. many large scale farms are located in dry environments, putting large amounts of stress on the local environment because of the farm's water demands. many groundwater and drinking water in the US is being outstripped. 

The best solution to this problem is to educate people about it. Water stress is not as well known as other environmental threats such as climate change or colony collapse. As people become more educated about this problem, they will alter their lifestyles to take on more water-friendly aspects, because I really don't think life with major water shortages will be very fun. Except for the cars.






http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2010/world/experts-name-the-top-19-solutions-to-the-global-freshwater-crisis/

Understanding Energy Return on Energy Investment (EROEI)

1) Tar sands are more energy efficient than oil shale.

2) As for oil shale, Their process involves drilling heater holes 1,000 to 2,000 feet down where they heat oil barring shale to very high temperatures. This causes the kerogen in the oil shale to form crude oil and natural gas. Producer wells are drilled into the formation to extract the oil and natural gas. The tar sands however, are heated with hot water or steam to extract bitumen, which is heavy thick oil. The energy to create the hot water or steam usually comes from natural gas. The bitumen then has to be upgraded so that it can be refined. 

3) The tar sands are more efficient due to their better EROI, which leads to lower overall carbon emissions.

4) offshore drilling is currently the process with the highest EROI, and a high EROI leads to less carbon being emitted in it's production. 

5) I take clothes off the top of their piles in my drawer. They are the easiest to get to, so I wear them first.