Author Archives: milburnsn

News Report

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Title:

US Judge Halts Hundreds of Drilling Projects in Groundbreaking Climate Change Ruling

Link:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/mar/20/judge-halts-drilling-climate-change-trump-administration

Citation:

Randall, C. (2019, March 20). US judge halts hundreds of drilling projects in groundbreaking climate change ruling. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/201 9/mar/20/judge-halts-drilling-climate-change-trump-administration

Main Ideas:

  • Drilling on 300,000 acres in Wyoming has been stopped after a judge ruled that environmental laws concerning greenhouse gas emissions weren’t being considered on March 20th, 2019
  • Bureau of Land Management was told they must consider the greenhouse gas emissions on oil and gas projects in 2016, but failed to adequately predict potential outcomes of their new project
  • Some argue it is difficult to predict possible outcomes of this project and similar projects
  • New drilling projects are increasing at higher rates under the Trump administration than the previous Obama administration
  • This ruling went against previous precedents that had been set by other judges potentially creating a new precedent for future casesRelevance:

    The judge went against previous precedents in an attempt to limit greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. In class, we have talked about the need for policy change along with lifestyle changes to limit the release of pollutants into the Earth. This judge is making sure that current environmental laws are being enforced and bringing up the idea that more laws are needed to adequately regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

    Questions:

    • Are current environmental laws being enforced properly?
    • What laws need to be passed in the future to prevent courts from having to step in to evaluate the environmental impacts of projects? Do we need more enforcement or new laws?
    • How do we switch from fossil fuels as the main source of energy to renewable energy sources?

Nature Inspiration

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Before I moved to Charleston, I lived in a more rural area. Living in the city has been a big change. I grew up with a large backyard complete with extensive woods and a creek. I spent my childhood playing and exploring outside. I always felt I had a close connection to nature. Moving to the city was a big change. The closest natural area is Marion Square and that area only has grass and a few trees. I’m now surrounded by concrete day in and day out and it is hard to maintain that connection to the natural world. Being connected to nature allows one to stay grounded and levelheaded. Nature is beautiful and has given us so much. Remembering that we humans only make up an extremely small portion of Earth’s history is important. We tend to think that humans are the most important part of the Earth even though we occupy so little of it and have only lived here for a short time. Realizing this allows us to remember that we have a job to treat the Earth with respect as we are only visitors. Being exposed to natures beauty helps to remind us what we stand to lose if we aren’t careful. Scientists proposed the concept of the Anthropocene because humans have come to have such a large impact on the environment despite only being around for a small part of the Earths existence. The climate is changing and animals are going extinct because we are losing our connection to nature.

To reconnect with nature I went to an empty portion of the beach and sat for a few minutes. I could hear the waves crashing against the shore, the sand beneath me, and the sun shining down on me. There was no sirens, ringtones, or car sounds only the squawking of birds and that crashing of waves. It was very relaxing and reminded me about the beauty of the natural world. Leaving the city and entering nature allowed me to regain that connection to nature that I’ve lost. It put everything we’d been talking about in class into perspective. The relaxing sound of the waves is coming from a polluted ocean. The squawking birds could possibly be extinct due to said pollution in the near future. The sand beneath is littered with trash and is becoming overtaken by the tourism industry. Focusing on the development of sustainable practices will help us to fix these problems and protect the Earth from human actions. Reconnecting with nature allowed me to remember how valuable nature is and why we need to change our ways. Being in nature makes the problems seem more real. It’s easy to ignore a problem when it’s out of sight. Sitting on a beautiful beach and then looking over to see a water bottle and other trash scattered around ruining the postcard-worthy image is inspiring and encourages me to continue with my attempts to live a more sustainable life. A connection with nature reminds us of the importance of the fight for a more sustainable world.                          

Advocacy Training

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I attended the advocacy training presented by the Coastal Conservation League that focused on understanding how to advocate for laws that would limit plastic pollution. They explained how their group fights for or against certain bills to ensure that Charleston’s waters are being safeguarded against plastic pollution. It was emphasized how they could not do this alone. Fighting for or against a bill requires a large group of people who care about the issue to show government officials that more people beyond the Coastal Conservation League believe in this issue and want change. We were told different ways we could show our support to this group and their mission. Sending emails and calling our representatives seems to be the most successful way in ensuring government officials know that people do want to change their communities. This was very helpful advice to me as I have begun to make changes in my life in hopes of lessening my impact on the environment. Advocating for laws that would force businesses and citizens to adopt some of these changes as well would be a way I can continue to help the environment. This event informed me about laws that are currently being debated and how they could potentially affect the future of Charleston. This group will provide me with a way to access useful information now and in the future allowing me to be more informed and involved with the environmental movement in Charleston. I am majoring in Marine Biology and hope to one day be involved with marine conservation, so this information extremely relevant to my interests. This group showed me that anyone can make a difference by doing something as simple as calling or emailing their representative to ensure they understand the beliefs of their constituents. I plan to put these actions into use to help advocate for a more sustainable Charleston. I’ve realized how important this is since learning more about climate change and being introduced to the idea of the Anthropocene. We are living in a world that has been greatly altered by humans. It’s now time that we alter the planet for the better. Supporting laws that do things, such as ban plastics bags, is a step in the right direction. Economy largely influences the environment, so forcing big businesses to adopt more sustainable practices will help limit our negative impact on the world. Forcing big businesses to make more sustainable decisions also relates to social equity another big influencer on the environment. By banning the use and creation of goods that are toxic to the environment, fewer people will be exposed to pollution from these businesses and their products. It is often those with a lower socioeconomic status that suffer the most from things like pollution. We saw this in Flint Michigans water crisis. Holding businesses to a higher standard will hopefully limit this exploitation. Looking at the issue of plastic pollution we can see the tree aspects of the triple bottom line working together. Understanding this system has allowed me to better understand environmental issues and how they should be handled.