How Does The Carbon Cycle Work Environmental Sciences Essay

How Does The Carbon Cycle Work Environmental Sciences Essay The carbon cycle can be defined as the continuous biological process through which the carbon is exchanged between the environment and the organisms. It also refers to the thermonuclear reactions which are brought about by nucleus of a carbon -12 atom when it absorbs protons. The sporadic climate changes being experienced in the world today are attributable to the disruption of carbon cycle in one way or the other. Top of the possible causes of this disruption are human activities. Nations are reluctant to accept their share of blame on the whole issue leading to a blame game. Unless the world unites against this common cause, the worst is expected to come. This paper covers the carbon cycle, how it works and how its changing in response to human activities. Carbon is found in the atmosphere in form of the carbon dioxide gas. Other atmosphere gases which contain carbon dioxide include chlorofluorocarbons and methane. The lack or the improper functioning of this cycle can be very dreadful since plants and animals entirely depend on this cycle during their major biological processes. The work of the carbon cycle can be evaluated or assessed in accordance to the different processes that change or move carbon from one form to another. These processes are namely decomposition, photosynthesis, natural weathering of rocks, respiration and the ignition of fossil fuels. During the process of photosynthesis carbon which remains in the atmosphere as the carbon dioxide gas enters into the network of consumers and producers or what is referred to as the ecological food web. After its entry the photosynthetic organisms (algae, plants) absorb the carbon dioxide through the tiny pores found in their leaves. Via photosynthesis the plants can now use the absorbed carbon dioxide and convert it into simple sugars which are essential in the plants growth and reproduction. Plants also pass carbon to the animals especially when the animals feed o the plants since they do not have the ability to make their own food (Ryn and Cowan 87). Respiration process is also found in the carbon cycle but it is unlike photosynthesis because it occurs in the decomposers, plants and animals. The respiration process also produces carbon because the component of oxygen is used in breaking down organic compounds into the carbon dioxide gas and water. Through this process of respiration carbon atoms which start out as the compounds of carbon dioxide are absorbed through the body of human organism and then passed to the atmosphere ready for another recycling. Decomposition happens to be the major process through which carbon is passed to the atmosphere in form of carbon dioxide. This is achieved through the use of decomposers (micro-organisms) which are mainly found in soil and water. These decomposers usually take in dead and waste products which are mainly found in form of rotting remains of animals and plants. At the same time they release carbon dioxide through the process of respiration. As earlier stated, weathering of rocks is the other process through which carbon atoms are released. For example the lime rock (an ocean floor stone formed by marine plankton shells) traps many carbon atoms. These carbon atoms are released sometimes after a million years when the ocean waters recede and the lime rock becomes exposed. Scientifically, its noted that when a lime rock is set out to the natural process of weathering it releases the already trapped atoms becomes a very active part of the carbon cycle once. Human activities/processes also increase the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. One of these activities is the combustion of the fossils fuels. Due to the rapid expansion of industrial revolution many people have been burning the fuels which contain oil and coal to power their engines. The constant production of these fuels has resulted into huge amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Most of the carbon dioxide produced by the combustion of these fuels is however absorbed by plants, oceans and soils thus reducing the increasing effects of global warming (Scienceclarified.com 1). The human activities that influence the carbon cycle Human activities have greatly interfered with the processes involved in the carbon cycle. An example of these human activities is deforestation. Deforestation is the removal of natural occurring forests through cutting and burning of trees in any forested area. People cut trees to use them as fuel, to use the land for pasture, farming and to build settlements. Active deforestation means that there will be no trees which emit oxygen while consuming carbon components (carbon dioxide). This leads to increased carbon dioxide than its consumed thus destroying the carbon cycle. The increase in carbon components in the air results into global warming (excessive heating o the earths and oceans surface). This excessive heating results into dried rivers or decreased volumes of water in the earths surface because the hydrological cycle will be affected by higher rates of precipitation (Miller 217). According to White (1203), the ecologies have greatly been changed by overgrazing, terracing, irrigation and the cutting of trees. For example he says that the Romans used to cut trees to build ships which were used to fight Carthaginians. He also states that the banks on the lower parts of the river Nile are now a human artifact instead of the African jungle which nature could have created instead of man. He also talks of historic ecological change which has been caused by the agricultural invention. Farming prompts deforestation because there must be cutting down of trees to create more space for farming. This ecological change will be contributed by the increase of carbon components in the air since the forest cover is not available. The green house kind of farming is one of the major agricultural contributors to the disruption of the carbon cycle. This is because the green houses emit gases which are not utilized thus bringing about global warming. Some of the gases emitted inclu de the form of carbon referred to as chlorofluorocarbons. It therefore transpires that the amount of the carbon produced is higher than the amounts consumed. Another human activity which has contributed immensely to the disruption of the carbon cycle is the combustion of fuels. This is because of the increased burning of fuels emits huge amounts of carbon components. This will lead to greater volumes of carbon dioxide in the air which will not be consumed thus making the carbon cycle in effective. White (1204) states that by 1925, London had experienced a smog problem which was caused by the continuous burning of soft coal. He also suggests that the current combustion of fossil fuels is high up to the point of threatening to change the worlds atmosphere as a whole. White also suggests that war was another human activity which resulted in to ecological changes including the disruption of the carbon cycle. He asserts that the first cannon were fired in the early 14th century and this affected the ecology because workers were forced to the forests and mountains to scramble for more, sulfur, potash, iron ore and charcoal where by some resulte d into erosion and deforestation. He also warns that a war fought with hydrogen bombs can alter the genetics of life. For example it will affect the processes of the carbon cycle between human beings and plants. According to Mackenzie (1), fishing and whaling activities will affect the global carbon cycle. This is because the continuous removal of the marine biota has resulted into increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. She also suggests that the rise of carbon dioxide or carbon has been caused by progressive fishing which has caused biomass depletion of the worlds ocean. Nowadays, the marine productivity is now relatively lower than it used to be when there was a maintained carbon balance in the ocean-atmosphere. Another form of human activities which have influenced the flow of the carbon cycle is air conditioning and refrigeration. This is because they utilize the carbon available in the air which is in form of chlorofluorocarbon thus inhibiting the continuity of carbon cycle between plants and animals. These human activities are however very important in the world because they reduce the effects of global warming by absorbing the extra carbon available in the air. Another human activity t hat has influenced the carbon cycle is the conversion of wild lands and agricultural lands into settlements. These human settlements are the major contributors to the increased emissions of the global carbon dioxide. They affect the carbon cycle through the direct emissions of the carbon dioxide resulting from combustion of fuels, the alterations of the plant and carbon cycles during the conversion of wild lands to urban and residential land cover and the indirect effects of urban and residential land cover on energy use ecosystem carbon cycling. In human settlements the soil carbon is lost through the soil disturbances caused by the conversion from natural to urban or sub-urban land cover type. The conversion of well settled and managed land cover into human settlements results into higher rates of carbon sequestration and storage due to large inputs of fertilizer, water and organic matter (Pataki et al 1). Works cited Carbon cycle Science clarified. Retrieved on 27th January 2010 from http://www.scienceclarified.com/Ca-Ch/Carbon-Cycle.html Mackenzie, Debbie. THE EFFECTS OF FISHING AND WHALING ACTIVITIES ON THE GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE, 2001. Retrieved on 27th January 2010 from http://www.fisherycrisis.com/strangelove.html Miller Tyler. Living in the Environment: Principles, Connection. Stamford: Cengage Learning, 2008 Pataki, Diane. Human settlements and the North American carbon cycle, 2006. Retrieved on 27th January 2010 from http://www.climate.noaa.gov/ccsp/22_SOCCR_Chapter14.pdf Ryn, Sim, and Cowan, Stuart. Ecological design. Washington: Island press, 1996 White, Lynn. The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis, Vol 155 (number 3767), march 10 1967, pp 1203-1207. Cycle Human Settlements and the North

Phase 1 – Intro to Economic Thinking

Phase 1 – Intro to Economic Thinking ECON202-1302A-02: Microeconomics Colorado Technical University Joseph Keller 4/14/13 As prices increase, should health economists advocate giving something up (opportunity costs/trade-offs)? I feel that health economists should promote giving something up in as prices rise. The reason I feel this way is because as the prices increase a lot of people would not be able to pay for the services . So in this case I believe that they should consider lowering the prices, this in return should encourage people to continue to receive the services.The tradeoff probably would be lowering the salaries of some of the health providers. As the quantity of health services provided goes up, does the benefit of each additional unit of service become smaller (marginal analysis)? If the number of services goes up the benefit of each service would become smaller, because using marginal analysis every addition is considered less value. So if you use marginal ana lysis it will help you figure if generating different services will benefit your company (Cliff's Notes, 2013).Discuss the issue of health care in the context of the following microeconomic concepts: Marginal analysis Marginal analysis in the health care industry for example would be if you were spending $1000 for 5 units of health service, sold in $200 increments, marginal analysis would work like this, if you were to buy another $200 you would get 1/2 units, if you bought another $200 you would gain 1/4more ,another 1/8 . So as you can see you could get to a point were buying more units would work negatively because you would no longer be gaining anything (Cliff's Notes, 2013). Trade-offs /Opportunity costsTrade-off in the industry would be if a facility badly needed to add another unit, the trade of could be to lower some of the workers’ salaries in order to compensate for that extra money being spent. The opportunity cost is the money lost from the employees in order to g et the extra unit needed. (Hubbard, G & O’brien, and T 2013). Normative versus positive economics Normative economics deals with what the economy ought to be like or what particular policy actions ought to be suggested to attain a necessary goal. Positive economics is the part of economics that concentrates on realities and cause-and-effect relationships. Hubbard, G & O’brien, and T 2013). . Should this decision be made in a centrally planned economy or a market economy? I think that health care in particular should be controlled by a centrally planned economy. These I think will promote a more fairly run system and decisions basically are made for the greater good. The reason that I feel this way is because if you let the market control the economy then they most likely would do what’s best for their self’s instead of what is best for all. If it was a market economy we would probably have the same problem that we have with the gas industry, prices steady rising until it is unbearable .People would still need the service but it would be on a must have basis (Hubbard, G & O’brien, T 2013). At least now there are plans in affect to insure that everyone has affordable health insurance, along with things like Medicaid and Medicare. Is health care a macroeconomic or microeconomic issue? I think that healthcare is both because you have to look at it from both perspectives, on one hand healthcare is a microeconomic issue because it is the study of individual firms and their economics .I think the micro part of health care comes into play when you’re talking about individual offices and hospitals . Then it can be viewed as macroeconomics when you look at health care in the bigger sense, meaning health care as a whole. The macro part comes into play when you look at health care and government assistance laws etc. How would this affect production efficiency? Healthcare offers a unique subject, because if a person is having a lif e threatening issue, people will still obtain the services no matter the cost if they can afford it.If the health issue is not that serious then a person may shop around for trying to find the best deal available, or if they don’t have medical insurance they may choose to forego the procedure needed altogether. References Cliff's Notes. (2013, April 14). Economic analysis. Retrieved from http://www. cliffsnotes. com/study_guide/Economic-Analysis. topicArticleId-9789,articleId- 9726. html Hubbard, G ; O’brien, T. (2013). Microeconomics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc

The History of Rent - 1852 Words

Land has been necessary for human survival since early civilization. Man has used rent in order to produce vital items for survival. Land has served as the backbone for producing clothing, food, and a place of living. We may take advantage of these commodities that wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for land. Land holds great contribution to humankind and has played a great part in many generations before us. The hunter-gatherer role is a simple example of how man has used land as a tool for his own growth. Rent was created out of the need for land. Rent has been around before any economic theory was used to theorize it. The Latin word rendita was used to refer to a return (Keiper, 1961, p.3). The first theory of rent was seen in the late seventeenth century. The mercantilist economists created some central theories to theorize rent even though it wasn’t one of their more important worries. The history of the theory of rent can start with the mercantilists. Sir William Petty, one of the first major contributors to the mercantilists’ theory of rent, can accredit a lot of his work to the influences of Thomas Hobbes. His first major contribution in 1662, A Treatise on Taxes and Contributions, refers to rent as a net return on land used for livestock and agriculture. He explains: Suppose a man could with his own hands plant a certain scope of land with corn, that is, could dig, or plough, harrow, weed, reap, carry home, thresh, and winnow so much as the husbandry of thisShow MoreRelatedThe Other Civil War1176 Words   |  5 PagesThe Other Civil War If we read deep into Zinns A Peoples history of the United States, we may find details into our American DNA. Where and what we originally come from, what it took to get here, and how far we have progressed. While uncovering many chapters in the book, I found myself going back for more of Chapter 10: The Other Civil War. As for myself, I was never aware of another Civil War, only familiarizing myself with one. As I was reading these historical pages and awing at my foundersRead MoreHome Ownership And The Foreclosure Crisis996 Words   |  4 Pagesforeclosure during the recent economic downturn in the US economy. These former homeowners became renters as the national home ownership rate dropped. Many families felt that home ownership would remain out of their reach due to previous foreclosure history. In addition, losing your home and transitioning to renting is tough on your psyche. However, as rental rates continue to increase and the economy recovers these same families now se e possibilities of home ownership again. The housing market hasRead MoreBuying A New Property Management Companies1468 Words   |  6 PagesAdministration’s (FHA) Back-To-Work Program, â€Å"The participant could buy a new property in as few as twelve months following his foreclosure or short sale.† (www.heraldtribune.com) The ‘rent-to-own’ option is a great and promising option for ‘boomerang buyers’ to regain homeownership. First off, it gives these buyers time. Generally, rent-to-own lease agreements range from one to three years depending on their negotiated terms; this can coincide with the imposed waiting periods. Meanwhile, these boomerangRead MoreRental Rent : A Rent1653 Words   |  7 PagesWith home prices still at an attractive level, a way for buyers working to repair their credit is to leverage a â€Å"rent-to-own† agreement. A rent-to-own agreement is a contract that allows a potential home buyer to pay an agreed uponmonthly rental amount to live in a given house. But beyond simple home rental privileges, the agreement also appliesa predetermined amount of the rent toward a down payment to ultimately purchase the home at a later date, usually in around three years. So while a buyerRead MoreRent Control Of The United States1601 Words   |  7 Pages Philippe Bouchereau Prof. Kaycea Campbell Economics 2 11 May 2016 Rent Control in the United States Rent control is a law that places a price ceiling on the amount of rent a landlord can charge a tenant. People from middle and lower income brackets tend to benefit from rent control, while people from the upper income brackets do not. The whole purpose as to why rent control exists is so that tenants from the lower income groups are not exploited by â€Å"greedy† landlords through government interventionRead MoreThe Emotional Impact Of Losing A Home On Foreclosure1048 Words   |  5 Pagesbetter prepared to own your next home, think of this as a learning experience. There are many options to home ownership, such as a rent to own home, building equity while renting a home. Most options have positives and negatives and weighing your options are veryimportant. Always remember your history is exactly that, history, so past employment and references are your history. The emotional impact of losing a home to foreclosure can be a devastating hit on personal confidence and self-esteem. I wouldRead MoreBuying A House After A Foreclosure Crisis863 Words   |  4 Pagesa mortgage. There are multiple strategies for buying a house after a foreclosure. In all of these strategies the families must be determined and hard working. The first is the rent to own option. The rent to own option requires prospective buyers to pay a monthly rent to the homeowner with a portion of the rent going towards purchase of the home at a later date. Usually this will last 2-5 years before the standard home purchase contract goers into effect. 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Current boomerang buyers† are opting to rent-to own as a possible way to procure a home.According to an article, entitled How to Buy A House Using A Lease, â€Å"Rent-to-own is a goodRead MoreMarketing Segmentation for Rental Business1361 Words   |  6 Pageseach refrigerator; even though the retail price of a pre-rented refrigerator will drop, being able to rent such a fridge even a few times before sale will increase the ROI per unit. Marketing Segment The segment to which Koolie Kool is targeting its rental services is twofold: (1) middle and lower-middle class families who cannot afford to own a refrigerator outright, but who can pay modest rent-to-own installments on a refrigerator; (2) more well-off but cautious buyers who wish to test a refrigerator

Royal Dutch Shell Case Study Essay examples - 684 Words

Royal Dutch Shell in Nigeria 1. Does Shell bear some responsibility for the problems in the Ogoni region of Nigeria? I believe Shell is somewhat responsible for the problems. They seem to be taking advantage of a lower classed and less advanced country and its natural resources. If they had practiced better corporate responsibility then things would not have escalated as much. 2. What steps might Shell have taken to nip some of the protests against it in the butt, or even preempt them? Shell should have stepped into the happenings in the Ogoni Region and what the Nigerian government was doing. They should have used their large company business power to enact some type of regulation to make the Nigerian government to†¦show more content†¦They had already shown poor decisions morally when it comes to human rights. 7. A decade after Shell pulled its people out of the Ogoni region, they have yet to return despite the region’s rich oil reserves. Some have suggested that it serves the political interests of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People to have Shell cast in the villain’s role. Do you think this is true? Is there anything Shell can do about this? Who suffers most from Shell’s continued absence in the Ogoni region? I think it is true that it plays out well for Shell to be in the villain role. This only further establishes the Ogoni people’s claims and arguments against Shell. Shell could do something about it but it would require them to make some changes in their dealings in Nigeria as well as probably playing a large sum of amount to fix and reestablish things with the Ogoni. Obviously Shell suffers due to them not being able to get to the oil reserves, but it also hurts the Nigerian people. If Shell could use those oil reserves, then th ey could provide many jobs to the people and bring money to the country. 8. 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Her journal focuses on the cause, integrity and reputation of the perpetrators involved inRead MoreManagement and Leadership- A case study of Royal Dutch Shell1410 Words   |  6 Pages Research Paper 3: Leadership and Management: A case study of Royal Dutch Shell Submitted Management and Leadership MGMT 704 - 102 October 15th, 2013. Introduction A change in a company’s leadership can trigger a shift in strategy and is usually followed by periods of convergence. The convergence periods are characterized by small incremental changes which have both advantages and disadvantages. A company leader with high social intelligence can leverage on the advantages of the convergenceRead MoreSi Report Case Study Royal Dutch Shell2804 Words   |  12 PagesROYAL DUTCH SHELL Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) is a worldwide group of oil, gas and petrochemical companies that explores for, produces and trades in a range of energy resources. Royal Dutch Shell also has a broad portfolio of hydrogen, biofuels, wind and solar power interests, and also provides consultancy and technical services as well as research and development expertise to the energy industry. Royal Dutch Shell is active in more than 130 countries and territories, and employs 108,000 people worldwideRead MoreSi Report Case Study Royal Dutch Shell2794 Words   |  12 PagesROYAL DUTCH SHELL Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) is a worldwide group of oil, gas and petrochemical companies that explores for, produces and trades in a range of energy resources. Royal Dutch Shell also has a broad portfolio of hydrogen, biofuels, wind and solar power interests, and also provides consultancy and technical services as well as research and development expertise to the energy industry. Royal Dutch Shell is active in more than 130 countries and territories, and employs 108,000 people worldwideRead MorePaper581 Words   |  3 Pagesstructure of Royal Dutch/Shell Group. Does it differ from the equity listings of other companies that you know? These equity listings are different from companies such as BP and Exxon. All subsidiary companies’ shares were held by the Group Holding Companies in the ratio of 60/40 (Royal Dutch/Shell). The corporate structure is outlined in the figure below. Individuals and Institutions Individuals and Institutions Royal Dutch Petroleum Company Netherlands 60% The â€Å"Shell† Transport andRead MoreRoyal Dutch and Shell1212 Words   |  5 PagesBackground. Royal Dutch Shell Group is one of the world’s largest oil corporations and one of the largest companies in Europe. The company was created as a result of a merge between Netherlands’ Royal Dutch and UK’s Shell Corporation. The case looks at the issue of price differentials between several equity listings in different markets from the perspective of investors seeking an arbitrage opportunity. 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Shell has personally financed Nigerian militants to insure the production of oil, and this has led to brutal murders and illegal executions of community members who tried to protest the damages that shell was creating to their environment. So why and how is Shell still operating and still committing human right crimes in Nigeria? This paper will explain why Shell has dominated Nigeria since the 1950s, how the company has damaged theRead MoreShell Case Study838 Words   |  4 PagesThe Case Study on â€Å"Organizational change at Royal Dutch/Shell† This case study on â€Å"Organizational Change at Royal Dutch/Shell† deals with the organizational change that the world’s largest non-state-owned oil company made to respond its operating environmental changes in 1990s (Hill, C 2005, pp. 476-477) While there are a few different structures of global organizations such as worldwide area structure, worldwide product divisional structure and global matrix structure, the Anglo-Dutch companyRead MoreRoyal Dutch/Shell, Acquisitions, and Globalization3225 Words   |  13 PagesRoyal Dutch/Shell, Acquisitions and Globalization Question 1: Royal Dutch/Shell Group operates on a global basis, and is well known for continuously striving to look beyond horizons. 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