Impact of Global Warming

Impact of Global Warming Milagros Hoyos Global Warming Global Warming is an international phenomenon where the weather and temperature change unpredictably and fast (when greenhouse gases get trapped in the atmosphere). Since the Industrial Revolution, global warming has increased, affecting Earth by rising its global temperature (which has increased due to the fact that the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases spewing from industrial plants has enlarged). Nevertheless, to understand global warming, one must understand the components intertwined with its occurrence (such as carbon dioxide, greenhouse gases, Ozone O3, Chlorofluorocarbon, and CFCs gases). In addition, one must learn where, why, and how global warming occurs. To begin, one must first know the difference between the terms, weather and climate. Despite the fact that they are related, weather and climate are two distinct things. Weather refers to the atmosphere’s current condition at a specific location on Earth. Weather conditions typically change hourly and refer to a small area. The factors that are included in weather measurements are air temperature, wind speed and its direction, humidity, precipitation, and cloud locations. Although climate does include some of these factors, climate is a measurement of the average weather condition of a large region for a long period of time. Furthermore, climate is measured in decades. Greenhouses gases are another important component of global warming. As everyone knows, the Earth’s atmosphere consists of various different chemical compounds. Among these compounds, there are gases (called greenhouse gases) in our environment that are primarily generated by fossil fuel consumption. Greenhouse gases are vapors that are trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere; they absorb and emit radiation at the rate of thermal infrared. The primary greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere are carbon dioxide, water vapor, ozone, methane, and nitrous oxide. Carbon dioxide (CO2) makes up about eighty percent of primary greenhouse gases. It is a chemical compound, in the state of gas, with a natural, or anthropogenic (caused by human activity), origin. Also having a natural origin, CO2 is emitted by volcanoes, geysers, oceans, lakes, aerobic organisms (through respiration), organic materials (from their decay), land animals (as they exhale, while breathing), and humans (from their breath). In addition, carbon dioxide can be found, naturally, in oil and gas deposits. Regarding its anthropogenic origin, carbon dioxide can also derive from the combustion of fossil fuels (such as gas motor vehicles, fabrics, and manufactures). Furthermore, carbon dioxide can be generated from coal, which is rich in carbon when burned. Carbon dioxide is essential to human life due to the fact that it, as a major greenhouse gas, maintains an average temperature, on Earth, of 59Â ° Fahrenheit (Gore, 2007). Without these gases, the Earth’s surface temperature would drop to around 0Â ° Fahrenheit (Gore, 2007). However, the problem is that an excess of CO2 gases contributes to global warming. There are various researches that suggest that there is a direct correlation between carbon dioxide and temperature. In other words, the more concentrated the CO2 (ppm) in Earth’s atmosphere gets, the higher Earth’s temperature is going to get. Humans cannot stop these gases from naturally occurring, but they can prevent the anthropogenic ones. Consequently, many experts advise people to prevent or reduce the emission of CO2 gases into Earth’s atmosphere. Some ways to prevent the emission of CO2 gases are regulating the emission of pollution, promoting the manufacturer, using electrical or hybrid motor vehicles, and preventing the destruction of forests (which absorb CO2 to form oxygen). Another significant compound in global warming is chlorofluorocarbon (also known as CFCs, or Freon). chlorofluorocarbon is an organic compound that contains carbon, chlorine, and fluorine. This compound is produced as a derivative of propane, methane, and ethane, and is used as a refrigerant, solvent and propellant. Moreover, it has a lifetime of 20 to 100 years. CFCs gases are extremely stable, do not dissolve because of rain, and stay in Earth’s atmosphere for about two years (which is the time it takes them to reach the stratosphere). In the stratosphere, ultraviolet rays hit CFCs molecules (CFCl3) to form chlorine atoms (Cl), which then react with ozone molecules (O3) to form chlorine monoxide (ClO) and oxygen molecules (O2). Later, the free oxygen molecules react with the chlorine monoxides to form chlorine atoms, which are then free to start the process all over again (which slowly destroys ozone molecules). It is known that one CFC molecule can destroy up to 100,000 ozone molecules. Ozone O3 (ÃŽ ¼-O) plays a major role in global warming. Ozone O3 is an inorganic molecule (in its gas state) that forms in the Earth’s atmosphere through photolysis. (Photolysis is a process in which O2 molecules split apart, due to ultraviolet rays, to form individual O molecules, which join together to form O3 molecules, or the ozone.) The formation and destruction of the ozone is steady, with a relative constant concentration and altitude of 10 to 19 miles from Earth’s surface. The ozone layer plays an important role in the warming of the Earth due to the fact that it is meant to prevent the Earth from warming up too much. The Sun’s irradiated rays penetrate Earth’s lower atmosphere and warms its (Earth’s) surface. However, these sunrays are filtered by the ozone layer, which is located in Earth’s stratosphere. The ozone layer protects Earth from ultraviolet rays by reducing the intensity and preventing very high temperatures (which could potentially destroy every animal and human by melting every thing) to occur on Earth. In regard to the relationship between CO2 and the ozone layer, CO2 does not directly affect the ozone layer. What actually occurs is that the ozone’s generation is very slow and gases, such as water vapor and CO2, stay in the atmosphere semi permanently, without physically or chemically changing. Then, when the sun’s rays (ultraviolet rays) are emitted, they pass through the atmosphere, warming the Earth. Nevertheless, this heat cannot leave the Earth because the gases block Earth’s heat from escaping, which makes, consequently, what is known as global warming. The region most affected by global warming, where the climate changes constantly, is the Arctic due to the fact that it is located on a highly sensitive part of Earth. Furthermore, the Arctic region is very thin and suffers from ruptures and melted ice, which destroy the habitat of different animals, such as polar bears. In addition, global warming also affects the native people, plants, and wildlife. One noticeable victim of global warming is The Muir Glacier, located in the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, in Alaska. As shown on the left in figure 1 (on the following page), which was taken in August 1941, the glacier once covered the entire ocean between the mountains. Nowadays, as shown on the right in figure 1 (below), which was taken in August 2004, the glacier is barely visible due to the fact that global warming has made most of the ice melt, causing the glacier to shorten by more than 31 miles and thin by more than one kilometer (U.S. Geological Survey, 2014). Figure 1: Muir Glacier To make matters worst, glaciers, such as the Muir Glacier (melting glaciers), contribute to the rising sea levels, which produces coastal flooding and contaminates fresh water supplies. Snow and ice generally act like a security system by cooling the Earth’s layer over the Arctic. Thus, when the ice and snow that covers the Earth melts, the earth absorbs more sunlight and gets hotter. So, is global warming a big issue to consider? As one can see, it is a huge issue. Global warming affects the planet’s temperature, climate change, and is one of the leading problems that face our world today. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are heating up the atmosphere and are, thus, jeopardizing every day life. This problem is caused by the release of principal human-made greenhouse gases into Earth’s atmosphere. Therefore, humans can prevent global warming through the prevention, replacement, and reduction of CFCs on Earth. Furthermore, by doing these things, humans can save the environment and, in a way, the world! Resources Burroughs, W. J. Climate Change: A Multidisciplinary Approach; Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2007. Climate Central, Inc. Global Weirdness: Severe Storms, Deadly Heat Waves, Relentless Drought, Rising Seas, and The Weather of The Future; Pantheon Books: New York, 2012. Goodall, C. Ten Technologies to Save the Planet; Greystone Books: Vancouver, 2010. Gore, A. An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming; Viking: New York, 2007. Haugen, D. M. Musser, S. Is Global Warming a Threat?; Greenhaven Press: Detroit, 2007. Haugen D., Musser S., Lovelace, K. Global Warming; Greenhaven Press: Detroit, 2010. Joesten, M. Hogg, J. L. CHEM In Your World; Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning: Belmont, 2011. McKibben, B. The Global Warming Reader: A Century of Writing About Climate Change; Penguin Books: New York, 2012. U.S. Geological Survey. Glacier and Landscape Change in Response to Changing Climate. http://www.usgs.gov/climate_landuse/glaciers/repeat_photography.asp (accessed June 23, 2014). Weart, S. R. The Discovery of Global Warming; Harvard University Press: Cambridge, 2003.

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Carthage Goes to War with Rome From the middle of the 3rd century to the middle of the 2nd century BC, Carthage was engaged in a series of wars with Rome. These wars, known as the Punic Wars, ended in the complete defeat of Carthage by Rome. The most prominent figure of the Punic war s was General Hannibal of Pheonician Carhtage. During these wars, it is likely that the colonizing expeditions of the Carthaginians were supported by many emigrants from the Phoenician homeland. Hannibal (b. 247 BC, North Africa--d. c. 183-181, Libyssa, Bithynia), Phoenician Carthaginian general, one of the great military leaders of antiquity, who commanded the Carthaginian forces against Rome in the Second Punic War (218-201 BC). Early life Hannibal was the son of the great Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca. According to Polybius and Livy, the main Latin sources for his life, Hannibal was taken to Spain by his father and at an early age was made to swear eternal hostility to Rome. From the death of his father in 229/228 until his own death c. 183, Hannibal's life was one of constant struggle against the Roman republic. His earliest commands were given to him in the Carthaginian province of Spain by Hasdrubal, son-in-law and successor of Hamilcar; and it is clear that he emerged as a successful officer, for, on the assassination of Hasdrubal in 221 BC, the army proclaimed him, at the age of 26, its commander in chief, and the Carthaginian government quickly ratified his field appointment. Hannibal immediately turned himself to the consolidation of the Punic hold on Spain. He married a Spanish princess, Imilce, then began to conquer various Spanish tribes. He fought against the Olcades and captured their capital, Althaea; quelled the Vaccaei in the northwest; and in 221, making the seaport Cartagena (Carthage Nova, the capital of Carthaginian Spain) his base, won a resounding victory over the Carpetani in the region of the Tagus River. In 219 BC Hannibal made an attack on Saguntum, an independent Iberian city south of the Ebro River. In the treaty between Rome and Carthage subsequent to the First Punic War (264-241), the Ebro had been set as the northern limit of Carthaginian influence in the Iberian Peninsula. Saguntum was indeed south of the Ebro, but the Romans had "friendship" (though perhaps not an actual treaty) with the city and regarded the Carthagin... ...arthage unopposed (AD 533). Carthage, after its capture by the Arabs in 705, was totally eclipsed by the new town of Tunis. Though Roman Carthage was destroyed, much of its remains can be traced, including the outline of many fortifications and an aqueduct. The former Byrsa area was adorned with a large temple dedicated to Juno, Jupiter, and Minerva, and near it stood a temple to Asclepius. Also on the Byrsa site stood an open-air portico, from which the finest Roman sculptures at Carthage have survived. Additional remains of the Roman town include an odeum, another theatre constructed by Hadrian, an amphitheatre modeled on the Roman Colosseum, numerous baths and temples, and a circus. The Christian buildings within the city, with the exception of a few Vandal structures, are all Byzantine. The largest basilica was rebuilt in the 6th century on the site of an earlier one. Churches probably existed during the 3rd and 4th centuries, but of these no traces remain. The ancient Phoenician language survived in use as a vernacular in some of the smaller cities of North Africa at least until the time of St Augustine, bishop of Hippo (5th century AD). Source: Encyclopedia Britannica.

Malaria Issue Report

The issue I am going to be talking about in my report is about how to prevent the transmission of malaria around the world. Malaria is a mosquito-borne, climate sensitive disease caused by the parasite Plasmodium.[1] Malaria is caused by one of four species of the protoctist Plasmodium[2]. The Plasmodium parasites multiply in red blood cells; this can cause symptoms such as fever and headache, but in severe cases the disease can lead to death. Transmission Malaria is transmitted through the bite of an infected female (Anopheles) mosquito; although it can be transmitted through contact of infected blood but this is very uncommon.[3] The cycle of malaria is an Anopheles mosquito bites an infected person; a small amount of infected blood is taken. The plasmodium parasite grows and matures in the mosquito's gut for approximately a week before it then travels to the mosquito's salivary glands. When the mosquito next bites someone, these parasites mix with the saliva, are then injected with the bite, and the transmission of malaria is complete.[4] Cycle in the Body Once in the blood, the parasites travel to the liver and enter liver cells, to grow and multiply. After some time, the parasites leave the liver cells and enter red blood cells. In the red blood cells the malaria parasites continues to grow and multiply. After they mature, the infected red blood cells rupture, freeing the parasites to attack and enter other red blood cells.[5] Symptoms Toxins released when the red cells burst, these are what cause the common symptoms of malaria, these are: 1. Fever 2. Chills 3. Flu like symptoms Statistics According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) malaria report 2011, there were 216 million cases of malaria and an estimated 655,000 deaths in 2010. Malaria mortality rates have fallen by more than 25% globally since 2000. Most deaths occur amongst children living in Africa where a child dies every minute of malaria and the disease accounts for approximately 22% of all childhood deaths.[6] Malaria is a disease that only occurs in certain climates, due to the fact that malaria is passed on through mosquito bites so only certain countries and regions have the conditions that mosquitos can survive in are affected by the disease; this includes sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America as shown in the picture below: [7] This picture shows that malaria affects countries mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, especially South America (but north of Argentina) Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. Malaria has been on the rise since the 1970s and constitutes a serious risk to health in many tropical countries.[8] The Problem with malaria is that it mainly affects people who live in LEDCs (Less Economically Developed Countries) the problem with this is that they cannot afford to get the healthcare to treat the disease unlike with MEDCs (More Economically Developed Countries) where they don’t get diseases of this kind commonly but are able to afford the healthcare. Malaria also causes a number of deaths and illnesses every year, especially in countries which suffer from a lot of poverty. This means that if parents catch the diseases then their children will be orphaned and left to fend for themselves. Solutions to the Problem There are several methods of treating malaria and these are some of the best methods to protect us from the disease: Nets A mosquito net protects against mosquitos, flies, and other airborne insects. Mosquito nets are the first line of defence against the deadly bite of mosquitos. The fine, see-through mesh stops insects from biting or affecting the person using the net. The mesh is fine enough to stop these insects entering the sleeping area of the person. Research has found that the latest Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) save lives; they have been proven to cut malaria cases in children by half as well as reducing child deaths by 20%[9]. The use of these nets can also help protect other people sleeping nearby who are not sleeping under a net. It’s estimated that when 80% of people sleep under a net, the entire community is protected.[10] Although it is vital that the people using the mosquito nets regularly check the nets for any holes big enough for insects to get through. Scientists in Senegal have been researching the success rate of mosquito nets after six million nets were distributed over five years. Within three weeks of the nets being introduced, the scientists found that the number of malaria attacks had started to fall – it had fell by 13 times since before the nets had come in. The researchers also collected specimens of Anopheles gambiae, which is the type of mosquito species responsible for transmitting malaria to humans in Africa. Between 2007 and 2010 the proportion of the insects with a genetic resistance rose from 8% to 48%. By 2010 the proportion of mosquitoes resistant to Deltamethrin was 37%.[11] Testing Malaria parasites in the blood can best be detected under a microscope, but, when this is not available malaria cases can also be quickly and accurately identified using a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT). RDTs are disposable blood testing kits which can be used anywhere and provide a quick result, they measure the amount of plasmodium in the blood; therefore showing if you have malaria or not. RDTs mean that a potentially life-saving diagnosis of malaria, which usually could only be possible in hospitals, can now be made available anywhere.[12] The reliability of RDTs is a successful diagnostic reading of 80% or in other words; 4 out of 5 people tested for malaria get a correct result back.[13] Implications of the solutions to the problem There are a number of solutions to malaria, although they do have economic and environmental implications. The solutions include: Nets The economic problem with nets is that malaria is mainly affecting LEDCs; therefore people are unable to afford the cost of buying drugs nets as they can be expensive. Environmental issues with mosquito nets are that mosquitos are possibly starting to get immune to the chemical Deltamethrin which is used in the bed nets; this means that they are no longer being useful by stopping the female mosquito from biting and killing harmless insects instead. The social implications of using nets are that nets prevent people being bitten by malaria carrying mosquitos, this means that less access to health services are needed; therefore less time is lost from work because of malaria. Medicines Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs) are therapies made by combining an extract of the Artemisia plant and another medicine. They are the most effective and advance treatments for malaria, and are strongly recommended for the treatment of malaria in Africa.[14] The implication to this method is that they are highly expensive to produce and take around 15 years to research and develop. And seeing as malaria mainly affects LEDCs it wouldn’t be much use to them, as they will not be able to afford to buy them. Also the problem with using drugs is that a lot of testing takes place on animals which have ethical implications along with it. Benefits/Risks of solutions to the Problem Medicines In the table below there is a list of advantages and disadvantages for using different medicines for treating malaria: Chemoprophylaxis drug Presentation Advantages Disadvantages Proguanil Paludrine tablets 1. Low cost 2. Well tolerated 3. Suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women 1. Increasing resistance of P. falciparum to chloroquine 2. Large number of tablets required if taken in combination Chloroquine Nivaquine syrup Avloclor tablets 1. Mefloquine Lariam tablets 1. Weekly dose 2. Effective for most areas of the world 3. Can be used in the last 2 trimesters of pregnancy 1. Needs to be commenced 2 to 3 weeks prior to departure 2. May cause neuro-psychiatric adverse events Doxycycline Capsule 1. Low cost 2. Generally well tolerated 3. Can be commenced close to departure date 1. May cause photosensitivity 2. May cause vaginal yeast infections in women 3. Unsuitable for children under 12 years Atovaquone/proguanil Malarone tablets 1. Well tolerated 2. Can be commenced close to departure date 3. Short course 1. Expensive [15] According to the table above the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in the five different medicines, although with Doxycycline the advantages and disadvantages are in the same proportion. This would suggest that Doxycycline may not as effective anti-malarial medicine as some of the others. Testing Another solution to the problem could be to use malaria testing kits such as the Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT). The benefit of this is that it can create a diagnosis in fraction of the time that a standard test takes. This means that people who have malaria can be treated a lot quicker than they usually could be by the standard method, which involves looking at a blood sample under a microscope to detect plasmodium. An issue with RDTs is that they can be expensive for people living in LEDCs as they can range from $1.20 – $13.50 per test.[16] The risks of RDT is that, although it is a quick test, it is not always effective at identify the plasmodium in the blood. The danger is that you may get inaccurate result, leading to you being quite unaware of having the disease, therefore getting the treatment early enough to take effect. Alternative Solutions to the Problem Quinine Another solution to the problem which was used up until the 1930s as the only cure for malaria is quinine. It is found in the Andes Mountain range of Peru and Ecuador[17]. The medicinal properties to quinine has been around since the 17th century, but back then people used to chew the bark off of the cinchona tree as it was believed to be a useful treatment for malaria. Although people didn’t have medicinal knowledge, due to the positive result, they thought it was an effective method of malaria treatment. The active ingredient is quinine which is found in the cinchona tree. Quinine works by lowering the body’s core temperature, thereby killing the plasmodium parasites that cause malaria in the red blood cells. Quinine can also be found in tonic water; some doctors/ GPs may recommend drinking tonic water when going to a high risk country. Vaccine A vaccination involves injecting a small harmless amount of infection into you. Finding a vaccine to protect people from malaria would be the best possible defence[18]. Around the world scientists are working on this important research.[19] However, malaria parasite, plasmodium has proven to be adapting to the different cures and vaccines that scientists have been creating. This means that they change their characteristics as antibodies are developed. This adaptability has made finding a vaccine especially challenging.[20] Currently there is no vaccine, but there are several being developed. Several potential malaria vaccines are already being tested in clinical trials; although no vaccine has been licensed for use.[21] It will be a long wait before a vaccine is available to prevent the spread of malaria.[22] Dr Sandy Douglas (Welcome Trust Clinical Research Training) at the University of Oxford said â€Å"We have found a way of making antibodies that kill all different strains of malaria parasites. This is still in an early research phase; the next step is to do clinical trials in people.†[23]

Leadership And Gender Differences Of A Man And A Woman

Leadership and Gender Differences The term Leadership† is defined to lead the followers the right path. Many people have a view that a leader will not exist until and unless he has followers. I feel this view is true as a single person is not capable of doing all the works just by himself/herself. When leadership comes the big question arises How people are leading the followers? Is there any difference between a leadership of a man and a woman†? So, due to all these questions leadership seems to be very vast. If we see the ancient view then in those days men were seen as the bread winners and women were seen as the homemakers. Today, women has broken all those myths and is coming forwards as a successful leader. It is very common†¦show more content†¦Stereotype plays a vital role in the matters such as how people behave with each other’s. Situations are not always the same and the behavior of people too changes according to the situation and circumstances. Many people believe that stereotypes are always negative, but this is not true all the time. Sometimes, the truth is being overshadowed by the term stereotype and the myths related to it. The perspective of judging people on the basis of their gender is one of the oldest practice. Believes such as men are meant to go out and work whereas women are meant to be in the home and take care of it is one of the oldest believe. In Romania there were very few women in publication business involved in the top position than men. The data analysis done in Romania in various fields showed that men actively participated in almost all the fields such as science, technology, agriculture etc. whereas in the field such as occupation the wome n involvement seems to be much more higher than men (Cinlac, 2013). The argument about leadership difference between men and women can be said as a long term debate. The perception of people vary from one another and there too exists the difference in the situations which makes the scenario different from one another. This article has tried to focus just on the leadership styles used by the different leaders. The environment, culture and so on plays a vital role on how a leader thinks. A leader