This is an interactive map made on ArcGIS to demonstrate the location and facts on 5 areas in Alberta that unfortunately experienced a major oil spill. Please click on the map to learn more on each oil spill! Oil spills are very threatening to many wildlife, environment and humans. Threats to the wildlife may be fish suffocating from the oil, the oil getting caught onto bird's feathers, it may block sunlight for photosynthetic plants in the water, adult fish may experience reduced growth, enlarged livers, changes in heart and respiration rates, fin erosion, and reproduction impairment. Effects to the environment and humans such as the water systems; will affect everyday activities like going to school, work, or just staying home. The oil creates great threats to the water quality causing serious and expensive problems to the community. For example, not having clean or safe drinking water for current residents. It is estimated to be 27 times more expensive to deal with contaminated water. It is also a threat to human health, it may cause skin and eye irritation, neurologic and breathing problems, and stress; just like the residents of Lubicon Cree. Health problems are more severe people having to clean the oil. Most kinds of oil are less dense than water. Therefore the spilled oil will float on the water surface and spread out. Then it may be pushed across the water by wind. Most crude oil is not very biodegradable, meaning it will not decompose fully. But light crude oil is 90% biodegradable, it all depends on the oil’s composition. The oil damage is estimated to last between two and five years! But that other oil spills in the past have shown to take longer than that. Ways to clean the oil is oil booms, hot water and high pressure washing, or chemical stabilisation by elastomers. It is important to contain and clean the spill immediately to prevent their spread. To help prevent future oil spills is to tighten bolts and make sure to replace cracked or worn hydraulic lines.
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One of the most dangerous and important environmental issue challenging us today is climate change caused by the use of greenhouse gases; from fossil fuels or agriculture. On average, each Canadian produces 22 tonnes of greenhouse gas per year. But of course, emissions depends on where you live. Due to population, energy sources and economic base. Some provinces depend on fossil fuel for energy and money. For example, as of 2017 Alberta has the highest levels of emission. On the other hand, some provinces like Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick has decreased levels of emission since 2005. Over the years Canadians has tried to reduce the levels of emission produced, as a result from 1990 to 2017, the amount of GHGs emitted per person decreased 10% from 21.7 to 19.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide.Día de las Velitas, translated to English Little Candles’ Day, is a symbol to represent the start of the Christmas season in Colombia. People place candles and paper lanterns in their windows, balconies and front yards. This is in honor of the Virgin Mary and the Immaculate Conception. Many people across Colombia have started this tradition, but the best lights are found in Quimbaya, were people compete for the best arrangement. This is celebrated on December 7, on the eve of the Immaculate Conception and ends at the sunrise of December 8th.Map action is an organization of emergency response mapping of issues around the world. The staff go from antarctic surveying to zoological research. They are always ready to leave to any part of the world. A fun fact, the idea was created by Rupert Douglas-Bate when he was working as an emergency water engineer in Bosnia in 1994. Its first staff member was than recruited in 2002. I think this is a great organization because it may help to prepare for emergencies before they happen based on previous data. For example, in September 2019 Hurricane Dorian was hit in The Bahamas, they recored information on things such as early recovery, emergency shelter, health, situation and damage, nutrition and many more.Each year there are 8 million metric tones of waste in the ocean produced from humans. This deeply concerns me because is it harming our planet as well as many species. The waste comes in different forms; including industrial, agricultural and urban waste. These cause explosions of algae which harms the marine animals oxygen they need to live. A way to help fix the problem of urban waste is to reduce, reuse, and recycle. A way to help the problem of industrial is to rethink the system, they could use linear which will dispose; where it can be recovered as a valuable material for the economy and can reenter the environment. But that means everyone would have to change the way they do things. A way to help the problem of agricultural is to use more organic matter in the soil, resulting in the being able to soil hold more nutrients, which is good from farmers and the water quality in the bay. It is important that everyone contributes because as the oceans are becoming more polluted, it will affect humans. There will be no clean water for animals, no fish or other species to eat due to chocking on trash, and cause higher risks of climate change. The Greenhouse effect is the process of radiation warming the Earth's temperature. This is caused by greenhouse gas emissions, this is a gas that absorbs and emits energy. The primary gases are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. This means, all these gases being produced is making the planet warmer. All these gases are caused by burning fossil fuels and oil, agriculture practices, and cutting down forests. This is a top priority because the greenhouse effect is a big contributor to global warming. We are already at a high risk with the earth's temperature rising. Effects around the world are ice glaciers melting and cities are getting flooded. Unfortunately, it is hard to get big companies to help reduce the amount of gases being produced because they will lose money. But a way we can all help reduce greenhouse gases is to planet trees. When I am an adult, a way I can help is to protest against the use of fossil fuels and use environmentally friendly objects. Like buying an electric car, installing solar panels on my house and planting my own fruits and vegetables.
I believe the ancient way of buildings are better when it comes to "human scale", because the ancient way had less roads which means, there was more open land for citizens to enjoy such as parks. As well as before, cities were more intimate, meaning most people work within the city they lived in. I think this would have been better because than people can walk to work which is better their health and the environment. Also Citizens typically lived with a other people in a residence, but now most people live by themselves. This is due to expanding the residences, by building more apartments and housing.
Public transit is a form of travel to local places typically in a city. My thoughts on public transit are; it is a great way of transportation for people who can not afford a car or are underage and cannot drive. Like high school and college students. It is an easy way for students to get to school and home safely without having to walk very far. Although student fees differ from original amount paid by adults, I believe the cost should be free for all students because of simply being on a low budget due to not being able to work yet because of the age restrictions in the province. But, a good thing about public transit is it helps the environment because there are less cars which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
This map shows the St. Augustine SS school main locations like, the outside and inside front entrance, gymnasium, Cafeteria and auditorium, as well as school activities and sports.
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