Ozine depletion and Global Warming- UV Rays

Hi!

We are on the topic of Ozone depletion and Global Warming, and Ms J asked us, why do western people get skin cancer easier than we Asains do? Even when we are all under the same sun? I thought it was a good question...

I did some research... and I found out that typing in the whole question doesn't work. Thus I searched bit by bit. It doesn't take a genius to realise that all humans are created uniquely, we all have different skin colors! Asians tend to have yellowish skin (under the decks of makeup) while Europeans have almost white skin (with a pinkish hue due to the blood vessels underneath the skin, of course) and African Americans have black skin. The reason why we all have different skin colors is because of the genes, plus the amount of melanin (2 types, red or very dark brown) in our skin vary. Look at the picture below (taken from http://www.myuniversalfacts.com/2005/09/why-do-people-have-different-colors-of.html):

Oh wait. Actually the amount and type of melanin in our skin is affected by the genes. Anyway, melanin controls the UV radiation from the sun that penetrates the skin by absorption (from Wikipedia! Refer to references below).   TAA DAA! The key word(s).... UV rays!

As we know the amount of UV rays we are exposed to is dependent on the ozone layer (which is, as we know, is depleting). So what has this got to do with Europeans getting skin cancer easier than Asians? Asians have darker skin than Europeans, which mean that we have more melanin in our skin. Melanin protects our skin by controlling the amount of UV radiation that penetrates in it. Thus we are protected against skin cancer... and light-skinned people are 10 times more prone.

But whatever it is, everybody is unique... we are all beautiful in God's eyes! We are all God's children.

'We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race.' ~Kofi Annan

God bless!
Joanne

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_skin_color
http://www.myuniversalfacts.com/2005/09/why-do-people-have-different-colors-of.html

Noise Pollution

Hi everybody! It has been a real long time that I have posted on this blog for some Geographic facts and opinions! Today, I would like to share something on noise pollution. Noise pollution was a common term that my teacher would use when in primary school as the class was filled with our chattering. I used to think that it was a joke. However, when I came across the topic of pollution in human Geography, I found out that such a thing really existed! Now, let's go through the definition of Noise Pollution.

Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal, or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life.

I have experienced noise pollution when I went for my Secondary Two Camp at Changi Adventure Campsite in Singapore. It was very near to the airport and in every few minutes, an aeroplane would take off and fly pass our campsite. Hence, there were many, MANY occasions where the teachers and instructors had to stop what they were trying to say and wait for the plane to fly past. This surely made the teachers and even the students irritable. However, the worst came when we had to sleep. I was awoken by the planes that were flying past. This is one good example of noise pollution. When all these effects pile up together, you can see that it affects our quality of life. They increase the stress and tension in our lives that our blood pressure may rise.

People living in urban areas experience noise pollution the most as the urban areas have many construction sites and transportation systems. For example, I have been to China and traffic congestions were rather common there. I took nearly two hours just to get to the hotel I needed to get to when a usual timing would just be one hour. During the journey, the traffic moved very slowly and the drivers were all very frustrated. Everybody started honking in the midst of the jam and it was at night. Can you imagine the feelings of the people who lived in the residential areas near there? They must have felt terrible and just as frustrated as the drivers as they cannot get a good night's rest.

There is a rule in Switzerland that nobody is allowed to flush their toilets after eleven o'clock and another rule that says that the airplanes can only arrive at that place only at six in the morning instead of earlier as it creates noise pollution.

From this, we can see that national efforts are put into reducing noise pollution so that the country's people have a better quality of life.

Ace geoggies! Feel free to post any view on noise pollution here! It is very interesting to see how different countries use different methods to prevent noise pollution!

For the next topic, we are moving on to global warming and ozone depletion, a very common topic that is discussed among many people. Some people claim that there is global warming while some people do not! What's your view?

Chrystal :D

Managing Water Pollution

Hi!

The last 2 lessons (about how the world is managing pollution on international and national scale) were one of the best and most interesting lessons ever! This is because we got to debate about stuff that we understand and is relevant to us (unlike shows where people debate about... stuff that we don't fully comprehend). It was fun, interesting, exciting and absolutely enriching to be able to see one single subject and topic in different light and perspective. Through the argument I think that the main thing that we were debating about was really which method of management is most effective. During the whole debate I have swayed from one opinion.... to another... to another...


Anyway. The main thing I wanted to focus on in this blogpost is simply on how government all over the world has been educating the public. The first thing that came to my mind were advertisements or videos. On the TV and other media platforms. I found some on YouTube (especially about water pollution)....

1)This one is an advertisement on conserving water. But there is a little part about water pollution and how it affects everyhting.... finally leading up to the need of conserving water. It comes under the method of educating the public as it tells you about the problems that people face. It targets to get people donating money. I find this little clip rather persuasive and informative too.

2) The aim of the advertisment is to educate the public about World Water Day. It tells a lot about WHY we should conserve water. Again it doesn't really have to do lots about pollution. But it is about educating the public.

3) Another way of educating the public can be about putting the good habits into part of our daily lives. That actually makes it a whole lot easier. This video is really specific about the habits and what we can do to conserve water.

3) Closer to home! Singapore's very own mascot: Water Wally (created by PUB). There are actually a lot of videos telling of his adventures, but I think this particular one tells of his adventure on preventin pollution. Because of the captivating bright colors and lively animation, I think that this video is meant for children. I guess it is to help give children a great start to conserve water. Eventually they would grow up and these good habits, awareness and knowledge would become part of their daily lives.

4) Cute, funny, entertaining and also... meaningful. This is an advertisement on conserving water leaves you thinking.... is it really worth it?

5) HAHA!!! This is really entertaining and yet it also leaves you thinking about how the lack of water can affect our daily lives. It's realistic. Also, this video is actually done by a college student, so that means that colleges are also educaating the students too. This in turn can educate the public. Woo Hoo!

6) Funny advertisement :)



Yep! God bless and all the best!!!

Joanne

Joanne's Answer to Textbook Page 81 :)

Hi! Here are my answers to TB page 81... What do you think? :)
I always rely on the number of marks to see how much write... These questions don't state the number of marks so I just wrote how much I think is correct :P

1) The fact that planes can hold more people and can also make continuous flights. This would shorten trips as the planes don't have to stop for breaks. This also can save money, as this plane may be able to replace many other planes. Planes would be able to travel long distances too.

2) The disadvantages of buying this plane would be the cost of the plane. Such a large plane would cost a lot. This also includes the maintainance fees, which would cost far more than a normal plane. The advantages include the plane would get the company a lot of profit as the plane would be able to take over a lot of planes and those planes would be able to take other flights. This plane would also help to save a lot of money as this plane can fly many flights and the company would not need to buy new planes.

My response to the textbook's Article ( Skills Builder: Pg. 81)

In this blog post, I will be sharing some of my responses towards the questions in the textbook. However, I am still not clear in some areas. I hope to have my doubts clarified so any other responses are welcome.

1. From the article, identify some technological developments in air transport.

My response:

Planes from the past can only fly a very limited distance due to their materials (durability), speed (engines), low oil capacity and many other factors. Therefore, people would have to fly to certain airports in different countries to change their plane flight in order to get to their destination. However now, newer planes are designed to fly a longer distance and travel at a faster time. People gain a non-stop service when they get on the plane instead of having to waste time to change planesat certain airports. For example, the new Boeing-777 that is mentioned in the article is able to fly a total of 17 466 Km, which is 2 775 Km more than other boeing planes that have been designed. This shows that the plane is able to fly a longer distance because of the advancement of technology due to better engines, higher oil capacity and better materials. It is the world's longest range airliner which can carry about 301 passengers when average airplanes designed previously can only carry from 150 to 230 passengers one flight through. This means that more people can fly directly to their destinations through the more space designed using technology.

2. What do you think are some of the advantages and disadvantages of airline companies buying the 777-200LR?

My response:

The good thing about buying this type of airliner will prove the airliner's efficiency in connecting the passengers to the rest of the world using a fast and the newest plane, hence dominating other airlines and profiting in the end. However, the company will not profit anything if they just some Airbus planes as they are somewhat similar to boeing's new plane.

I am not so sure about the second question though. I hope everyone would make an effort to help me with this. The more responses the better!

Cheers!
Chrystal :D 

Globalisation and Transhipment

What is globalisation? When asked to define globalisation, it is a growth to a global or worldwide scale; "the globalisation of the communication industry". Globalisation  refers to the increasing global relationships of culture, people, and economic activity. It is generally used to refer to economic globalisation: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import quotas and the reduction of restrictions on the movement of capital and on investment. Globalization may contribute to economic growth in developed and developing countries through increased specialization and the principle of comparative advantage. The term can also refer to the transnational circulation of ideas, languages, and popular culture.

So at the mention of globalisation, it is also part of the topic we are learning now, transport and communication.

"The technological revolution and social dimensions of modernity have made this increased interconnectedness possible. Advancements in technology have made quick and radical improvements in communication and transportation capabilities. The social dimension of modernity contributes the assertion that because all men and women are equally valuable, they should be free from unfulfilling constraints imposed by other persons or the state. These technological capacities and the freedom to develop and use them promise to enhance the potential for integral human development by promoting authentic development in at least the areas of economics, politics, and culture. In economics, globalization broadens the free market to include many nations to which it had not previously reached. Improvement in the political arena is recognized in a newfound permeability of borders that allows for an exchange of information that can undermine the power of abusive regimes. The effects of globalization on culture—society’s shared idea of human good and morality—can also be positive in that never in history have these societal ideas and cultural characteristics been so easy to share."

This is a quote from an article about the phenomenon about globalisation. It explains how globalisation has become part of our daily lives through many things like economics, politics and social areas.
To read on and to understand more about the phenomenon of globalisation, you can go to the link below! :D
http://www.acton.org/pub/religion-liberty/volume-12-number-5/phenomenon-globalization

The next thing I would like to blog about would be a term called "transhipment". When defined on the internet, it is known as a is the shipment of goods or container to an intermediate destination, and then from there to yet another destination. Ms J left us some self work when she was unable to come for the lesson on Wednesday and Joanne and I explored a number of questions based on transhipment. Singapore's airport is busy with flights taking off everyday. Moreover, many foreigners catch a plane to Singapore just to go to other places like Japan or London. Why do they do that when they can catch a direct flight to their destination?

In her notes, Ms J says that one main reason would be that Singapore's airport offers a choice of airlines, and if the foreigners wait at their own airport, there may be only one flight to the desinated place. It happens just the same for the loading and unloading of goods. Why do ships choose to stop by at Singapore instead of going directly to the desinated place? Reason being, the number of journeys to go to places is greatly reduced and hence speeds up the transactions. Without transhipment, if each vessel connects to every port, the whole transportation system will be in a mess and will be complicated.

Thus, transhipment is much faster than direct shipping.

Chrystal

Transport and Communications All Over the World

Transport and Communications
Singapore's transport is definately one of the world's most compliated and advanced. When Ms J told us about her experience in the different transport in different parts of the world ('Thanks mate!'), it kinda struck me how different Singapore's transport is so different from the rest of the world's. Here are some of the unique transport in 2 very different countries: Bangkok (a less developed country) and Paris (a developed country)!


Transport in Bangkok (Also known as 'The Big Mango')
In Bangkok, there are many different types of transport. They have the Skytrain (BTS), MRT, river taxis, taxis and Tuk-tuks. Traffic in Bamgkok is usually hectic, but it's always easy to navigate around. I was most interested in the tuk-tuks (I love the ring of it!), so I went to check it out.

• Tuk-tuks (derieved from the sound the engine makes)

This type of transport is a traditional type of transport and could be found long before the BTS, MRT and taxis. It is currently vanishing because modern transport such as the BTS are taking over. Tuk-tuks originated from the rickshaws in WWII, which were pulled by men and had a small engine. Now, riding in a Tuk-tuk is more of an experience rather than going around, and is also a tourist attraction.

Fees vary and depend on the distance travelled, tine of the day (such as peak hours), traffic and (interestingly!) the mood of the driver. A short trip would cost around 30 baht (around $1.21 in Singapore). However, because the price is 'flexible', people say that negotiating is a must. Also, taking a Tuk-tuk is rather expensive (taking a taxi may be cheaper then taking a Tuk-tuk!). 

• BTS

This is somewhat like the usual LRT we see in Singapore. BTS have 2 different lines:

The Silom Line and the Sukhumvit Line. The Silom Line (light green in the map) runs west south, between the National Stadium to the Siam shopping centre in Wongwian Yai in Thonburi (which is actually across a river!). The Sukhumvit Line (darker green in the map) runs north east from Mo Chit to On Nut. Both lines meet at Siam Station (poor thing, the have to go all the way there to change line!). Fares start from 15 baht at one stop and the last train leaves between 2230 to 2250. They have peak hours like Singapore's MRT too, and that is 7am to 9am and 4pm to 7pm as it is a popular mode of transport for everyday life.

Transport in Paris (The City Of Light and Love!)

There are many ways to travel in Paris, and that includes the Metro, RER trains and Paris buses. 

• Metro trains

Metro trains are not only found in Paris. They can be found in Chicago, Melbourne, Washington DC and Los Angeles. It is a popular mode of transport there and about nine million passengers board the metro train everyday. Yep, and it sure is complicated! It has 200 kilometres of track and 370 stations... wanna see the map?

Sorry... I can't find the map that has only Metro trains (this one includes RER trains). However, even when it is enlarged, you still can't see the names of the stations! 370 stations in one map... it looks so much more modern than Bangkok's! Thus I think that transport in a country can determine how advanced a country is... am I right? Anyway, if you think that the MRT map in Singapore (which has only 89 stations) is so complicated I guess we should be thankful that Singapore isn't as big as Paris is ;). 

Metro lines are numbered from 1 to 15, and the direction of the train is indicated by the last stop of that train. For example, eastbound Line 1 trains are labeled as Chateau de Vincennes, while westbound Line 1 trains are labeled as La Defense. People have to board the trains using their 'Paris Metro Pass' (Which can be used to take other types of transport too. Watch video in here to learn more http://paris.conciergerie.com/pass/paris_metro_pass.php). Trains start at 0530 and end at 0030.

RER Trains

RER trains look a lot like MRTs in Singapore, don't they? Plus, there is a double-decker type too! Here is the map for RER trains:

 There are 5 lines in RER trains, A (red line), B (blue line), C (yellow line), D (green line) and E (pink line). They are available from 0530 to 0030, just like the metro train.  Actually, there is also a map that combines both the metro trains' map and the RER trains' map (the one in the 'metro trains' part), and it is REALLY complicated. One look and I found my first reason why I should not go to Paris (although I am still going. Duh... not even 50 reasons would keep me from going to Paris!!!).

Unlike metro trains that only cover 2 zones, RER trains cover 5 zones of the province which contains Paris! Also, RER trains connects major tourist attracttions and ports of entry to the heart of Paris, which is near St. Michel- Notre Dame.

I wonder why not the Eiffel Tower? :)

Actually, there are so many more unique and interesting modes of transport in the world...

and one that caught my eye was the Bamboo train that can be found in Cambodia...

Bamboo train (aka Norries, 'Bamboo slab on wheels')

Bamboo trains can be found in Cambodia. Bamboo trains are simple trains that are made of Bamboo and are usually handcrafted by the Cambodians themselves. Transportation in Cambodia (country destroyed by years of civil war) is a struggle. Cambodians actually have trains but they run infrequently. Moreover, trips on the trains are long as breakdowns and derailments are common. Thus, Cambodian villagers have come up with a simple version of the train- the bamboo train. 

The bamboo trains are made of a combination of strong and abundant bamboo, as well as parts of abandoned military tanks. The original bamboo trains originated in the 1970s, and were controlled by a series of levers and hand-cast controls. Now they have wooden footbrakes too, which were provided by the United Nations relief effort in the 1980s.

Bamboo trains 'ride on existing tracks and spurs. Here comes the interesting part: when a bamboo train meets another on the same track, the train with the least passengers carries the bamboo train off the track to let the other go by. Once they meet the end of the track, they carry the train and head back. How... cute!

These trains provide a link between villages, as well as a way to get animals, produce and building materials to the market. It is also a means of income, because many rich tourists pay them up to $2 a day, which is actually 2 months' pay for the people in Cambodia. 

What is typed here about the bamboo train comes alive HERE... As I watched this video, I giggled at the pure simplicity of this train, but even so I could not help but be grateful for the advanced technology and transport in Singapore. Our lives here are made so convinient. Thank God for blessing our beautiful Singapore!

Joanne

References:

http://www.bangkok.com/information-travel-around/
http://www.bangkok.com/information-travel-around/tuk-tuks.htm
http://4th-see.com/index.php?name=content&page_id=18
http://www.bangkok.com/bts/
http://paris.conciergerie.com/travel_paris/paris_public_transportation.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Singapore_MRT_stations
http://parisbytrain.com/paris-rer/
http://paris.conciergerie.com/travel_paris/paris_public_transportation.php
http://www.wildjunket.com/2010/02/25/around-the-world-on-10-unique-transport-modes/
http://blog.greenearthbamboo.com/20100125/bamboo-marvels/travel-by-bamboo-trains-in-cambodia-true-ingenuity/

Pictures

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New chapter: Transport and communication

Majority of the people living in Singapore take public transport due to its saving of time and money. I do dare say that Singapore's transport system is definitely one of the best in the world, although on rainy days it does get a little frustrating with the slowing down of traffic.

Below shows pictures of Singapore's MRT map and different types of traffic jams in the world. We can see that actually, Singapore is quite well connected from one place to another and for this, her citizens can travel to places while saving time and with convenience.

Now, let's look at the pictures of the traffic jams shown below. During traffic jams, people get really frustrated as they could not get to places on time. The second picture's traffic jam shows a more serious condition whereby the whole road is congested with cars and there are the "4th" or "5th" more lanes in order for the traffic to move. The third picture shows the longest traffic jam in the world in China.

Define: Eutrophication

Hey there everyone! Just wanted to share some interesting definitions on Eutrophication!


Eutrophication - "Eutrophication is defined as an increase in the rate of supply of organic matter in an ecosystem.” - Nixon, 1995

Eutrophication - “The process by which a body of water acquires a high concentration of nutrients, especially phosphates and nitrates. These typically promote excessive growth of algae. As the algae die and decompose, high levels of organic matter and the decomposing organisms deplete the water of available oxygen, causing the death of other organisms, such as fish.

Eutrophication is a natural, slow-aging process for a water body, but human activity greatly speeds up the process.” - Art, 1993

Eutrophication - “The term 'eutrophic' means well-nourished; thus, 'eutrophication' refers to natural or artificial addition of nutrients to bodies of water and to the effects of the added nutrients….When the effects are undesirable, eutrophication may be considered a form of pollution.” - National Academy of Sciences, 1969

Eutrophication – “The enrichment of bodies of fresh water by inorganic plant nutrients (e.g. nitrate, phosphate). It may occur naturally but can also be the result of human activity (cultural eutrophication from fertilizer runoff and sewage discharge) and is particularly evident in slow-moving rivers and shallow lakes … Increased sediment deposition can eventually raise the level of the lake or river bed, allowing land plants to colonize the edges, and eventually converting the area to dry land.” - Lawrence and Jackson, 1998Eutrophic – “Waters, soils, or habitats that are high in nutrients; in aquatic systems, associated with wide swings in dissolved oxygen concentrations and frequent algal blooms.” - Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, 2000

Agriculture types- the past

Hi! Although tomorrow is the day for common test, I just wanna post a rather short blog postabout the history of wet rice cultivation ;)

Wet rice cultivation started off in China, although the oldest paddy field excavated was found in Korea. There is archaeological evidence that Unhusked rice was stored for military and for burial from Neolithic period to the Han Dynasty.

Paddy farming started thousands of years ago in Korea and were found in low-lying narrow gullies that were naturally swampy and fed by the local steam system. Some of them were found on flat land and were made of many squares and rectangles separated by bunds (oh... Remember them?)approximately 10 cm in height, while terraced ones were long irregular shapes that followed the natural contours of land at various levels.

Farmers then used all of the elements found in today's farming such as bund, terracing and canals. However, their tools were made of wood rather than iron and iron tools were not introduced until 200 BC.

Yep! That's basically the summarized version of the category under 'history' in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_field.

Oh ya! Before I forget the word 'padi' is actually a Malay word that means 'rice plant'. The word 'paddy' we use today came from the word.

All the best to everybody for tomorrow's common test! We can do it... God bless and jia you!:)

Types of agriculture

In the recent blog posts, we have been talking about agriculture. This does not count as an exception though. There are basically four types of agricultural types. They consist of : Wet rice cultivation, plantation agriculture, shifting agriculture and high-tech farming. In this blog post, we will just focus on Wet Rice Cultivation. Wet rice cultivation requires a great deal of water and consistent temperatures during the growing season. These temperatures need to be tropical but sub-tropical will work too. Wet rice cultivation is generally done in low lands near a river system but can be done on low hills provided that water can be maintained in the paddys as they would be on flat ground. Subsistance wet rice cultivation is very labor intensive at the begining and end of the season. During the mid point, not as much however, the next rice crop is generally being sown in flats so that the plants are ready to go into the soil soon after harvest. Though this is also labor intensive, it lasts only a brief time. This type of cultivation is generally done communally by an entire village in China or Vietnam or elsewhere in south east Asia or India and Africa. In the US and other countries, it may be done on large mechanized farms of thousands of acres.In the case of the small villages, the homes are usually clustered together with the village fields surrounding the village in a spoke and ring design with the river, creek or other water way very close by. The village will have an allotment of water from the river to fill the paddys and then to maintain the water levels until the harvest.These subsistence farmers also grow chickens, ducks, pigs and other animals in small pens usually under the family home. This provides the protien and they also ususally have an allotment for a garden for veggies.
In many areas, the land has been cultivated
continuously and the soil has become increasingly infertile. · In order for the crops to grow well, fertilizers have
to be used to keep the land fertile, and pesticides to keep it pest-free. When
large amounts of chemicals are used, they pollute the land and water, and are harmful to the
environment. · The rotting
stalks and leaves in wet fields will emit methane into the
atmosphere, leading to
enhanced greenhouse effects, global warming and even ozone
depletion. · When rice is grown in
the dry season using irrigation, the high rates of evaporation can cause
salt to accumulate in the water and the soil. This causes the soil
to become saline (containing salt), hard and infertile.
"70% of its population is farmers. · It is a commercial enterprise because wet rice
cultivation is a labour-intensive
industry. It provides employment for the large
population, which are mostly unskilled or
semi-skilled. · As the world’s biggest
exporter of rice, it is important to the country’s economy
· as it brings in revenue for
the country. · The country can use
the revenue collected to alleviate poverty and hunger or to
· develop the country’s infrastructure.
· It also helps to develop the
secondary industries such as processing the harvested · rice in the rice mills, transporting, sorting and
distributing and exporting rice to the · rest of the world. " Quoted from source.
Chrystal

Aeroponics and Agriculture

Whoa, we went to the Lim Chu Kang Tropical Aeroponics Farm and the Bollywood Veggies farm. We learned about the differences of using technology and traditional methods to grow crops. One of the most advanced ways of growing crops will be using the Aeroponics method. Many plants such as dills, basal plants, kai lans and lettuces that we cook for dinner or use for salads are grown using this method. Aeroponics is a method of growing plants whereby the roots of the plants are suspended in the air. The plants are anchored in holes, atop a panel of polystyrene foam. From a sealed trough below, a fine mist of solublenutrients are sprayed and they adhered to the roots.
In supporting good and healthy growth of the plants, the availability of air in the root zone is critical. In aeroponics, air is aptly present and unlike hydroponics system where water is circulated to encourage aeration of the solution. Besides saving substantial savings in water and land, two of Singapore’s most prized assets, the system also produces cleaner vegetables as they are cultivated under protected environment.
The principle of aeroponics lies in the periodic spraying of plant roots with a nutrient mist, which encourages the growth of an extensive network of fine lateral roots. Because the collective surface area represented by these tiny roots is very large, the uptake of oxygen and nutrientsis much greater than usual, which ultimately allows the plant to grow faster.
The cutting edge technology in cultivating vegetables is most ideal for countries where water and land are scarce, like Singapore.
Hmmm...for agriculture, Miss J discussed with us more about the investments that are put into farming, which is the Primary industry of the of food production. There are two types of farming: Commercial farming and Subsitence farming. Commercial farming happens when the distributer or the person in charge wants to earn the maximum profits from mass production of the farming. On the contrary, the farmer would not mass produce the crops and would just use manual labour to grow enough crops to feed his family or himself. Basically, the food will be just enough to sustain himself or his family only. Did you know, fishing is part of aquaculture?

In agricultural inputs, which is also referred to as investments. They include: land space, seeds, pesticides, capital, fertilisers, pay for labour, tools and machinery, irrigation systems and storage facilities. Because of all these inputs only determines the amount of outputs, which means the harvest of crops.
Stay tuned for more info! :D

Agriculture

Agriculture lesson 1

This blog post would just be about the link between population and agriculture. Full of 'cheem' stuff, are you ready? :)

We had a brief introduction on Agriculture, and it's basically about how population change can affect the demand for food and finally the production of food. But is there another way how population affects agriculture?

Hmm... indirectly, I guess so. I just thought of this: Population growth means more space is needed for residential purposes, and when there is not enough land, people burn down forests for the land, which means less space for agriculture (?)... Is that true?

I can't seem to find the answer on the Internet, but in the process of finding for the answer, I came across this website, http://dieoff.org/page57.htm (and all the information in this post would be from there). One of the statements says 'the growing imbalance between the world's population and the resources that support human lives'. In the article it is also mentioned 'As the world population continues to grow geometrically, great pressure is being placed on arable land, water, energy, and biological resources to provide an adequate supply of food while maintaining the integrity of our ecosystem'. I assume that the 'integrity of our ecosystem' means the minimum 'amount' of our natural supplies that must be preserved (ecosystem is the system formed by the interaction between a community of organisms and their environment). If you watch one of the videos on overpopulation in the last blog post (named population FACTS!), it explains this statement clearly. If the number of people living in the world increases, the demand for food, water and other necessecities also increase. But there is a maximum amount of supplies that the Earth can provide, and according to calculations that if this goes on the food problem would become increasingly severe, and the number of people that would be living in poverty would soar to 3 billion (in USA now, there are 1 to 2 million people that are malnourished, and 80 million in China. If the rate of population growth remains constant, the number of people would double from about 6 billion to 12 billion in 50 years time. 3 billion is 1/4 of the total population of 12 billion!)

The population growth affects the amount of food consumed and needed, and most of our food come from crops that farmers farm. So, now, here is the issue: There is a certain amount of resources that the Earth can offer, and even with the amount of land that we had years ago, there would not be enough to feed every mouth in this growing population. Did you know that for the past 40 years 1/3 of the Earth's cropland has been abandoned due to erosion (erosion makes land unproductive)? That is (believe it or not) 1.5 billion hectares being abandoned. And solving the problem takes a very long time too: 500 years to form 25 mm (2.5 cm) of soil under agricultural conditions. So where are the replacements? In the marginal and forest land (marginal land means the land that is poor-quality and is likely to yield poor crops. Examples are desert fringes in Africa and mountain areas in UK). However, the amount of such land is also declining. For example, only 0.8 hectares of cropland is left in China. The shortage of cropland plus the decreasing amount of land productivity is partly the reason why there are food shortages and human malnutrition. Other factors such as political unrest, unequal food distribution patterns and econoical insecurity also contribute.

Land is not the only issue. Shortage of water is also another major problem. Water is needed bot only for our daily lives but also for the growing of crops. Crops need lots and lots of water to grow. For example, 8 million litres of water is needed for 1 hectare of corn crop. Agriculture uses more frech water than any other human activities (87% of the world's fresh water is used on crops, and thus this amount of water cannot be replaced).

Competition for water resources is real in the world's current world population. 40% of the world's population directly compete for water resources. More than 300 cities in China are experiencing water shortage, and it is intensifying. Populus states, countries and cities withdraw more and more water from natural resources such as aquifiers, rivers and lakes every year. People who cannot get fresh water, especially so in developing countries, are robbed of health, nutrition and livelihood. 90% of diseases that happen in developing countries are caused by the lack of clean water. Every year, 4 billion cases of diseases are caused by water and 6 million people die from water-bourne diseases. Moreover, diseases and malnutrition problems for people living in urban and rural areas (3rd world countries) are very serious. The numer of people that live in such areas double every 10 to 20 years, which makes water and food pollution, food shortages and diseases increase.

PHEW! That was a whole chunk! After reading and researching about this issue, I realise how precious food and water is... and I don't even have to see heartbreaking pictures or videos (sigh... see what such cheem details can do to you....)! I have learnt that food and water is REALLY VERY precious and next time I get to eat (whcih is actually now, since it's dinner time), I shall finish every grain of rice and every drop of soup! Oh yes, and say a prayer for the world and the people suffering :) God bless!

Popultaion FACTS!

Here are some of the most interesting facts that can be found all over the web!

• 1 out of 5 people in the world live in China (China is the world's most populus country)


• 34 babies are born every minute in Mainland China
• 
  
• In India 1.1 billion residents packed into an area one-third the size of the United States


• the 7th billion baby to be born was Danica May Camacho from Phillippines. She was born on 31 October 2011
  


• The Seychelles is the least populated country in Africa (80000 people) but Nigeria is the least densely populated.


• Watch this video! It was one of the most interesting videos I've seen so far! It gives so many facts with lots of evidence... perhaps we can take up a lesson or two from this video.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcDjlDxQebI&feature=player_detailpage. Seriously go watch it, you won't regret! :)


• Another video ;) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A4oAyKOGHg&feature=related


• This one is about overpopulation. It's rather funny :) http://www.youtube.com/watchv=1mP0bGYfxrw&feature=related


• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iodJ0OOdgRg&feature=related


• This video makes you think http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdlKVfk7_iQ&feature=related

The topic of population change affects our daily lives tremendously and it is real. The changes can be good or bad. Nowadays when I see news and headlines I find myself thinking- is this problem due to the country's birth rate/death rate/population change? After knowing this topic I've realised that there has been many times when this topic comes up in the news, and it can be serious, whether it is for now or the future.

Many, many factors

There are many factors related to the birthrates and deathrates of many countries' populations. As Joanne had explained before about the factors, I will go more in depth about them so that everyone can understand better. The FIRST FACTOR is Lack Of Education. In developing countries like Africa and China, many people lack education. Because of this, many things happen that results in the increase of birthrate:
Lack of family planning skills and knowledge
-moreover, unaware about Sexual Transmitted Diseases like HIV/Aids
-not using contraceptives such as condoms and birthcontrol pills
-cannot control pregnancies
Not skilled, hence unable to hold proper jobs
-women do not have careers and stays at home only to cook, clean and sew
Early marriage
-many young women, like when they reach the age of 15-17, they marry. This is due to the fertility of younger women, more babies could be produced from younger women basically

SECOND FACTOR IS ABOUT TRADITIONS:
In less developed countries, farmers are common occupations throughout the country
-hence, farmers need a lot of manpower as plowing the field along with other works needs lots of labour (encourages high birthrate in the family)
Many still have preference for sons in the family (Gender discrimination)
-therefore, many family give birth to many children just to have a family heir

Next, deathrate is also high in less developed countries:
-they have lack of access to medical facilities:
1. they cannot afford for the medical treatment
2. some people in less developed countries do not have education, hence unaware of the consequences of the diseases in their bodies
3. medical infrastructure such as hospitals and clinics are limited in countries like Africa
4. medicines and vaccinations are limited in the medical industry

-lack of hygeine
1. no proper sewage disposal (bacteria that pollutes the water that they drink and infects their wounds)
2. poor sanitation (toilets)

-Malnutrition
-some people in less developed countries just have enough food to fill their stomach but the food is not nutritious enough (weak immunity)

For the developed countries, all the factors are towards the contrary.

One-child policy in China

China has held the one-child policy for more than 30 years, and now some traditional parts of China still holds this custom. However, as years pass, the number of families planning for 2 children in the family starts increasing...An article is shared below about this topic though.


http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos/2012/01/the-writing-on-the-wall.html

(editted) Other than this, I just realised there were other problems too. China is now developing, hence, the rapid increase in population. However, I fear that when she becomes a developed country, its population not only starts aging, there will also be the problem where the girl-to-boy ratio has a really big difference. This is because many traditional families believe that only giving birth to a boy could help them carry on their family tradition, culture, heritage and family line. Therefore, when some families give birth to girls or know that they about to give birth to a female, they might go abort it or the baby girls will be given to someone else or killed. This is the main reason why many cannot set families today in China is because families are too conceited about carrying their family line that they have neglected the future. The girls are getting lesser and lesser while the population of the boys keeps increasing even though China is now encouraging people to give birth to girls as well. If only China had a 2 child policy, then each family could have one boy and one girl, making it only fair. This, I think, is also the lack of planning in the government state as they never thought about future consequences that may occur like this.
Now, Singapore is also facing an aging population as what we call a silver tsunami because many educated people now would like to go and venture into their careers instead. Moreover, Singapore's government has somewhat urged singaporeans to give birth lesser children to stop the overcrowding population. But now, Singapore's goverment is urging us to give birth to more babies to increase the population of Singaporeans. I think that is an area I feel strongly about...
Chrystal

Population

It is great to be back in Geography class, isn't it?

As Ms J 'promised', we have a question every lesson. Today's question is, 'What makes birth rate high? What makes birth rate low?' I typed in the search box the exact same question (the first question, that is), and I got some interesting answers. :)

(found from answers. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Factors_that_contribute_to_high_birth-rates)

1) Lack of knowledge of birth control/ family planning

• Lack of contraceptives
• Low or no education
• Lack of government policies that encourage small families (poor government)

What are contraceptives? Here is the definition from Dictionary.com, tending or serving to prevent conception or impregnation.

No education. What has it got to do with birth rate? One example would be that there is a lack of education on safe sex and thus this occurs.

These points remind me of China's one child policy, especially the last one, lack of government policies that encourage small families. Of course, it has appeared in the papers time and again about this famous policy and yet it does not seem to stop the problem. Is it because there are some parts of China that the law cannot reach?

2) Traditions and belief

• Some religions believe in the importance of large families
• Women's job to give birth
• There are more family oriented women and less career-minded women who marry early and thus increasing their child-bearing years.
• People believe in the importance of having a son to carry their family lineage. So couples that have daughters tend keep trying until they have a son.

The religions include Natalism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

How does a changing population affect the world?

With regards to this question that Miss J had asked, I would like to share an article with every one. Its below:

How does population affect climate change?20

by Lisa Hymas


Population growth obviously has an impact on climate change, but there's been little rigorous study of exactly what that impact is. New research published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences begins to fill that gap.
The top-level takeaway: "[S]lowing population growth could provide 16 to 29 percent of the emissions reductions suggested to be necessary by 2050 to avoid dangerous climate change," write Brian C. O'Neill et al in "Global demographic trends and future carbon emissions."
You could guess this part: The population of the U.S. has outsized impact on the climate. Slowing the growth in the number of Americans could have a "pronounced effect" because of the nation's high per capita emissions.
You might not guess this part: It's not just about total numbers of people and the wealth of those people. Aging and urbanization are big factors.
Aging of a populace can bring emissions down by as much as 20 percent because older people tend to leave the workforce and don't contribute as much to economic growth.
Urbanization, on the other hand, can push emissions up by more than 25 percent, particularly in developing countries, because "urbanization tends to increase economic growth." This trend is strong enough even to outweigh the energy-efficiency benefits of city living.
So should we all move "back to the land"? No. The authors don't advocate policies to reverse urbanization.
You've heard this before: Instead, they suggest meeting the "substantial unmet need for family planning and reproductive health services" -- not just in developing countries but in the U.S. (Think the U.S. doesn't have unmet need? Think again.) "Policies that meet [unmet] need would reduce current fertility by about 0.2 births per woman in the United States and 0.6-0.7 births per woman in the developing world."

I hope you ace guys could comment on this post...