Describe and explain five ways in which you unnecessarily waste energy during a typical day and explain how these actions violate any of the three principles of sustainability.

Some of the ways of energy wasting include leaving lights on when nobody is using it or during the day. Secondly, one can waste energy by connecting an empty chest freezer to power. Other ways include connecting the dishwasher to power when half full, washing dirty clothes using hot water and unnecessarily setting of the thermostat too high. These ways make the energy to be wasted as they require unnecessary use of power which is not needed. They violate the principles of sustainability which requires that since public resources such as energy are scarce, they should be used efficiently in society. Even though everyone has the sovereignty to use them, they should be responsible for using them to ensure that the energy is not wasted at any cost. As such, they advocate for energy conservation as they encourage people to use available resources in a way that can save energy for future use.

Explain the IPAT model with the help of two countries; one underdeveloped and other Developed.

In an underdeveloped country such as Tanzania, the human population is higher than the available resources. As such the consumption rate will be high hence leading to the depletion of available resources. Even though the environment is self-generating, the reduction of resources will increase the adverse effects such as greenhouse gas emission in trying to produce many resources. This will result in environmental degradation. On the other hand, in a developed country such as the United States, the human population is not higher than the available resources.  As a result, the amount of affluent will be less hence preventing depletion of resources in the environment. The use of technology, in this case, will be helpful as it will be used only when necessary. However, matters such as greenhouse effects will be high as its technology is advanced. In this regard, these countries also experience a high rate of pollution as they have many industries.

“Coal and Oil have high energy yield and are proven energy resources, but they need to be replaced by alternate energy sources such as Nuclear Energy, Oil Shales, and Tar Sands which have moderate to low energy yield and are not yet proven.” Critically explain and elaborate on the statement.

Even though coal and oil are proven energy used in the environment, the rate of environmental pollution associated with them is high. As such, there is a need to replace them with alternative energy sources such as nuclear energy, oil shales, and tar sands. Even though they have low energy yield compared to coal and oil, they are environmentally friendly as they reduce pollution. To ensure a safe and clean environment, government and environmental conservation department encourage the use of such energy. Oil shales, for example, allow for the release of the oil in the environment in the petroleum-like liquid which reduces the cause of pollution as compared to when it is released in the form of gas. This is because pollution caused by liquid pollutant affects a small area than the area caused by a contaminant in the way of gas. Similarly, tar sand is a combination of clay, sand, water, and bitumen which can be synthesized into crude oil hence reducing the pollution effect.

“Exclusion of environmental costs of resources used from the market prices of goods and services “is one of the causes of Environmental problem. Explain with a business example.

Business activities such as manufacturing of goods lead to pollution in the environment. As a result, it is a requirement that the prices of goods should include the cost for the cleanup. Exclusion of such cost is dangerous as pollution will not be cleaned hence leaving the environment unsafe and unclean. For example, the production cost of goods such as food products that involve manufacturing which leads to the emission of gases in the environment should include the environmental damage that can be used to clean the environment after the production.

Oceans and large water bodies, deserts, Polar Regions suffer from “Tragedy of Commons.” Explain the term and its’ context.

The tragedy of commons is an economic problem where every individual in the environment is allowed to reap the most significant benefit from a given resource. Oceans and large water bodies, deserts, and Polar Regions suffer from this problem as it is used collectively by many people. Due to the high population, the demand for these resources exceeds the supply. As a result, an additional unit of consumption by an individual harms other people who will no longer enjoy the resource. Generally, the tragedy of commons happens when individuals pursue personal gain with greed at the expense of the welfare and the wellbeing of society. As a result, the available resources are depleted by a few people, yet the larger population suffer. A few people can drain resources such as fish from the river as the public owns it. Even though the government can control the use, some people will not adhere to the laws hence use the resources irresponsibly.

Identify the 4 main causes of environmental problems. Which one do you think is the most significant cause and why?

The leading causes of the environmental problem include pollution, deforestation, resource depletion, and climate change. These problems affect the environment as they result in unclean and unsafe environment hence affecting the lives of the people. They can result in problems such as diseases and other health hazards that can even lead to death. The significant cause of the environmental problem is pollution because it exists in various forms. These forms include air pollution, water pollution, garbage pollution, noise pollution. Due to these varied forms, they affect the environment with a large percentage as all the aspects of the environment is affected. Their prevention methods are also difficult as it is a global issue. Further, health hazards that are associated with pollution are high compared to other forms of the environmental problem which is the more reason why it is the significant form of ecological issues.

What are the Nuclear Fuel Cycle and the risks associated with it?

Nuclear fuel cycle is industrial processes that involve electric production using uranium in nuclear power. It starts with uranium mining and ends with nuclear waste disposal. The preparation of uranium to be used in the nuclear reactor undergoes various steps that must be accomplished for the successful cycle process. Such include, mining, and milling that it extends to the conversions before it ends with the enrichment and fuel fabrication.  The cycle poses a risk into the environment as it can result in a fire explosion. This is harmful to the environment as it increases the rate of pollution. The explosion can occur into the burning of the forest hence leading to the deforestation which affects the environment. However, the reconversion can reduce the hazard associated with the process thus making the environment clean.

What is the difference between a perpetual resource, a renewable resource, and a non-renewable resource? Provide 1 example of each type of resource.

Perpetual resource is a resource that has a never-ending supply. It exists for unforeseeable future and cannot be depleted by the users as it is plenty in the environment. Such like resource is solar energy which is available for use by everybody in the environment. A renewable resource is a resource that can be renewed or replenished itself through natural processes faster than the rate of usage. As such, these resources can never be depleted completely. Example of such resource includes geothermal which is renewed more quickly than the rate at which it is consumed. Lastly, non-renewable resource is a resource that can never be replenished. Such resources can be depleted completely, and it ends faster depending on the rate of its consumption. If the population is high, it is consumed more quickly; hence it requires government intervention in its use. An example is a natural gas.

Earth’s natural capital is a combination of two components. What are these two components; and give 2 examples of each component.

The two major components of natural capital include natural biotic capital and abiotic natural capital. Abiotic natural capital is a capital that does not relate much to the wellbeing of the people and society. They are the supplement to essential resources in the society that supports life. Such resources include subsoil assets such as fossil fuels and minerals. Biotic natural capital, on the other hand, are the one that supports the basic lives of the people. They include temperature regulation and oxygen which are primary factors that promote human life.

The pollutants we produce come from two types of sources; identify these two sources and provide 2 examples of each source.

The main types of source of pollutant include mobile sources and area sources. Mobiles sources are such sources that can lead to pollution at a faster rate. For example, such pollution can result from gas emission from cars and noise from planes. They spread pollution to a large area within a short time. Area sources, on the other hand, are sources that result in the pollution in a given area. Such includes pollution that results from agricultural areas and wood burning fireplaces. The pollution rate that arises from such causes can be spread faster but within a given area.