Essay On Feedback Loops

Dale Weir

ID: 0558478

Thomas Edison State College

May 2014

ENS-314-GS009

Assignment 2

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1) Analyze the earth as a system with material and energy inputs and outputs. Try to identify dangerous positive feedback loops. Design a few sample strategies that can help bring the earth into balance.

One prime example of a dangerous positive feedback loop is melting artic ice. Before global warming the sun would hit the ice and most of the heat would be bounced back into space rather than being artic ice is starting to melt. When this happens more land is uncovered and the ice becomes water. Both land and water absorb the suns energy which amplifies the issue of global warming. Another great example of a positive feedback loop is our ocean’s warming. With our ocean waters warming it releases methane (fish create it in their guts and plants produce it) which is a greenhouse gas. With this excess methane in the atmosphere it is causing earth to warm. Both of these feedback loops are a vicious nature cycle that is very hard if not near impossible to reverse.

One strategy that can help bring earth back into balance is to be careful with our freshwater resources. Use only the amount of water you actually need. Nobody needs a 45 minute shower, run the water when you are brushing your teeth or keep the water on when shaving. Most of earth is covered with salt water but our freshwater resources are much scarcer. So we must take action to protect this very limited resource. Another way we can help bring the earth into balance is to take full advantage of renewable energy. A couple great ways are to use solar panels instead of fully relying on fossil fuel powered generating stations and to use less e...

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... raise their own cattle. It is much easier to walk into a store and purchase items. Nobody walks into a store to purchase something and think what it took bring this item to that shelf. Very few people care if what they bought disrupted any natural system because people only care about the end result. They wanted something, they saw, and they bought and the thought process pretty much ends there. Another way we disrupt ecosystems is the way we abuse and take advantage of non-natural energy (fossil fueled power plants). Do American’s really need 5 televisions, game systems, and lights on in every room during the day, 500 different small kitchen appliances to make an already simple task even easier? Basically we need to live on earth’s natural time clock and stop over exploiting our natural resources to better our lives without any regard to the damage being done.