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This article talks about the environmental crisis on the west coast. Several states in the west are being plagued with forest fires. Over 15,000 square miles have been burned. Hundreds of people have been evacuated. Thousands of brave firefighters are working to control the fires and have now been joined in some places by the national guard. This phenomenon relates to the theme of nature culture as it gives strong examples of human and natural interaction through attempts to keep people safe and contain the fires.

This article discusses the drought in California and how people are causing the natural disaster to increase. California has increased by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit. This change in air temperature helps to remove water from the soil, and allowing it to be absorbed into the air. Global warming is creating the drought in California, as well as excessive well pumping from aquifers. As the water becomes absorbed into the air, lasting effects such as crop failure and fires can result, changing the state of the physical environment. The theme of nature culture is exhibited throughout the article to display the different impacts of the drought. For example, as people burn fossil fuels and shrink aquifers by pumping water, the environment is changed by having less water for the people who inhabit the land. What can the citizens do to reduce the drought? How can water be restored back into the soil?

It's interesting that there are less people going into construction even as a part time job since most college grads don't get a job right out of school. You would think that instead of working at a McDonalds or something people would do construction jobs where they have more of a chance to turn a profit and actually get a permanent job.

It is quite interesting to see that a large amount of construction workers are over the age of 55. This is going to cause problems within the field with less teens filling in their spots. As we learned in class those people over 55 will soon be added into the dependency ratio and they will no longer be able to work causing even more problems within the construction work force.

According to new research it's estimated that global carbon emissions will reach 40 billion tons 2014, a record high in human history. If carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere exceeds 3200 tons then the global temperature average will see a 2 degrees Celsius increase since the Industrial Revolution. The Earth hasn't actually seen any mind-blowing drastic changes in the environment because of climate change but this 2 degree threshold is where things start to change and it might actually be a big threat. carbon-dioxide in the air increases every year not at a linear rate but an exponential one. There's already ~2000 tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and its estimated that another 1200 tons will be emitted in the next 30 years. That's our generation. What can we do to prevent the rise in the global temperature average, and what is already set in stone?

Another great post and excellent question. What do you think, APHUG? Interesting doc. ...http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/11/01/executive-order-preparing-united-states-impacts-climate-change

This article discusses an interesting recent discovery of the possibility of water on one of Jupiter's moons, named Europa. The discovery was made in 2012 when the Hubble Space Telescope spotted water vapor in the air above southern parts of Europa, and now several space agencies, including NASA have taken an interest in exploring it even further. This summer, work on building the spacecraft that is to be sent to explore Europa, began. In addition to exploring Europa, this spacecraft will also be exploring two of Jupiter's other moons, Ganymede and Callisto. Although covered in ice, all three of these moons have the potential to be harboring oceans underneath, and possibly some bacteria necessary to begin the growth of life on another rocky object in our solar system. The relationship between the moons in the Jovian system and humans on earth looking to explore these objects is an example of nature-culture on a very broad scale. Instead of just one small region of people interacting with the environment around them, this project deals with humans on earth as the people who are trying to change the environment (in this case other moons in the solar system) around them. One could also tie the theme of globalization to this article because various countries from around the world are bringing their knowledge and money together to try to achieve this mission of exploring Jupiter's moons.

This article describes the chemical explosions that happened in a warehouse located in Tianjin China on August 12. The warehouse contained more than 700 tons of highly toxic substances and as a result many people died and many buildings were destroyed. As said in the article, the concentration of deadly chemicals was and still is extremely high in certain locations, and needs lots of cleanup work. It relates to the theme of Nature Culture because of the effects that the blasts have had around the area. There is a designated warning zone where cyanide pollution is severe and polluted water is contained. Even though the pollution has been mostly contained it still has impacted the environment in ways that make it dangerous for human contact. As an example, water tests in the area were done and showed high levels of sodium cyanide, which has the ability to kill humans. The explosion caused by a human built warehouse created problems with the air and water, thus impacting the environment in negative ways; making it unsanitary and clearly not safe. Is the pollution spreading? Are there more precautions companies can take to avoid another situation like this? These are a few of the questions that concern this topic.

This article describes how humans are ultimately the world's top predator. Through research and studies it is easy to see that we are much more dominant over many of the top animal predators such as lions, tigers and bears. The theme of nature culture is shown through this incident as us humans are killing off some of the worlds top predators. Because of this, ecosystems are not in balance anymore as their top predators are being taken away. This can therefore change the evolution of these animals as they reproduce. In the future, we could have a shorter supply of these specific animals, especially the ones we depend on as a supply of food. The author poses a solution to this problem in the article as well. Human hunters should focus on hunting the young and preserve the adults, as they are capable of having offspring. Will human hunters stop the overhunting of these predators? Or will they continue to destroy the ecosystems?

A recent emergency regarding terrorism has surfaced in Tunisia, an African country located along the Mediterranean Sea, after two spontaneous attacks by Islamic extremists, and the effects embody several themes of human geography. To start off, the functional region of Tunisia itself is showcased due to its state emergency declaration, digging of a trench to stop unlawful trade, and implementation of additional law enforcement for protection. Each of these actions illustrate how Tunisia operates within its political boundaries to sustain the well-being of the nation. For mobility, relocation diffusion will decrease as the absorbing barrier of the trench halts people, ideas, and supplies from moving across Libya's border, but Tunisia will benefit from more security and safety. Fewer vacationers coming to Tunisia also impedes the spread of ideas. On the other hand, people emigrating from Tunisia, as mentioned in the article, have increased relocation diffusion by taking their knowledge to new locations, and expansion diffusion has escalated as people rapidly spread news of the attacks. Since the Group of 7 industrialized nations met to discuss the Islamic terror threat, globalization is taking place because multiple countries are interconnected by a foreign problem and are seeking a solution; this resembles the mission of UNICEF in "A Long Way Gone", as do the people fleeing danger like Ishmael did. It is interesting to note that the countries participating in the interactions are industrialized, for they have the technology to provide fast communication and effective actions. Tunisia even asked Western countries specifically for help due to their high development. I believe the gruesome acts were unnecessary and require the proper counteraction, so I am glad these nations are gathering. What will nearby nations do to accommodate refugees socially, politically, and economically? Why might the cultural landscape change to prevent events of this nature?

Excellent analysis. Great work connecting the themes to your selected current event and book. Terrorism is an enormous threat to every country, including industrialized core nations like the Group of 7. Does anyone know why terrorists, and specifically, Islamic extremists such as those associated with ISIS or Al Qaeda, even commit acts of terror on citizens?

How does this article present the theme of nature-culture for our country regarding space?

Lake Urmia once supported a variety of animals and brought in tourists until it began to dry up. How is Iran's plan to save the lake an example of nature culture, and to what extent will Iran go to save this salt water lake?

Great question! Is the article referring more to possibilism or environmental determinism?