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Majora Carter’s TED Talk

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Carter had to look at all the background histories and ongoing injustice to people from all social groups. She spoke about health, wealth, hygiene and many other social factors being effected by environmental injustice. She did research on the sites where there are more injustice. She researched on statistics related to poverty, shelter, access to clean air and resources. She targets South Bronx especially as grew up there and faced all sorts of injustice and hardships with many of them related to environmental injustice.

3.3. Applying Lenses

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Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

Jan 18

A massive 200 Billion Dollar Sea Wall, built around New York to protect it from rare storms, is a costly, foolish & environmentally unfriendly idea that, when needed, probably won’t work anyway. It will also look terrible. Sorry, you’ll just have to get your mops & buckets ready!

 

At this point of my research I’m still mostly confused but I got better at being more selective. Once I found my object it showed me some form of a path to move on. Since then the essay and it’s pieces started forming in my head.  Like you’ve already taught me, Professor: trying to establish parts of the essay and their purpose.

  1. It’d start with Donald Trumps tweet and the whole situation with Army Corps. This calls for resources: Army Corps study (6 alternatives, costs) – theoretical lens. It shows us Trumps lack of depth about the matter (not a sea wall, not $200).

Interim Report: https://www.nan.usace.army.mil/Portals/37/docs/civilworks/projects/ny/coast/NYNJHAT/NYNJHAT%20Interim%20Report%20-%20Main%20Report%20Feb%202019.pdf?ver=2019-02-19-165223-023

I don’t know if I need the link for the Corps with all the other info or just the report:

https://www.nan.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Projects-in-New-York/New-York-New-Jersey-Harbor-Tributaries-Focus-Area-Feasibility-Study/

Information about suspending the study:      https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/25/nyregion/sea-wall-nyc.html

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-trump-halts-study-to-protect-nyc-20200226-6iiagimgcrdbfjehxnvh64la6y-story.html

2. It’d move to the response from the Riverkeeper (an environmental organization) and their press statement:

https://waterfrontalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/NYNJHATS_memo_2_27_20_Final.pdf

Riverkeeper had a plan of alternating Army Corps’ proposals to find the better working solutions for the city. In their study Army Corps didn’t address the problems of flooding, rising sea levels and sunny-day flooding, caused by high tides.

Looking at Trumps tweet through all of this we do understand that he may have a point calling it “costly” ($62 billion), “foolish” (the plan had flaws), and “environmentally unfriendly” (got a big point there).

The question rising is: what’s going to happen now if no alternative is available?

3. Trump is only addressing “rare storms” as a problem for NYC. He omits problems already existing for many New Yorkers: rising sea levels, sunny-day flooding. There is a great photo report:

https://ny.curbed.com/2017/10/12/16462790/queens-climate-change-jamaica-bay-flooding-photos

I’d use it as a critical lens to show that Trumps comment on using “mops and buckets” is really unfair and not offering much of a solution. What is going to happen to these people and their homes in the future? With sea levels rising what are their chances of staying at their current homes?

4. Pilkey, Orrin H., et al. Retreat from a Rising Sea: Hard Choices in an Age of Climate Change. Columbia University Press, 2016.

In this book the whole chapter: “New and Old Amsterdam: New York City and the Netherlands” is a source of all kid of information about NYC. I’d have to find the right lenses for the tweet.

They are offering the solution of moving away from the coasts, governmental buyouts, and turning the coasts into natural barriers.

5. At this point I don’t know if I have enough material or I still need to find something addressing “rare storms”. Do I need a resource about storms getting worse and coming more often?????

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post 3.4:

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RESEARCH QUESTION:
“What initiatives can be taken to deal with the issue of air pollution in Queens and what are the
challenges that may be faced while implementing them?”

ANNOTATION OF NEW SOURCE:

I found a new source by Robert Paehlke entitled “Bucolic Myths: Towards a More Urbanist
Environmentalism”. This source argues that the ideology of environmentalism can be applied in
urban development so as to mitigate the issue of air pollution. He further adds that air pollution
can be reduced through less travel and installment of pollution control devices. The source is
valid since the author points out the benefits that could be reaped by urban environmentalism. I could borrow his valid idea as an initiative that could be taken in Queens to help combat air pollution. One major that could be faced while implementing this initiative is a lack of support from the relevant authorities but this can always be resolved by explaining the concept to them in detail.

Paehlke, R. (1986). Bucolic Myths: Towards a More Urbanist Environmentalism. Centre for
Urban and Community Studies, University of Toronto.

WORKING THESIS:

Application of environmentalism in urban development is one of the initiatives that can help
reduce air pollution in Queens.

ANYTHING ELSE:

So far, I’m still struggling with finding more sources since I changed my research question in
accordance with the instructor’s suggestions. I found one already and I believe I’ll be able to find
more along the way. I feel that there are definitely more initiatives to be considered in combating air pollution and hence may decide to change my working theses sometime later.

Post 3.3

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This source is not a scholarly article but is on that does have an authoritative feel to is because it is from the Guardian an English newspaper company. What makes it authoritative is when they write they also source where they get there information and you feel like they are a reliable source. The title is Ocean acidification can cause mass extinctions, fossils reveal. I actually enjoyed this article because they did a comparison between a meteoroid and the effects of carbon pollution . They do not really ask a question but they do address how the population that we are producing a slow rising and becoming very similar to the meteoroid that hit the Earth and caused mass extinction. However, now applying the question you asked I see how they could have added more details or linked there resources. I think I am going to stay clear from articles like this unless I feel that It would be very supportive for my question. I still have to find a focus question but I think it is going to be on the lines of living with or reversing the impacts of acidity in our oceans. I might even focus on a particular set of waters or different theories that some say that could help.

3.4 The new normal

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In my struggle searching sources for my research project I discover .” New York plastic ban , which went into effect on March 1st will not be enforced until at least May 15 due to the coronavirus outbreak” by Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

This catastrophic pandemic kills thousands of people , brings tears to almost everybody faces, separates kids from friends and exclude people from their social life.

Among all those things that the virus made , it didn’t stop from also touching the environment, especially the ocean , with the new normal of wearing mask and gloves , people are going crazy and don’t pay attention to they act throw them anywhere  .Could you imagine those living creatures in the ocean , they were already battled to survive with plastic bags , plastic straw and other debris , now the virus is bringing more plastic products in the ocean .

Those marine animals will mistakenly eat them for food as usual . Therefore, the research question could be ”can climate change be solved by a global pandemic”.

3.3 Blog Post; Research Paper

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So what I’ve collected about the differences between popular sources and scholarly sources is the actual context of the source, which I believe is whether or not there are reporters or actual chemical evidence of contaminated water. I feel like a popular source can be authoritative if there are multiple sources, including an investigation. And the biggest questions to ask is how reliable is the source, is it a ‘.com’, ‘.org’, or a .gov’, does it have a bibliography with different references?

I’ve found another source that I believe is a scholarly source which actually questions the chemical property within New York water and discusses how Long Island has the most contaminated water in the state. This source has numerous footnotes that relate back to other sources that have evidence of nineteen different emerging contaminants were detected in Long Island, and that Nassau County has the highest number of water systems that have detections of contaminated water. The most prominent contaminant is strontium, which I’ve found in a different article from the American Bone Health that ingesting high amounts of strontium can have dangerous side effects. It can cause, to name just a few, liver inflammation and disturbances in thinking. And to think that Long Island’s water system has a high amount of strontium is worrying, especially since Nassau County borders many cities in Queens, NY.

3.3: Too Late to Save Everyone

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Dvarskas, Anthony. “Mapping Ecosystem Services Supply Chains for Coastal Long Island Communities: Implications for Resilience Planning.” Ecosystem Services, vol. 30, 2018, pp. 14–26.

 

Dvarskas discusses enabling economic inputs that are related to coastal ecosystem activities, such as fishing, boating, and recreational beach use. Enabling economic inputs in this paper means the economic industries that may be impacted by changes in the coastal ecosystem. Using natural and human produced assets he analyzes the entirety of Long Island, also known as hot spot analysis, Dvarskas was able to identify which coastal ecosystems may need financial assistance in order to survive changes in coastal ecosystems. Hot spot analysis viewed each part of Long Island and took into account how many people live there, the unemployment rate, the median household income, and the poverty rate, along with industries found in the respective areas into order to see which areas are a priority when defending against changes in the coastal ecosystem.

This peer reviewed journal is meant for those who enjoy or rely on coastal ecosystem activities, such as fishermen, surfers, restaurants, marinas, and sightseeing groups. Dvarskas shows the readers which areas are most vulnerable and which areas need to be protected the most, to allow for the reader to be more prepared for climate change relating to the coastal ecosystem.

This article showed me that climate change is too far gone for us to keep things the way we have it. We need to see what is most important to our economy and our livelihood and protect that with all we have. I feel this source can be a real eye opener for those who are not aware of how bad the situation is showing them how much time and resources are needed to protect what we already have, as opposed to using that time and resources to further our society.

3.2 Change of Plans?

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I walked away from the idea of oysters, because along the way I focused on the plan of building storm surge Pelham Gate and the other alternative plans of NYC protection from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After I’ve spent two days researching the matter from different angles i just discovered RIGHT NOW! that the resiliency study was “indefinitely suspended” on February 24th, 2020.

My research goes super slowly because it’s my first time doing it and I have to familiarize myself with everything from zero: the libraries, research engines. long readings, getting sidetracked… It’s frustrating. I picked first assignment, because I figured it was going to be easier for me. I ended up running in circles. The help came from our President (not the first time) 😉 and from you Professor telling me to get more creative…. You also always tell us to try to have fun with it… So, here it goes and please let me know if it’s acceptable. It pretty much goes along with everything I’ve done so far – just not the oysters ;-))))

Donald Trump tweeted on January 18, 2020:

“A massive 200 Billion Dollar Sea Wall built around New York to protect it from rare storms is a costly, foolish and environmentally unfriendly idea, that when needed probably won’t work anyway. It will also look terrible. Sorry, you’ll just have to get your mops & buckets ready”.

That would change my assignment into developing argument about the tweet by researching and analyzing the variety of critical and theoretical lenses. We have Army Corps of Engineers’ plan put on hold, we have all of the environmental organizations rooting against their plan before and now claiming that any plan was better than no plan, there are citizens of NYC fuming over President’s approach. There is a lot of action going on. Positive and negative.  The truth is that something needs to be done in NYC. Not only about storm protection, but also sea levels rising and high tide flooding. Day by day it’s not getting any better. Building a costly barrier maybe would protect against a super storm but would it protect against sea level rising? Building surge gates would surely destroy environmental efforts to reconstruct the nature. We know President cares about the aesthetics, but now he cares about environment as well? This tweet raises a lot of questions…

 

 

3.2 Blog Post; Research Paper

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This post is a little late because I did not manage my time wisely at all this week as I spent most of it sick (sorry Prof). However, I did find an actual book of the history of New York City’s water supply, titled Empire of Water : An Environmental and Political History of the New York City Water Supply. As great as this find is, it’s about 12 chapters and I’ve just started reading it. I know I have to skim it but it includes a ton of information on everything I need, including the beginnings within the Catskill Mountains to the Delaware water systems to the present (well around 2013). But from the looks of it, it does even include the problems NYC has faced with the water supply, which I’m excited to learn more about. With this large chunk of knowledge, I know I can tie it back to the few articles I’ve found discussing the issues of NYC’s water supply.

I think that this book can serve as a great intro/few body paragraphs of my research paper because it discusses this history (which is what I need to start on). The history is important. I need backbone on the idea of why ‘NYC has the best water on earth’ so that I can debunk the argument and counter it with ‘maybe NYC doesn’t have the best water on earth’. It was harder to find books based on the current talks of NYC’s water supply but there are many, many articles based on Google Scholar sites and articles. A lot of these articles mention hydrofracking, which is a high-pressure injection of ‘fracking fluid’ into a wellbore to create cracks in the deep-rock formations through which natural gas, petroleum, and brine will flow more freely. In other words, it’s digging a hole into the ground so that gas and other fossil fuels can come to the surface faster which is the method people use to operate gas stations. Could hydrofracking be a reason as to why the NYC water supply isn’t as exquisite as the state wants to make it seem? I also know I have to incorporate Long Island’s water issues into this as NYC and Long Island share a very thin line of a border. And Nassau County, which is steps away from NYC’s many cities, have cited to have multiple problems with their water, which is the built up yearly algae I’ve mentioned in my previous post. All in all, I think I have a nice start because I think I have the beginnings all worked out.

3.2: Climate Change and its Effects on Water Resources

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Anonymous. “Climate Change May Impact Water Resources.” Chemical Engineering Progress, vol. 97, no. 3, 2001, p. 12.

 

The author starts the paper off by explaining that the most significant efforts to reduce climate change were made possible by investments and commitments from the private sector. This is followed by a list of achievements of the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) that the American Chemistry Council(ACC) found noteworthy. Afterwards the author explains some of the hardships that the EPA had faced to get where it is today, highlighting its most important downfall as its failure to educate the public and win political support so that they could make the difference that they wanted. Moving onto the next section of the piece which highlights the effects of climate change on water resources, the author starts by listing effects such as rising sea levels which will leave Cape Cod, Long Island, the Carolinas, and Central California especially vulnerable. The author finishes the paper by discussing the lead author of the study, Peter Gleick, and his take on the subject, which in short is water managers’ need to start incorporating climate change into their planning processes and need to increase flexibility in their system in order to survive.

This peer reviewed journal is not intended for the average Joe, as the author alludes when he discusses the lack of public education on the subject. This article is meant for those who are already well versed in the subject of climate change and its effects on water resources. It is almost a warning to those who work with water resources daily, that they need to make a change before it is too late. It is useful because the author lists out many effects and dangers of climate change, so the reader has an idea of what to expect and how severe the situation is.

I feel that the article helped my understanding of the topic by reinforcing certain things I did not have a full grasp on. I knew climate change is going to have a big effect on Long Island, and I was leaning towards the idea that we are not prepared for climate change because we lack the public education to do so. What the author opened my eyes to is the political aspect of things, it had completely blindsided me,that the lack of public education meant that political figures did not worry about it, because at the end of the day all they care about is getting the vote.