Problems with air pollution in Manila

Problems with air pollution in Manila In Manila there are a lot of problems with air pollution, hygiene practices and the lack of good sanitation. These are the most important hygiene and health related risks in the Philippines. One-sixth of all deaths in the Philippines and approximately 6,000 premature deaths a year are because of hygiene, water-borne diseases and poor sanitation conditions. Diarrhea is the most common water-borne disease, then intestinal worms, typhoid, and cholera. These diseases are very common because more than 25 million Filipinos do not have a basic access to sanitation and more than 13 million do not have proper water resources. Thanks to the water pollution the costs increases, which led to more than 6.7 billion in 2006. Air pollution makes this even worse, and therefore it is another big issue. The most common diseases are chronic bronchitis, pneumonia and cardiovascular diseases. And this is not going away soon, the city has a lot of factors which increases this. Like the smoke the vehicles leave behind, but also something small like tobacco smoke. The people who clean the city, which are more than 18 million people, are the biggest victims of this air pollution All the costs of treatment and lost income, due to air pollution, is more than 7.6 billion per year. Although there have been some improvements in alleviating diseases from the lack of hygiene and air pollution, which is thanks the governments more pro-active attempt for the environmental role in health, it is still a major problem. There should be more easy-to-access information on different methods and also more improvements in health infrastructure, such as good sanitation facilities and a healthy water resource to prevent health risks from water pollution. The government is now busy with discouraging people to use vehicles with high smoke emissions. Which is a big factor in air pollutions Quick Facts 2005 Population growth (annual %) 1.87 Population, total (millions) 85.50 Life expectancy at birth, total (years) 71.05 Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) 27.50 GNI (current US$) (millions) 98535 GNI per capita, Atlas method (current US$) 1160.0 Prevalence of HIV, total (% of population ages 15-49) . These are the Ten Leading Causes of Illness in the Philippines 1. Acute Lower RTI and Pneumonia 2. Bronchitis/ Bronchiolitis 3. Acute Watery Diarrhea. Influenza 5. Hypertension 6. TB Respiratory 7. Pneumonia 8. Diseases of the Heart 9. Malaria 10.Dengue Fever The most common diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis water contact disease: leptospirosis Of these diseases almost all of them are caused by the hygiene. Habitat A lot of conflicts are also because of their habitat, and what they are seen like. Because people cannot get easy higher up. The biggest one and the most known one is the Payatas The poorest families live on the Filipinos and collect trash of the dump. One of the dump places is Payatas, on the edge of Manilla. Where 4500 ton waste is dumped every day. More than 30.000 people, also children, live on this dump. Through day and night trucks are coming in and out with lots of garbage. This garbage consists of (operation) waste, from hospitals. It is not difficult to conclude that a lot of people get sick because of all the bacteria and germs that are produced by the garbage. Because of all the garbage that is dumped, the hill keeps getting bigger and bigger. This happens through the chemical processes who are caused by the scalding and joining together of substances. Around the dump there is a big haze which you can see on a very large distance. For most of the inhabitants of the Payates there is no other option than to work on the dump. More than 400 families collect garbage to support their family. Children from already a young age help with collection plastic, empty cans and other stuff which helps to produce some money. In short Payatas means a big hill with stinking garbage and a source for the incomes of hundreds of families Sanitation More than 2.6 billion people in the world have one thing in common, which is; they do not have good access to basic sanitation. Worldwide, there are about 1.7 million deaths a year, with 90% of them being children, who died mainly through infectious diarrhea. Which was caused by unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene. 1.5 million children a year could be saved by access to sanitation, good hygiene and a safe water supply A good sanitation will reduce children illnesses and so increase primary school enrolment, because children will not miss as much as used to be. Also it will increase the productivity among adults, it will provide more safety for women and also reduce the pollution of water resources. Fortunately it is increasing, in only 14 years more than 1 billion people have received access to sanitation. Sanitation and wastewater commitments have effectively tripled since 1990 and after that nearly doubled since 2002. Less than half of the Latin American countries are on track to double the rate of sanitation provision. Poor sanitation is responsible for at least 9 billion in losses per year in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam combined. Sanitation is a neglected aspect of development in countries, the money going to this is minor. If you look to the economic impacts of poor sanitation, and the potential gains from improved sanitation, than the investments in sanitation should be very helpful for everyone The most disastrous impact of poor sanitation is an increased risk of infectious diseases and premature death, declaring for more than 4.8 billion annually. Poor sanitation also contributes enormously to water pollution, adding to the costs of safe freshwater for homes, and increasing the production of fish in lakes and rivers. Garbage and streets Garbage  is a big problem for the communities in Manila. In the past years, Smokey Mountain, once a smoking mountain of garbage, which was Manilas monument to one of the citys most continuously problems; trash. But through years of effort, Smokey Mountain has been increased to a big hill. Still the problem goes on: What to do with the amount of garbage produced by more than 10 million residents of Manila every. In Dagat-Dagatan, Navotas, a group of women has taken the matter, of the communitys garbage, into their own hands through the Metropolitan Environmental Improvement Program (MEIP). The MEIP is a regional program for Asia with the costs provided by the United Nations Development Program and the World Bank as collaboration partner. Through the funding received by the local Dagat-Dagatan Polymedic Medical Foundation, the women of the Dagat-Dagatan community established a community centre; the Zero Kalat sa Kaunlaran (Zero Waste for Progress), which is turning the garbage of their neighbourhoods into cash and opportunity. To eliminate the extausion of diseases, the foundation launched a program within the community to spread ecological waste management, set up a recycling system and a redemption centre, and continue with the maintenance of sanitation and hygiene in every household. The women, who are called volunteers but are actually members of a co-op. They first collect all the garbage, then sort it out at the community centre, and recycle almost all of it. Their recycling efforts take many forms. Some of the refuse is used in woven baskets and handbags, which the women sell for profit. But also some is sold to scrap metal dealers and to companies that recycle plastics and corrugated cardboard. The effort is actually more than a business for these women. They come together in the morning and exercise before starting the work of that day. They chat as they wash the water bottles and chat when they are on their way to the recycler. They have planted flowers and grass around the community and next year they will begin composting the scraps and clippings they collect to produce another marketable product. A women had admitted that this centre has changed her life. I was fascinated to see how the women managed to make money out of what people throw away, said Mats Karlsson, World Bank vice president for External Affairs and UN Affairs, who was visiting the women at the redemption centre. Karlsson, who was in the Philippines for the current Manila Social Forum, took some time visiting nearby projects. I was especially impressed by their motto: Kung hindi tayo, sino? which means in english, If not us, then who?' Drinking water Bottled water has established a major foothold in the Philippines. In some places, there are no piped-water systems; in others, people are not sure about biological contaminants, taste, odor, and the disinfection by-products from the chlorination process. Even in the Manila, only about 75% of the population receives piped water from the municipal authority. Outside Manila even fewer people have access to healthy water distribution. In both locations, these people must find alternative water sources if they want to avoid cholera epidemics and other health problems caused by the only water that is available in their neighborhoods. There is already a solution appearing, and now happening in thousands of water refilling. The shops began as private community sources, where consumers went with their containers to fill them up for a per-gallon fee, which was a small part of commercially bottled water costs. Most stores deliver home for regular customers nowadays. Most of those shops produce between 3,000 and 12,000 liters of water per day. Everything of the supply comes from the pipes of municipal concessionaires. The executives invests in treatment equipment and further purify their product before they sale it. Other shops are likely supplied by unauthorized or illegal diggings. A production of these private sources could have damaging effects on the groundwater reserves and will lead to contamination. The government has accepted private water shops, because of the increasing of waterborne diseases, but they do monitor their quality control practices and final product as much as they can. However, it is difficult to continuously keep an eye on the entire industry, given the large number of shops. Although many people in the Philippines benefit from the availability of water shops, the system does not really account the long-term water delivery and sanitation infrastructure improvements, which are necessary to provide reliable water to everyone. A lot of people do not live near a source of water. Distribution systems take the water from a source and deliver it to people who use it. They use different distribution systems which are depending on the needs of the people and the amount of infrastructure available. All of these systems have a risk of contaminating water when it is not handled properly. Every system has a cost involved to bring safe and reliable water to people. HouseholdpService In the larger cities of the world, it is standard that there is water pumped from a natural source, which is treated in a water treatment plant, stored for use in water storage tanks and then piped directly into every household. The cost of household service, which is the delivery, treatment for this water, but also the upkeep of this system is usually paid by its consumers. If the infrastructure is not maintained good, household service can become unreliable and result as possibly unsafe. WaterjSupply by Vehicle In a lot of areas, the plumbing in households is unreliable or non-existent. In these areas other distribution systems are developing. For instance in the Mexico City are, more than 2 million people live to far from piped distribution systems. For these people, water trucks transport water from the piped distribution systems directly to their home. Those water trucks can also be used to combat when there is natural disaster or a temporary water crises caused by war. BottledlWater and Water Refilling Stations Bottled water or water refilling stations are used in many areas where people have no access to clean water. In the Philippines, clean water is sold at water refilling stations throughout the whole country. At these stations, consumers may bring their own containers with them, to carry the water back home. The poor are the ones that are the most depending on vehicle delivery, bottled water, and water refilling stations. Unfortunately, the poor also need to pay the highest price for the water that is being delivered by such methods. CentrallCommunity Source In the rural areas almost no household infrastructure exists, so the communities dig wells and bore holes, and then they can pump groundwater to a central location in the community. From these central community sources, consumers collect water themselves and bring it back home for treatment and then use. In rural Niger, solar pumps and hand pumps were installed by the international aid organizations at central locations within villages. These pumps provide easier access to clean water without having to dig up water from traditional wells. These water stations are used by the community and also, in most cases, maintained and controlled by the community. Individual WaterlTransport Most people, especially in the rural areas of developing countries, have to walk to a lake, river, or other water sources and put the water in containers. This water is brought back home and, but needs treatment before use. In comparison to other methods, this distribution system is the simplest solution . But it does involves costs. Water gatherers, women and children are spending hours each day being busy with this basic chore. This responsibility leaves them to little time for good schooling, earning any income, crowing food, or any other things that will help them live without poverty. It does not matter on which location the distribution systems are they need to have some form of infrastructure that must be maintained to keep the water safe and healthy. And while all distribution systems involve costs, somelcosts can be more expensive than others. STIs What is a STI? STI is the abbreviation of sexually transmitted infection. STIs are contagious, and it is possible an infected person has not noticed yet before passing the infection on to its sexual partner without noticing. Luckily, serious consequences can be prevented when the victim is treated in time. Some examples of STIs are HIV (the virus that can cause AIDS), chlamydia, genital warts, genital herpes, gonorrhoea, hepatitis B, and syphilis. STIs can be transmitted through infected sperm and vaginal fluid. Second, people can also get an STI through infected blood, for example due to unhygienic tattooing and piercing, unhygienic needles etc. with using drugs, and babies can be infected during the pregnancy or birth. Third, STIs can be transmitted due to the contact between mucous membranes (in the rectum, penis, vagina, and mouth). And last, and probably best known, unprotected sex is dangerous because of an easy transmission of STIs. There are some myths about the transmission of STIs. So lets get rid of them forever. STIs cannot be transmitted through drinking out of another persons cup, someones cough, insect bites, a dirty toilet seat, and in a swimming pool. HIV/AIDS Since the start of 2009 every month approximately 60 Filipinos are diagnosed as an HIV positive. But this rose sharply to 126 cases in December. If this will not stop, the number will increase rapidly. And in three years the number of people in the Philippines with HIV/AIDS will be 30,000. In January 2010 143 people were diagnosed with HIV in the Philippines. This was the highest number reported since the disease first appeared in the country, in 1984. Most of the cases in January were males, who were infected by sexual contact with men. Since 1984 the Philippines has had 4,424 cases of HIV reported, of these cases 832 have been developed into full-blown AIDS and 314 deaths had been reported. Also among children the HIV infection is increasing as never before. The infection among 15-24 year old Filipinos has increased with five times, from 41 in 2007 to 218.

Essay --

1. Ambition is the most shown theme in Macbeth. In the story it shows how ambition run right through Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, when they try completely change themselves to fulfil this urge for ambition. For example Lady Macbeth was very ambitious when she says, "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the toe top full of the direst cruelty. Make thick my blood." 2. Macbeth tragic flaw was his need to have power, vaulting ambition, and being too naive. He never thought about the consequences of killing Duncan and all of his other actions. His need for power led him to kill innocent people to protect himself and his power in the play. 3. One reason is because Macbeth was caused to kill Duncan because of his ambition. He was so determined on becoming king that he was ready to do anything to get the top of the throne. The other reason is that the three witches told him that he would become the thane of Cawdoor and would then become the king. When he became the thane of Cawdoor, he thought that all the things that the witches said would come true, so he killed Duncan because he wanted it to become true. An example from the book is when he said, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent but vaulting ambition." 4. Malcolm's characteristics are used to really show Macbeth's negative qualities. In Act IV, Malcolm and Macduff are speak about the fall of Macbeth. Malcolm admits to Macduff that he has his own sins and worries about his ability to carry the crown as well as his father did, when he says, "It is myself I mean; in whom I know All the particulars of vice so grafted That, when they shall be open'd, black Macbeth Will seem as pure as snow, and the poor state Esteem him as a lamb, being... ...al thoughts! unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top full Of direst cruelty" 11. All sympathy goes out the window for Macbeth when he decides to kill Banquo and his family, because it was very unnecessary, he was now taking away innocent lives. An example from the play is when he says, "For the plan to work perfectly, you must kill both Banquo and his son, Fleance, who keeps him company. Getting rid of Fleance is as important to me as knocking off Banquo." 12. One internal is his trouble with his conscience about the murder of Duncan. He could not decide whether he should murder him in order to get the crown. One external is when Macbeth is hallucinating while awaiting Lady Macbeth's signal the tolling of a bell to proceed with the plan to murder Duncan. Macbeth's external conflict is if he should let the tolling of her bell decide his fate for him.

Hand Guns :: essays research papers

I. Introduction It is estimated that in 1994, 39,720 individuals died from firearm related injuries in the United States . This figure is very alarming, especially when one considers this number not as a statistic, but 39,720 human beings. The issue that will be addressed is one that brings with it great controversy. Does our right to own guns infringe upon the rights of others to live? Would it be a greater injustice to ban the right to own guns thus saving lives? Would this action decrease pain and increase pleasure for the majority? I ask that an open mind be kept throughout this presentation, for guns impact two basic rights provided by the Constitution. The first can be found in these words at the end of the introduction: ".in order to promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity" . The next can be found in the Second Amendment: ".the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed" . These two rights clearly belong to all citizens, but now one must question: What about the 39,720 individuals who were killed by guns in 1994. Were their rights upheld, or has a great injustice been committed? Whenever there is an issue which generates great controversy, there are always at least two sides or views which must be considered. There are many degrees of either freedom or control which individuals believe, but they fall into either pro gun control or against gun control. Those who are against restrictions on gun control are represented by the NRA (National Rifle Association). The NRA states the Second Amendment as ".the ultimate civil liberty- the right to defend one's own life- without which there are no rights". The NRA strongly defends any and all gun rights, for they see any gun restriction as the beginning of civilian disarmament. Those who are for gun control and regulations also have varying degrees of beliefs, but they all believe that more regulations are in order. Some want the abolition of virtually all guns, while others simply want tougher regulations on applicants desiring a gun. This side also has many organizations which work to represent their beliefs, one of which is HCI (Handgun Control Incorporated). The right to own guns is defended by many for some of the following reasons. The right to own a firearm provides the public with power.

Comparing Suppression of Women in Feminine Mystique, Radicalesbians, an

Suppression of Women through Isolation in The Feminine Mystique, Radicalesbians, and Trifles It is far easier to break the spirit of one human being than that of a united group of people. Betty Friedan’s "The Feminine Mystique", "Radicalesbians", and Susan Glaspell’s "Trifles" come to the same conclusion: isolation and separation caused women to be vulnerable to domination by male society. Social stigmatization by men, an inability to describe the situation, and a lack of personal identity kept women apart from one another. A fear of social stigma was one factor that kept women from supporting each other. In "The Feminine Mystique", Betty Friedan discusses how American housewives went about their daily lives "afraid to ask even of herself the silent question – ‘Is this all?’" Women were told that family, a husband, and children would bring them fulfillment and when it didn’t, they were afraid to admit that they weren’t happy. Freidan’s white, middle-class housewives were afraid of living outside the feminine ideal they had grown up heari...

Knowledge gap

The knowledge gap hypothesis presumes that you will know more about these topics than people whose educational level is lower than yours, even if the topics don't directly concern your everyday life. -Stated by Telephone, Donahue and Alien in their 1970 article they said the population Is divided Into two distinct segments: a group of better educated people who know more about most things and those with low education who know less. Low Socio-economic status (SEES) – are slightly defined by education level but also have little or no knowledge about Public affairs issues, are disconnected from news events and Important new discoveries, and usually aren't concerned about their lack of knowledge. High Socio-Economic Status – Are the opposite of Low SEES – Public Affairs issues: -According to the knowledge gap theory most people gain knowledge as a topic becomes more heavily covered by the mass media, but the higher educated segment of the population will gain more kn owledge.Knowledge gap says nothing about the individuals innate intelligent, the theory is just saying that high-educated people have several advantages. Such as: 1. A greater level of stored knowledge on a variety of topics. 2. Better attention, comprehension, retention, and greater communication skills. 3. More reliance on the information-oriented print media rather than the entertainment-oriented non-profit media 4. Greater numbers of relevant social contacts or friends who are likely to be knowledgeable about and discuss pubic affairs topics. Low SEES can be called Medal Poor -High SEES can be called Media Rich Programmatic Research- is research that builds on itself, where one study outcomes raise questions and other researchers take up the challenge to answer. Points that might reduce the knowledge gap 1 . The type of issue, especially an issue that really gets people's attention 2. The size and type of community – small, rural, homogeneous areas have lower gaps; clues with pluralistic subcultures have higher gaps. 3. Owe much and what type of media coverage a topic gets – cigarettes link to cancer is constantly in the news (lower gaps); Sexual harassment incidents get intense but inconsistent coverage (Higher gaps) 4. An Issues level of conflict such as police brutality (lower gap) vs.. Covers about urban revitalization (higher gaps) – 3 early concepts explored 1 . Socio-economic deficits 2. Differences -sass's – Interest in topics became the primary research. – Print Media is more informative than TV.High SEES group still watches newscast -sass's – focused on health, environment, and new technology. – Communication campaigns became designed to educated or persuade and television interest increased. Politics became a focus -Higher SEES use Schemata. Chapter 27 – principle of relative constancy -Charles Scripps – 1959 released economic report of media. -Macomb's used the observations from Scr ipps to offer a theory called the Principle of Relative Constancy. Some of his predictions were: 1 . The proportion of money, viewed as a part of the gross national product(GNP), spent on the mass media remains fairly constant over time. The Constancy aspect. 2. Because the economy varies from boom to depression, the GNP also will vary. The relative part of the theory. 3. Because the expenditures on mass media are relatively constant, new media must fight it out with existing media. This is the functional equivalence part.Chapter 28 – Cultivation -The media-culture connection got its first great push from the Payne Fund studies in the asses and asses, an investigation of the impact of movies on young people. Payne Fund Findings: -George Greener – Violence index -Grinner's definition of violence – â€Å"the overt expression of physical force (with or thou a weapon, against self or others) compelling action against ones will on pain of being hurt and or killed or threatened to be so victimized as part of the plot. Cultivate -Two types of Cultivation -Mainstreaming – a relative commonalty of outlooks that television tends to cultivate – Resonance -suggest the power of television to influence popular imagery increases when seen on the screen â€Å"resonates† with the viewer – seems consistent with experience – it is more likely incorporated into the person's notion of â€Å"reality'.

A sepatate peace

Life passes at a glance what once was the center of your world given time will shrink away till it is barely recognizable to you. So enjoy every moment savor every experience. † . He go away with everything because of the extraordinary kind of person he was. It was quite a compliment to me, as a matter of fact, to have such a person choose me for his best friend†¦ † Chap 2, peg 21 know, if Gene doesn't watch himself he'll become such a person. †¦Between the buildings, elms curved so high that you ceased to remember their height until you looked above the familiar trunks and the lowest umbrellas of leaves and took in the lofty complex they held high above, branches and branches of branches, a world of branches with an†¦ Please note! This is not an example of text written by our writers! Cassiopeia. Com is a database of essays that were collected at open web resources. You can use them at you own risk following the citation rules below.But we recommend you to order a custom plagiarism-free essay written Just for you from one of our writers. Place an order, add your paper details and enjoy the results! You can keep in touch with your writer, check the draft of your paper and send your order for revision for free. If you are hesitating to place an order – Just ask for a quote!

Fukushima Earthquake And Tsunami 2011 Essay

In March 2011, Japan was struck by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and a following tsunami. Authorities concluded that the earthquake was the cause of the Pacific plate releasing the friction built up after years converged under the North American plate (as shown in figure 3) along the fault line that lies kilometres away from Japan’s coastline. (Urbano, 2011)This caused the friction to spread through the ground-and what was originally said to be a magnitude 6.6 earthquake through the evaluation of incomprehensive readings from seismometers- shook Japan for over five minutes. The resulting tsunami was triggered by the explosive energy released by the earthquake. However, its damage was minimized by 10m high sea walls and the modeling of buildings along the coast, which had applied various scientific techniques to reduce impact from waves on actual buildings. Macintosh HD:Users:160161:Desktop:Unknown-1.jpeg Earthquakes are a very significant problem around the globe and can cause havoc through towns. The Japan earthquake and following tsunami resulted in 20000 deaths and caused the destruction of entire towns and many coastal areas of the country- the most notably being the TÅhoku region in Honshu. (Pletcher, 2013) A large percentage of the damage and lives lost could have been avoided if sciences techniques in detecting earthquakes- such as seismometers- would have alerted authorities in advance rather than minutes before the earthquake struck, as well as conveyed more accurate readings. Around the globe scientists and organisations have attempted to develop method of detecting earthquakes so that maximum damage can be prevented. Currently, around the globe seismometers, sea walls and building modeling are used to detect earthquakes through the readings of seismic waves. This scientific solution has potential to minimise damage from earthquakes and tsunamis around the globe if implemented correctly and its negatives minimized. The Application of Science To Detect Earthquakes and Consequently Prevent Damage-Seismometers Earthquakes can be detected by measuring the frequency of the seismic waves in a particular area using a scientific device such as a seismometer. Seismic waves are circular waves (see figure 4) created by the back and forth movement that occurs when an earthquake shakes the ground, thus releasing waves. A magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake- like the one in Japan 2011, are caused due to the faster and rapider movement of the ground. This releases a higher frequency of seismic waves that can be detected by scientific instruments like a seismometer-just as they were during the Fukushima earthquake. The science behind the implementation of seismometers in earthquake prone areas such as Japan is that they use the basic principal of inertia to detect seismic waves in the earth’s surface. They consist of a ground motion detection sensor and a recording system. In a simple seismometer’s detection system, a weight and a spring are suspended from a frame that moves along with the earth’s surface. As the earth moves, the relative motion between the weight and the earth, which is caused by seismic waves is measured by the recording system which consists of a rotating drum attached to the frame, (as shown in diagram 1) and a pen attached to the mass. This pencil moves along with the weight and the spring, leaving lines along the drum, which can be interpreted into determining the frequency of seismic waves and the magnitude of the coming earthquake by authorities.(Braile, 2000)Modern seismometers are electronic, and instead of using a pen and drum, the seismic activity generates an electrical voltage that is recorded by a computer. The reason why Japanese authorities and other nations around the world choose this science to help detect earthquakes is because it allows them to determine before hand when an earthquake is going to happen. Seismographs gather information over a long period of time and the patterns in the seismic wave frequency are easily analyzable. Seismometers were implemented in Japan’s coastline by local authorities with readings going to computers where the data from seismic waves was analyzed. This brought to the early conclusions that the earthquake was a magnitude 6.6 and later upgraded to 9.0 from further readings showing an increase in movement within the ground. Seismometers also bring a change in scientific research about certain regions and their risk to earthquakes, as it allows for research to be collected at various points before, during and after an earthquake, so that warnings can be sent out in advance next time or before an aftershock. (Dea, 2003) The Effectiveness of Detection/Damage Prevention Techniques Used In Japan Seismometers- Science’s solution to the problem-can be used to detect earthquakes and their location so that maximum damage can be prevented. In theory, scientists in Japan should have been able to pick up the earthquakes where about, magnitude and timing from the seismic activity under the earth’s surface that should have been detected by numerous seismometers located on the Pacific Ocean’s seabed. Scientists can use the readings gathered- based on the frequency of the waves-to calculate the magnitude of the earthquake before it reaches by working out the difference in arrival between two waves from tree different seismometers. (BBC, 2013) If the gap between the two arrivals is shorter, then the magnitude of the earthquake is also higher. Fukushima scientists also used this method to determine the exact location of the earthquakes epicentre through the process of triangulation in which they determine the distance travelled by waves at each of the three seismomet ers and pinpoint the centre (as shown in diagram 2). Seismometers certainly helped to detect the Fukushima earthquake. Evidence shows that almost a thousand lives were saved due to seismometers monitoring the Pacific seabed. They proved effective in saving lives because they were able to pick up the sudden seismic activity in the ground. The detection allowed scientists back in Japan to sound an alarm minutes before the earthquake arrived in Japan. However, the initial alarm was quite inaccurate, as it was originally sounded for a 6.6 magnitude earthquake. Over the last century around the world, scientists concluded that 9/10 times seismometers were initially incorrect in detecting the magnitude of the numerous earthquakes (Strevens, 2011). Seismometers also have many more limitations, which cause for the technology to be deemed ineffective at times and can be used to partially explain some of the issues that occurred in Japan- issues that could have been avoided. Unlike NASA’s InSAR satellite technology that can detect earthquakes day before they occur (due to its ability to detect even 1cm of movement within the earth) (NASA, 2011), seismometers are only able to detect earthquakes minutes before they happen and the only way scientists can actually issue a warning in advance is if they look closely at the patterns in previous earthquakes or try and interpret seismic readings days before and see if there are any abnormalities. The limitations of possible inaccuracy with data and late warnings made the use of the seismometers quite ineffective during the earthquake. Although seismometers are able to pinpoint the exact location of the epicentre so that aftershocks can be predicted and are able to give a few minutes of warning about the magnitude, it is a scientific device that’s success can easily be affected by influence human error plays in analyzing its data on computers. Sea walls were implemented in Japan to protect its coastal cities from tsunamis. The science behind them is that its strong concrete material, from which it is made of, should be able to block the force of a tsunami. Their height- 10 metres above sea level- were supposed to be sufficient to stop most tsunamis as evidence shows that it is very rare in any part of the world for a tsunami over 10m to a region that is not directly over the fault line. However, if a tsunami were to reach such heights, the sea walls success would be limited greatly. A positive of their use though, is that their success is largely predictable as they do not require any electronic systems to function and nor do they have any human influence. Macintosh HD:Users:160161:Desktop:Screen Shot 2013-10-27 at 6.40.21 PM.png Sea walls proved ineffective in Japan as the tsunami proved to also be 10 metres tall due to the water being very deep in the region. This allowed the tsunami to build up its waves and when the tsunami’s biggest waves arrived at the coast of Japan, they were 1m taller than the walls event though they were still only 10m tall. (Tran, 2013) This was due to the fact that the coastline had dropped by a metre and also moved three metres out to sea. (As shown in figure 5) This outside influence limited the success of the walls greatly and although- in many other tsunamis sea wall have effectively haltered tsunamis due to their concrete strength and height- the tsunami of 2011 flooded into Japan killing thousands that could not escape in the few moments of warning. Sciences Interaction With The Environment The environment has minimal impact on the application and effectiveness of seismometers and sea walls. As seismometers are not affected by an areas air pollution, vegetation or climate, the environment does not play a significant role in positively or negatively affecting the detection ability of seismometers. However there are still a few minor factors- particularly in Japan- that can somewhat prevent an earthquake from being detected accurately. Due to Japans vulnerable earthquake-prone region being located along the Pacific Ocean’s coastline, many low intensity stress waves created by natural noises and ocean waves have the ability to be detected by seismometers. This is because seismometers can detect and measure motions with frequencies from 500 Hz to 0.00118 Hz- a large enough range to detect ocean waves- particularly in the Pacific Ocean. This could have a negative effect on the effectiveness of science’s solution. Negatively, seismometers could be alerting Japan ese authorities every time tidal waves and ocean currents strengthen, thus triggering alarm bells constantly. A positive effect that the Japanese environment has on damage preventing solutions such as sea walls is that the Japanese coastline has numerous mountain and hill landforms. The many hills and low mountains located in Japans coastal region (sea figure 6)-especially where the Fukushima earthquake struck-help to prevent damage due to there significant height above sea levels. This environmental benefit was evident during the 2011 earthquake as authorities guided civilians to high ground so that when the tsunami arrived and the sea walls failed, the landforms saved a few hundred lives. (ONISHI, 2011)This was because the 10m height of the tsunami eventually deteriorated by the time it reached the landforms, thus preventing further damage from occurring. As mentioned above, the environment has minimal influence on the application and effectiveness of seismometers and sea walls, although sea walls do have an effect on the environment. To construct and implement sea walls, natural, agricultural and grassland is destroyed to make way for them. Sea walls require a large amount of space (width and length) if they are to be firm, sturdy and cover a large proportion of the coastline. They also negatively impact the climatic environment as their height to some extent interrupts the sea breeze that Japan receives from the ocean. This means that locations near the walls will be drier in the already tropical climate and environment. Once again these negative effects on Japan’s environment are not significant factors although if these scientific damage prevention measures were not present in Japan 2011, the environment would have been damaged greatly like it was in some towns that were destroyed completely. Economic Interaction Sciences detection and damage prevention solutions have a profound effect on the economy of Japan. The Japanese government invests billions (USD) in coastal defenses such as sea walls and warning systems every year. These expensive devices further cost governments around the world millions whenever a warning and consequent evacuation occurs. For example, since Hawaii’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center was established in 1948, about 75 percent of warnings that resulted in costly evacuations turned out to be false alarms (Pendick, 2012). A positive effect that Japan’s economy has on seismometers and warning systems is that it can afford to research deep into ways on improving the technology, as well as, fund the expensive costs involved with implementing and running them. There is very little limitations that Japan’s economy poses to seismometers as the economy is very stable and has been for the last decade without fluctuating too much (see graph 1), thus allowing for billions to be invested. This allows the government to invest in earthquake damage prevention devices so that when an earthquake strikes, damage costs can be kept to a minimum. Seismometers and damage prevention devices have a major influence on the economy. When the earthquake of 2011 struck and damage was high- especially from the burst reactor in the Fukushima Nuclear Plant- Japan’s tourism industry suffered greatly. This had a chain reaction on the economy with a major dip in Japan’s GDP (as shown in graph 1) during the period. Conclusion For many years now, scientists have attempted to come up with ways to detect and consequently, prevent earthquakes with measured success- especially in the Fukushima earthquake of 2011. Although the application of science through the use of seismometers potentially saved thousands of lives in the few minutes of warning, it’s accuracy and timing was not enough to stop a nuclear disaster. The 10m sea walls that were located around Japans shoreline also proved ineffective as the tsunami soared over them, leaving all types of buildings to be struck down by the shear force of the waves. However, scientists continue to apply their knowledge of earthquakes, tectonic movement and seismic waves so that they can enhance this solution for future earthquakes around the globe. Seismometers and sea walls fit into the world environment nicely as they do not affect it, but rather help to prevent damage occurring to it, whilst the modeling of buildings simply has the same impact as normal buildings do. Economic wise though, billions of dollars are put into the science and evidence shown from Japan might suggest, too much money for fairly inconclusive success. There are some variables in science that we can’t control, but what can be controlled is minimizing their damage to civilization through the processes of detecting and preventing damage. Bibliography BBC. (2013). Seismic waves. Retrieved October 28, 2013, from BBC Bitesize: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/waves_earth/seismicwavesrev2.shtml Braile, L. (2000, November). SEISMOMETER. 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Retrieved November 1, 2013, from Oxonian Globalist: http://toglobalist.org/2012/05/risky-business-uncovering-catastrophic-insurance-risks-in-2012/ NASA. (2011). Anticipating Earthquakes-InSAR Satellites . Retrieved October 28, 2013, from NASA Science: http://www.google.com.au/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=why+did+seismometers+pick+the+japan+earthquake+as+magnetide+6.6&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=jMhwUtjfJcW_kQXUiYCQBQ#q=why+did+seismometers+pick+the+japan+earthquake+as+magnitude+6.6&rls=en ONISHI, N. (2011, March 13). Seawalls Offered Little Protection Against Tsunami’s Crushing Waves. Retrieved October 27, 2013, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/world/asia/14seawalls.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Pendick, D. (2012). Catching a Tsunami in the Act. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from Savage Earth: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/tsunami/html/sidebar1.html Macintosh HD:Users:160161:Desktop:Screen Shot 2013-11-04 at 11.43.28 AM.png