Natural Systems in the Middle East

The natural systems of the world are some of the most its most important aspects since they are the ones which enable the earth to sustain itself and all the creatures that are within it. The various natural systems are the ones which define the environmental zones that can be found all over the world, and without them, then the earth would be unrecognizable. In some cases, it is possible that without the natural systems, then the earth would become a harsh environment indeed, not being able to sustain those that currently exist within it. Since time immemorial, human beings have had to adapt to these different natural systems in order to survive and throughout this time, this race has proven to be among the most resilient in the world. While one cannot help but commend the hardiness of this race in its ability to survive even some of the harshest conditions in the world, it should be noted that human beings, through their activities, have had an impact on the naturals systems within which they have come to settle. This is a consequence of the of their attempts to adapt to these environments and while some of the impacts may be positive, sadly, a majority of them tend to be negative, as it has often led to the destruction of the natural systems that are involved. Among the most affected areas in the world today, due to human activity, is the Middle East where there has existed, for thousands of years, great civilizations, which have impacted significantly on the natural systems.

Human beings in the Middle East were, for a long time, primarily pastoralists and because of this, they had an impact on the environment. This region is primarily arid or semiarid and because of this, the pastoralists had to move from place to place with their livestock in order to find sustenance. These people tended to have large herds which fed on the scarce vegetation that could be found in this region at the time. As a consequence, large tracts of rare vegetation were destroyed by these animals and with this destruction also came the destruction of many diverse ecosystems. With the destruction of the plant life also came the continued desertification of the region as the scarce plant cover was stripped away by the large herds of livestock. In recent times, however, as many people in the region have come to abandon pastoralism in favor of living in urban areas, some of the vegetation that were almost completely destroyed have began to thrive again.

The Middle East is a major source of oil and natural gas and it has been stated that it holds some of the largest reserves of these resources in the world. These resources have, over the last few decades, been a major source of income for the countries which can be found in this region. Not only has it enabled their governments have plenty of wealth to fund expansive social welfare systems, but it has also enabled the increase of the standard of living, with some even stating that these standards are higher than those in the Western world. While this is true, there has also been a significant impact on the environment. The first of these has been the discharge of carbon fumes to the environment from the oil mining sites. The mining of oil and its refining involves the burning of the fossil fuels involved so that the product can be extracted from the ground, and this means that there has been a rise in the carbon emissions in the region in recent decades. While the mining of oil has and continues to be a profitable venture, it has come to bring harm to the environment as it has contributed an immense deal in global warming. While some places in the Middle East were extremely dry, with the commencement of oil mining, these places have become even drier and hotter and this has led to the destruction of quite a number of plant and animal life since the increased heat has destroyed their ecosystems.

The increase in heat has also ensured that the scarce water resources that were previously available have become scarcer. The increase of the heat in the desert has meant that the rate of water evaporation has also increased and this has created a situation where life in this environment has become unsustainable. The plant life which depended on this scarce resource to survive now has less of an opportunity to survive because of the high rates of evaporation. Furthermore, the creatures which depended on these plants for survival have also come to reduce in number because there are not enough of the plants available to sustain them. Human activities in the Middle East have therefore created a situation where the natural ecosystems have come to slowly die away as they attempt to gain a profit from the natural resources available. It has become the norm for the human population in the region to move to the urban areas in search for a better life. This is because of the fact that the increasing heat in the desert has made life unbearable and the traditional, nomadic way of life has become unsustainable. The urban areas have now become the places where they can live comfortably due to the modern appliances that are available. The nomadic way of life, which was more in harmony with the environment, has largely been abandoned and this has created a situation where it is difficult to maintain the natural environment as multinational corporations move into the seemingly abandoned areas to prospect for oil. The natural systems are therefore being slowly destroyed with very little being done to stop their destruction either by the governments involved or by their business partners.

The population of the Middle East is currently largely concentrated in the urban areas and this has created a situation where the likelihood of pollution of all types has become a reality. The burning of fossil fuels in such concentrated areas as the cities has led to high levels of air pollution which has come to affect the natural systems which are close to these cities. The pollution of air has not only caused related diseases in human beings, but it has also done so in animals which have come into contact with this polluted air. While thee diseases can be easily diagnosed among human beings and treated, in animals living in the wild, this is impossible and it has in fact led to the reduction of this animals to a level which can be considered near extinction. While the numbers are not currently known, this senseless destruction of animal life has come to destroy the various natural systems, which depend on the significant numbers of these animals to remain sustainable. The destruction of such systems means that entire habitats are at risk of either leading to the extinction of certain species of both plants and animals, or the possibility of these habitats becoming unpredictable. This would create a situation where certain species of plants or animals would be able to gain an advantage over others as some parts of the food chain will be removed, enabling the population of some to increase at the expense of others.

The rapid human population growth in the Middle East has come to affect the natural systems available, especially those that deal with water. Historically, the Middle East is known as a place which has had extremely little water resources and because of the rare occurrences of rainfall, it is difficult to have a steady replenishing of the water supply. The population growth of this region is putting an immense strain on the available water resources as the demand for this commodity continues to increase by the day. It has also led to a belief within the scientific community that if something is not done to ensure the security of this resource, then the Middle East is in danger of falling into a situation akin to famine, where the entire population as well as the natural systems involved are likely to fail. The insatiable need for water is slowly but surely depleting this resource and there is a fear that it may lead to a shortage in the food supply of the region. Such a shortage is likely to create a situation where there may develop political instability in the region, and as is well known, such occurrences tend to lead to conflicts which have the potential of further worsening the environmental situation. The shortage of water will probably be caused by nations which fail to cooperate in the equitable allocation of the water resources they share, since they continue to behave more as rivals than as partners when this precious resource is concerned and this is likely to lead to future conflict.

Another part of the natural systems in the Middle East that has been affected by human activity has been the marine environment, which has increased significantly over the last century. The coastal engineering projects that have been put in place either by the governments and private interests of the Middle East have contributed an immense deal in the changing or damaging of the marine natural systems. In addition, there has been increased shipping in the Middle East due to the development of the oil industry as well as the increased purchasing power of many Middle Eastern states. The ships which sail along the coast of this region tend to bring about plenty of pollution since the fumes they emit as well as the oil that is spilled into the oceans come to affect the marine life of the Middle East. This has come to change the marine ecosystems in the places affected as some marine life have either had to move away from their natural habitats which have become inhospitable, or others have been destroyed.

The marine environment of the Middle East has also come to be affected, in recent times, by the development of desalination plants for the purposes of providing fresh water for the region’s population. While these plants are good for the people because they allow them to have fresh water, they have a disastrous impact on the marine ecosystem of the region. A lot of energy is used during the desalination process and this naturally leads to the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Furthermore, the salt which is the end product of the desalination process is dumped back into the sea; it has a massive environmental impact on marine life because it creates a situation where the salt concentration in the water is doubled. The increased salt concentration in the seawater has the potential of killing many marine organisms and it is possible that it can also cause damage to the marine population.

It can be concluded that human beings have indeed had quite an impact on the natural systems of the Middle East as they have attempted to adapt to their environment. To be able to live comfortably, human beings have made advances both in their social lives and also technologically. These, however, while succeeding in their goal of providing comfort have also taken a toll on the natural systems in the region. Throughout the ages, livestock have been reared to provide sustenance but in this region, they have also led to the rapid desertification of certain areas as they have ended up stripping away the plant cover. Moreover, in modern times, humans have developed desalination plants as well as oil wells so that they can get fresh water and satisfy the demand for oil respectively. While both of these ventures have bee highly profitable, this profit has come at the expense of the natural environment as in some places, whole ecosystems have been destroyed. The concentration of the human population in the urban areas has led to an increase in the pollution levels which have had an impact on the natural systems that exist near them, or those in areas where the resources needed to supply the cities are found. It can, therefore, be said that human beings have had a significant impact on the natural systems of these region.

Sustainable and Renewable Resources (Ontario)

Sustainable and renewable resources are among the most important features that are set to determine the future development of the province of Ontario and this is the reason why more research has to be conducted in this area. The use of renewable resources have been recognized as playing a very important part in the development of the lives of individuals and states all over the world and Ontario is not an exception because of the fact that the people of this province are heavily dependent on these resources. The renewable resources that are found in Ontario are natural resources which can be replenished with the passage of time; the latter happening either through biological reproduction or through processes which occur naturally. These resources can be considered to be a basic part of the natural environment and in fact, they form a large component of its geographical features. It is therefore important to study the renewable resources of Ontario so as to determine their life cycle, since a positive life cycle is normally an indicator of the sustainability of the resource being studied, and the opposite is also true. There is a connection between sustainable and renewable resources and the ability of the people using them succeeding. This depends entirely on the quality of these resources and the depth at which they are used in the day to day lives of those who are its frequent users. The practices involved in the use of renewable resources are what determine how well these resources are used as well as the means through which these resources can be sustained for use by future generations.

The fact that Ontario uses renewable resources has ensured that both the public and private sectors within it have constructed interactions, which offer an opportunity for the various stakeholders to have an environment where rationales can be shared, and new initiatives concerning the use of renewable resources can be developed. The practices that enhance the sustainability of renewable resources, which have been put in place in Ontario, have been able to make contributions to the long-term success of the preservation of the resources in this province. Sustainable development is a factor that has been able to contribute to the success of the people’s responsible use of renewable resources and, in fact, many businesses have ensured its implementation within their wider plans of the future. When the responsible use of renewable resources is integrated together with the main stream business practices, it leads to the extension of the awareness of individuals in the society concerning the importance of these resources. It has been found that any studies concerning renewable resources, being geographical in nature, has to be done over a specific period of time in order to note the results of the studies being conducted. Various issues usually emerge that may involve the stakeholders and these may require a response in order to protect the renewable resources in question. It is a fact that many businesses in Ontario at times have aims of integrating the sustainability of renewable resources when conducting their activities as well as in their processes and products, but often, these businesses end up facing significant challenges that they fail to adopt there measures.

Recent studies on renewable resources have attempted to reinforce a connection between sustainability and innovation. This has involved the selection and maximization of the value of such studies for the long-term prospects that the businesses that function in this environment will have to consider when making their plans concerning the environment. For instance, a business that has a paper recycling scheme is able to improve a balance sheet in several ways such as savings on costs, enhancing employee commitment, as well as ensuring that the forests within the province are preserved. Technology is one of the most important sources of solution during the implementation of projects whose purpose is to ensure the sustenance of renewable resources. With effective practices that enhance the responsible use of renewable resources, there will be an alignment of these practices with those of the businesses or individuals involved. The position of a company in its industry, its unique attributes and circumstances that influence the company’s strategy are important during sustainable processes that ensure the protection of renewable resources. It is therefore important for the government and businesses to consider this when approaching matters concerning the retention of renewable resources in its current state. For instance, a company in an industry that is mature such as mining will focus its programs in areas that will be able to ensure continued access to available renewable resources and to maintain its license to operate. An emerging industry, for instance, that of renewable energy may view practices such as growth opportunities available for the company to access new and potential markets.

Sustainable development approach for a business should fit culture and ways of working, in addition to this; sustainable orientation in a business helps decision makers in connecting sustainable development practices, a business’ strategic advantages, and distinctive characters of a business. Breath of vision is a characteristic that favors sustainable development and it involves having thoughts of pictures having good reputation, this make the business be viewed as a road concept that goes beyond compliance to that which has openings for new ideas. Stakeholder empowerment should take place through relationship fostering which is more than just having transactions. Progressiveness is a sustainable development culture in business, it enables the business have a long-term outlook and this portrays the ability of the business to be enthusiastic for any new opportunities and changes that may arise, in addition to this, it portrays the business’  commitment to growth, progress and high performance by using best practices. Learning by doing is important for a company because the company is able to gain sustainable development at a great mileage while building on certain practices doing well for a particular stage of development.

Throughout the history of Ontario, the use of renewable resources such as water has been undertaken in a manner nearly totally independent of planning for their development, management and protection. Most of its towns and industrial facilities were located on the banks of lakes and rivers in order to facilitate transportation and ensure proximity to abundant water supplies. Through time, however, as these towns grew, very little regard was given to the protection and management of these resources upon which they relied in a massive way. Examples of this include the sitting of industrial facilities adjacent to well fields or rivers, as well as the location of landfill sites in old gravel pits where accumulated liquids would certainly drain away, and spread animal waste on fields with little or no regard for where spring runoff would accumulate. Under the current circumstances, the government of Ontario has left local governments with the task of managing their water supplies and planning their communities around them. As a result of massive field testing and computer modeling, municipal engineering and planning departments have been working together to subdivide their regions into areas where land use that is compatible with water resources can be established. This has been done in order to ensure that the water supplies are protected through the management of the growth in the communities. The understanding the connection between water regions and the impact of land use is critical in the development of workable solutions for all.

In conclusion, the use of and sustainability of renewable resources in the province of Ontario has to be given the highest priority because it is the only way through which they can be preserved. The best way through which to undertake this task is through the direct involvement of the government of Ontario which should actively participate in the planning of the use of these resources. This will ensure that all individuals in the province are aware of their responsibility of preserving of these resources for the sake of future generations.

Why Environmental Meetings are So Hard to Organize

Environmentalism is a philosophy which is based on the concept of conserving the natural environment through addressing issues the concern various human activities. Most of the activities which are addressed by environmentalism involve the pollution of the environment through industrial activities. This philosophy works towards the establishment of means through which these issues concerning the conservation of the environment are discussed and viable solutions for the environmental problems caused by human activity can be found. It can further be said that this philosophy deals with the preservation, the development, and the return of the natural environment to the state in which it was previously.

While many environmentalist groups profess to fight for the conservation of the environment; many of them tend to defeat their own purpose for doing so. This is due to the fact that they often oppose those projects whose final goal is to ensure that the environment is conserved. The example of the experiment that was to be conducted off the islands of Hawaii sponsored by various gas companies and governments. This project was to determine the rate of carbon monoxide dissolution in water so that steps could be taken to reduce such rates. However, certain environmentalist groups were opposed to this move stating that there was a possibility that the initiative was going to not only change the quality of the seawater, but it would also damage the marine life of the area. It can therefore be seen that while many environmentalist groups claim to fight for the conservation of the natural environment, when initiatives are made to study how the environment can be conserved, it is these very same groups which come to oppose them. A further example, this time in Pennsylvania where there was an initiative to construct wind turbines which would not only be able to provide a cheap source of energy, but this form of energy would be clean, ensuring that there was little damage to the environment. Local environmentalist groups again rose in opposition to the idea, citing that the turbines were going to destroy the immaculate forests of the area and endanger the bird life. It can therefore be said that while many environmentalist groups fight for the conservation of the environment, they have to adapt to the initiatives which are aimed at achieving the same purpose, otherwise, their objectives are likely to be defeated.

Free market environmentalism is not an initiative meant to conserve the environment, but one which has been developed to ensure that the real environmentalist movement is frustrated in its efforts. Many of the initiatives carried out by corporations in the name of environmental conservation are nothing more than propaganda designed to play down the true nature of their impact on the environment. The power of these corporations is so great that they can afford to hire public relation firms whose sole purpose is to ensure that the message from environmentalist groups is avoided, limited, or reinterpreted to suit the needs of these corporations. There is a conspiracy of interested groups which are bent on distorting the environmentalist cause because if any of the recommendations made by the various environmentalist groups are implemented, then there is a likelihood that they are going to lose a lot of profit. While there are some free market environmentalists who genuinely believe in the conservation of the environment through market mechanisms, a majority can be termed as being anti environmentalists. These tend to portray themselves as being environmentalists yet they are often the first to resist or go against any form of action or legislation that is meant to make the conservation of the environment a reality. It is these people who, using the massive resources that are available to them, something which many environmentalist groups cannot afford, have sought to hijack the environmentalist cause for their own gain. They have come to work for massive corporations with the aim of ensuring that any environmental legislation that is passed is all but effective. Environmentalist groups should not label all free market environmentalists as being anti environmentalist because there are some who are genuine in their purpose of conserving the environment. If the environmentalists keep labeling them as anti environmentalists, then there is a high risk that they will be alienated, and this would be detrimental to the cause of environmentalism.

In conclusion, it can be said that the idea that countries are sovereign in matters dealing with the environment have come to be challenged since at present, actors other than governments have come to be key players in the environmental issue. There has been a shift from having mega-conference diplomacy meetings to implementation of initiatives that are localized and formation of partnerships in order to be able to combat the remedies environmental problems that affect various countries. The time has come when governments have opted to shift their strategies to involve those tactics which are able to enhance the prospects that will implement effective management of the environment starting from the local level of the society.