UMGC ENMT495 Week 5 Discussion (dq1+dq2+dq3+dq4) Latest 2022 February

ENMT495 Global Environmental

Week 5 Discussion

DQ1 Air Quality Management

This topic will be discussing air quality management and it will be led by Jason Wheeler.

This week we read about a variety of technologies used to treat polluted air before it is emitted into the environment. Describe some of these technologies including the pros/cons and what pollutants they work best for. What industries benefit from these different technologies?

This week we covered the intersectionality between air pollution and how it can impact the quality of the water. Let’s discuss how this process happens, the major atmospheric pollutants impacting water quality, and ways to combat atmospheric pollution spreading to other medians.

The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for pollutants that are common in outdoor air. What are the major sources/effects of these pollutants and what are the primary and secondary standards for them?

If CO2 is one of the most abundant compounds driving climate change, why is it not considered a primary pollutant?

There is a lot of regulations on outdoor air quality but little to none on indoor air quality. What are some common indoor air pollutants of concern, and do you think that standards should be established for them?

Air quality is a global issue and pollution from one nation can impact others. Are there any global standards in place addressing air pollution? What are some ways we can try to tackle air pollution on a global scale?

Air quality leads to many health complications. What are some negative health impacts of low air quality and who is most impacted?

In previous weeks we have discussed environmental injustice. What are some examples of air quality environmental injustices, who it is impacting, and what actions, if any, are being taken?

DQ2 Soil Management

Hello, I’m Dan, and I will be leading the discussion on soil management, practices, and technologies.  Please use the following questions as a starting point for this topic’s discussions.

Describe the current production model of our system of agriculture. What are some advantages and disadvantages to this system?  Discuss some alternative practices or alterations to our current system and how they might make the system better.

How does poor soil management affect other environmental media?  How does it affect our health?

How does our current system of soil management differ from nature’s way of doing things?

What are some technologies and/or practices that we could use to feed the estimated 9 billion people of Earth in the year 2050 while maintaining sustainability?

What are the benefits of biodiversity for our soil, our health, and our society?  How are they all interconnected?

Describe and discuss some of the potential interstate and international problems associated with poor soil management.  How can bad practices in one state or country affect other states or other countries? Can you detail some examples of this happening in the past?

DQ3 Surface Water

Hello everyone, I am Thais De Charentenay and I will be leading this week's discussion on surface water quality, management, and technology. This topic will be discussing water quality and management. This week explored water management and water treatment technologies. Please answer one of the following questions below, sharing new thoughts or adding onto others posts. 

Explain why the U.S. has had such difficulty cleaning up its waterways?

 What causes dead zones? Provide 2 specific locations on Earth where dead zones are found? Have those places been remediated? Why or why not? Describe what happens to fish if they cannot "escape" a dead zone.

 PCBs have been banned for over four decades and continue to be present in waterways, why is that? What or who do these chemicals effect and how? 

DQ4 Groundwater

Hi, I’m Stephanie and I will be leading this week’s discussion on groundwater. Please pick one of the following questions to answer and discuss:

What are some of the pollutants that threaten the groundwater in the area where you live? Discuss their source, risks to human health, and effects on the environment.

As an individual, what are some things you can do to help protect and conserve the groundwater in your community?

There have been multiple incidents of groundwater pollution that wreaked havoc on communities in our country. Discuss one of these incidents, including how the clean-up was handled, changes in the community spurred by the incident, and how the area is being managed currently to prevent it from happening again.

Discuss some ground water management laws or technologies other developed countries are utilizing that the US is not. Do you think the US should be doing the same? Is there anything in particular that is hindering us from using these methods?