Archive for the ‘ Environmental ’ Category

Cleaning The Planet That Provides Our Every Need

With the advent of modern technology and because of human intelligence, our lives have been made easier. It is apparent that people work hard to have a good life that they dream and to enjoy things that we can acquire.

To have a huge a house filled with appliances can provide the comfort that we need. Traveling is made easy with the various modern transportation that we have today. Human intelligence have paved way for the emergence of computers, internet, gadgets, huge machinery and all the tools that can make life easy no matter if we are at home, in school, in the office or anywhere we desire to go.

But do we realize the price this technology brings? Little by little without knowing, this technology is affecting our environment causing destructive disasters. Typhoons, earthquakes, tsunami, flash floods and oil spills are some of the disasters that should give us a clue that we should take action to prevent these disasters to take its toll.

The earth is ill. And it is because of our actions and our selfishness. Some engage in illegal logging which is seen to cause flash floods; dynamite fishing and oil spills which is causing water pollution. All these cited are harmful to humans and to the environment. That is why now is the best time that we need to help it heal by joining in non-profit organizations that endeavors to provide good environmental services and environmental remediation that our Mother Nature needs now.

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2012
02/02
CATEGORY
Environmental
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Environmental Services – Are They Viable Options for Farmers and Ranchers?

Environmental services are highly valued by our society even though most of them fall into the realm of being for the public good. As such people can usually get them without having to pay for them.

Ranchers and farmers in the United States bring a diverse assortment of commodities for fuels, fibers and foods in response to signals that are generated by the market. In addition, farms and ranches contain significant quantities of natural resources that may encompass a number of environmental services that include cleaner water and air, improved wildlife habitat, and flood control.

However, since ranchers and farmers do not reap any financial benefits if they produce these commodities they tend to focus on other profit-making areas and generally under provide these types of services.

However, although there may not be any immediate financial gain, farmers may often unintentionally produce such services by maintaining their wetlands, grasslands, and/or forests instead of converting them to croplands. They also often unwittingly provide environmental services by integrating production or conservation practices that increase their bottom lines while improving environmental performance.

Even though our society puts a high value on these services most farmers can’t financially benefit from them because these services are in the realm of the public good. Therefore they don’t intentionally produce them.

Consequently, there aren’t any markets that occur naturally for environmental services.

However, if environmental services could be sold along the same lines as other commodities then ranchers and farmers would undoubtedly invest more of their time and resources to better maintain their woodlots, wildlife habitats, and wetlands. And they would be less prone to turning this land into cropland or grazing land.

The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has expressed a lot of interest in markets that could be created to could provide both environmental services and environmental quality. The USDA looks at these as supplements to any existing conservation program rather than as replacements to such programs.

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2012
02/02
CATEGORY
Environmental
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