RINA Project : Waste
By: Nikola G, Hafith M, Abdinasir A, Drew T
Introduction
Waste isn't only the garbage we through away. It also has an impact on transportation (car, air plane, train etc.) and also when we turn on our lights or turn the TV on. Electricity is a contributor to waste and GHGs. For example, to get the electricity that you have in your home, someone must extract that material from the Earth, transport it to a plant where it's then created into nuclear energy and this produces electricity. Just this one form impacts our environment greatly. This is why some companies have switched to other forms of electricity/energy such as solar,wind and hydroelectric energy.
Negative Aspects
- Global warming - When waste biodegrades in landfills it emits methane gas, a GHG 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. This strengthens the greenhouse effect which heats the planet and has all sorts of negative impacts. Some include flooding, heat waves, droughts, the melting of ice caps and wildfires.
- Pollutes water - When toxic materials end up in landfills some of these toxins can go into the gerund and into a water supply.
- Kills animals - Due to the rising temperature some species such as polar bears can not survive due to a loss of habitat or simply just not being able to live in such warm temperatures. Animals also choke and suffocate on the waste in landfills and the pollution.
- Wastes space - Landfills can be very large. They take up lots of space where other things could be such as houses, stores and parks. They also waste lots of space near them because they are unpleasant and nobody wants to be near them.
Key Decision Makers and Powerful Actors
- The Plastic Industry
- Oil, Gasoline, and Coal companies
- Nuclear power plants
- Technology Industry
- clothing industry
Primary Research
Results
Interpretation
Weaknesses
Action
Works Cited
Princeton University. (2014, March 27). A more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, methane emissions will leap as Earth warms. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 13, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140327111724.htm