Session #9 - April 13 (afternoon), Barbara Finamore

[Christine Moguel]

China has been part of the problem, but China is making huge leaps into creating change for the better of our badly abused planet.  Barbara Finamore's lecture was consise and so informative, I really enjoyed hearing about the steps China is making and has made in the direction fo sustainable energy, electric car technology, and much more.  I liked learning about how her organization has been at the forefront of the legal defense of our planet, amazing and truly honorable work that we can all be thankful for.  Part of what was so fasinating was her commitment to being on the team that is here to make change happen, change policies that might make a buck but hurt our oceans, air quality, forests and other ecosystems.  We must learn by example.  Although China is one of the top polutants of the world, they are making peace with the planet and moving in the right direction in implementing systems to reduce pollution.

[Dan Thalkar]

Christine,

Thank you for highlighting one of the central contraditions of China today - it is both one of the top pollutants in the world and one of the world leaders for sustainable energy and environmentally conscious regulations. That tension is fascinating and provides such a depth of exploration. Students will ask, do China's current efforts offset their past? When else in world history has a similar case occured? What does this mean for the rest of us?

[Tiffany Chang]

China is the "make it or break it" piece of the climate change puzzle. The nation has recognized its role, and has made huge strides to reduce pollution. I was in China in the summer of 2012, and I remember the skies. At first, I thought that it was a cloudy day until I realized that the thick, gray sky was pollution. The feeling of standing outside was unbearable at times and the face masks made sense. In 2013, air pollution was a wake-up call for the nation and a turning point in fixing the problem. China published the National Strategy for Climate Change adaption in November 2013, which was a report that had goals and targets for the country to reach in order to reduce pollution. 

[Tiffany Chang]

I agree that the US needs to follow China's role in taking action to reduce pollution and reverse the effects of climate change. The fact that China can make it happen where the country can see blue skies after not driving cars and other transportation shows that everyone has a role in taking care of this planet. The ultimate goal is to make Earth sustainable to live for future generations since human activity has made a negative impact on climate change. I hope that nations of power can come to realize this and it is more important to focus on the environment rather than any political or economic gain at this point. 

[Salbador Gonzalez]

Will China Save the Planet? Hopefully they do with the help of the rest of the world. Whatever China and the rest of the Asia do, the US will be the second to benefit from, since their pollution does carry over to our nearby sea and west coast. We are faraway neighbors with a hug sea in between. 

The first time I heard about China's air pollution was when they were hosting the Beijing Olympics. I'm glad to hear China has made a change in their pollution trends. Not only are they leading the way today, but putting pressure on the US to take the lead or follow their lead. Unfortunately, the US doesn't have the appropriate leader at the time to reduce the amount of damage we as a nation are imposing on the planet. 

I felt prividedge to be lectured from one of the very few people in China going over the coal companies and their contamination tactic coverups to not be fined for polluting to a certain extent. I enjoyed how Barbara described her personal experiences while in the middle of China's movement for a cleaner environment. 

[Salbador Gonzalez]

Thank you for sharing the video. Even though it might be a bit difficult to use in my Physical Education classes, it is  a great video I can share with other teachers who can use it to enhance their lessons. 

[Amy Chen]

I went to China in 2008 and even with the efforts to clean air pollution in time for the summer olympics the air quality was still so bad. I remember seeing the news last year how Chinese people were buying oxygen tanks to breath clean air. Reading the aticle about efforts to reverse pollution was very eye oepning and hopeful for me.

[Heidi Kwalk]

You could feel the urgency in Barbara Finamore's voice when she stated, "We have to dramatically change from fossil fuel at a historical pace." We are at a crossroad and right at that crossroad is China. China built its economy coal and had been the center of global attention to do something to correct their pollution problem. With the world growing ever more interdependent of one another, cooperation among the leading nations is a must. lt is evident from the evidence by Dr. Finamore that China has had a major reversal about their attitude and practice towards pollution and renewable energy.

[Amy Chen]

Vice just released an article on how most of the "recyclable" materials are low grade scrap. Countries such as the Phillipines, Malaysia, China are returning tons of plastic to the United States. Overall, only about 9 percent of the world's plastic is getting recycled. China's market for recycling boomed in the 90s but their giant facilities were mostly unregulated. Most of the recycable materials sent there were being brought to landfills. As a result, China began to refuse buying plastic from the U.S. Now plastic are being burned in Southeast Asia which is laeding to other environmental impacts. I would challenge my students to come up with ideas to solve the plastic problem by taking accountability of what we are using in the United States so that we don't keep sending our scrap overseas.

 

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