Where in the World?

I.  The World's Water
     About 97% of the Earth's water is in the oceans.   It is salty and cannot be used for drinking or irrigation unless it is desalinated first.  Desalination is an expensive process.  The other 3 % is fresh water.  Two thirds of that is locked up in the polar icecaps and icebergs.  Of the remaining 1%, much of it is in deep aquifers deep within Earth's crust.  In fact, groundwater accounts for about 98% of all the world's freshwater.  Despite this fact, only about 20% of the water used on the planet comes from aquifers.  The rest is drawn from surface sources.  Ground water and surface water are both susceptible to pollution.  They are constantly under attack from the byproducts of human civilization.  Storm water runoff washes petroleum residue from parking lots.  Waste and spills from industry contaminate water.  Agricultural runoff carries phosphates and chemicals into waterways and groundwater.  In some parts of the world, raw sewage runs directly into rivers.

II.  The Planet's Soil 

     The best agricultural land in the world is located in the U. S., South America (Brazil and Argentina), and eastern Europe.  Of course the best agricultural land on the planet is, in my opinion, down in southwest Georgia in Early County about 15 miles south of the city of Blakley.  (Disclaimer: I did not arrive at that conclusion scientifically.)

III.  Global Industry

     At the right is a chart that shows the output of the seven most technologically oriented nations in the world.
     Traditional industry can be found everywhere.  We might expect to find them only in developing nations but western "cottage industries" can be found in the U. S. and all other developed countries.

IV.  Population
The ten most populated cities in the world are:
1. Shanghai, China
2. Mumbai, India
3. Karachi, Pakistan
4. Delhi, India
5. Istanbul, Turkey
6. Sao Paulo, Brazil
7. Moscow, Russia
8. Seoul, South Korea
9. Mexico City, Mexico
10. Jakarta, Indonesia

The Korowai people of Papua New Guinea

The ten most populated cities in the U. S. are.
1. New York City, New York
2. Los Angeles, California
3. Chicago, Illinois
4. Houston, Texas
5. Phoenix, Arizona
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7. San Antonio, Texas
8. San Diego, California
9. Dallas, Texas
10. San Jose, California


     There are many small populations of people in various parts of the world that have had little contact with modern civilization and live in what we consider primitive ways.  As recently as the 60s, there was a documented case of head-hunting in Papua New Guinea (PNG).  Anthropologist know of at least three such tribes in that PNG.  More recently, they have located a previously unknown tribe, the Envira, living in the upper reaches of Amazonian Brazil.  There are at least 8 other tribes in Brazil that have had little contact with westerners.  There are also some primitive tribes living in the Philippines although the Tasaday, most well-publicized, turned out to be a hoax.
     PNG is probably the most diverse nation of the planet linguistically and culturally. Linguists say there are 820 different languages in this country of 5.5 million.  Religious views are divided primarily between Protestant Christianity and tribal religions but Islam is also seeking to gain influence as well.
     Judging from languages, the least diverse nations are Albania and many of the islands of the Caribbean where only one language is spoken.

 V.  People
    China has the highest population in the world with 1.2 billion.  India is second with 1 billion. The population density record belongs to the two city-sized nations of Monaco and Macau with around 18 thousand people per square kilometer.  Singapore is third with about 6.5 thousand per square kilometer.  Of larger nations, Indonesia is the most densely populated with 940 people per square kilometer.  I think the most significant fact about the world's population is that half of us live within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of the coast and 15 of the world's largest cities are on the coast.
    

What do we mean by "Global Environmental Health"?

     According to the World Health Organization (WHO) "Environmental health addresses all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related factors impacting behaviors. It encompasses the assessment and control of those environmental factors that can potentially affect health. It is targeted towards preventing disease and creating health-supportive environments. This definition excludes behavior not related to environment, as well as behavior related to the social and cultural environment, and genetics."  That's a pretty complex definition and I'm not sure precisely how to decipher it! It sounds like the major issues we will be investigating are climate change, flooding, drought, and the world-wide shortage of potable water as well as shortages of food caused by insects, animals, and disease.  I would not expect to address issues involving the influence of governments, corporations, or organizations on the health of a community or portion of that community.

     As for addressing a colleagues previous blog, I chose Kerri's remarks about the destructive flooding along the Mississippi River.  Kerri, having lived in New Orleans for four years back in the nineties, I am astounded that the Mississippi hasn't wiped out every town from Minneapolis to Venice, La. at the mouth of the river.  Flooding is common along the Mississippi from Minnesota all the way to the Gulf.  Because the river gets larger the farther it flows, the Army Corps of Engineers has better levees down south.  The fact is that we have tricked the "Big Muddy" into submission a few too many times.  The Corps is attempting to stop something nature intended as a regular occurrence.  I think it would be ridiculous to think that climate change isn't a major player in the events taking place along the river today but mankind's folly is in arrogantly thinking that we can prevent a natural cycle that had gone on for millions of years before we ever began to tinker around with things.  The Mississippi discharges up to 700,000 gal/sec into the Gulf of Mexico.  I think we are being pretty arrogant if we think we can continue to control that kind of flow without frequent mishaps, especially in light of the the climate change issues.  What do you think?

... and not a drop to drink!

Hi, everyone.  My name is Keith. I'm a former U.S. Marine and a very "non-typical" undergrad student.  That's just a politically correct way saying I'm old.  Frankly, I would just as soon be called an old guy!  I'm not real sensitive about my age.  I'm a Junior majoring in Environmental Studies and Policy.  I'm originally from a small town in extreme SW Ga called Blakley (no, not Bleckley County).
     During our electronic summer together, I would like to take a "big picture"look at the world's water issues and consider the most practical and effective approach to minimizing its impact on impoverished and developing economies as well as our own nation and other developed areas of the global community.  My approach would usually center on the local or regional aspects of the water problem.  I think we have too many "bleeding hearts" that think the nearest problem that is worth their precious time is somewhere thousands of miles away while they ignore the plight of their own neighbors.  I would like for us to consider the global prospective.  That includes us, too, ya know!
     Air and water are vital to human life.  In my opinion, that makes clean water a human rights issue.  When one person deprives another person of air to the point of death, we call it murder.  Isn't it the same thing when a person is systematically deprived of water.  That happens all over the world on a daily basis!
     Prominent Canadian activist Maude Barlow recently discussed the water woes in Atlanta and the drought that is affecting the southeastern U. S..  Read the short article at http://www.alternet.org/water/76819/ where Ms. Barlow addresses this issue.