Central and Eastern Europe Environmental Issues Essay Example

Central and Eastern Europe Environmental Issues Essay Example Central and Eastern Europe Environmental Issues Paper Central and Eastern Europe Environmental Issues Paper Essay Topic: East Of Eden Abstract Eastern Rupees environmental problems are not as simple as they may seem on the surface. The environmental problems that face Eastern Europe are complicated by political, economic, and social implications. The current environmental problems are a bi-product of rapid industrial expansion under a socialist government. The soviet government was more concerned with surpassing the western cultures in technology and military might than the environmental damage they were doing to their country. The following paragraphs will address the current environmental problems facing Eastern Europe, the various solutions to the environmental problems, and the efforts taken to correct the environmental problems. Environmental Problems in Europe Eastern Europe during the asses had rapidly become the industrial giant for the Soviet Union. Massive industrial factories would be built throughout the eastern bloc of the Soviet Union and the factories used obsolete technology to provide the industrial needs of the country. The heavy industrial activity characteristic of the post-World War II period took a heavy toll on both the regions population and its environment(LLC. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2010). Various local populations were suffering from high rates of cancer, respiratory issues, and infant moralities. The environments in the areas around the industrial regions were also being damaged on unprecedented levels. Legacy of Pollution According to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (2010), The outmoded, energy-intensive technologies were such an integral part of Central and Eastern Europe (ICE) and New Independent States of the former Soviet Union (ENS) regions economy in the post-war era not only wasted sources, but also caused severe local, regional, and trans-boundary pollution problems. Not only was the industrial technology outdated, the communication among the post-war government, local governments, and various environmental ministries was ripe with secrecy and non-communication between each other. The results would prove to be catastrophic pollution of the air, surface water, soil, ground water, marine zones, and coastal areas. Air Pollution Air pollution in Eastern Europe is the top concern because of the levels of sulfur dioxide found in all the industrial areas. High levels of sulfur dioxide exposure can lead to asthmatic children and adults, respiratory illness, decreased lung defenses, and worsening Of existing cardiovascular diseases. When Sulfur Dioxide is exposed to rain it creates acid rain and raises the acidity level of everything it touches such as soil, lakes, and streams. Buildings corrode faster and there is also a reduction in visibility. Water Pollution Agricultural and industrial practices were causing large spread water pollution because of outdated waste regulation practices and no environmental regulation. According to Oilier (1 990), Drinking-water supplies throughout Eastern Europe are heavily contaminated. Vast reaches of the Fistula River in Poland, which drains much of the country, are classified as unfit for use even by industry. The Baltic and Black Sea coasts are badly degraded by domestic sewage, agricultural run-off, and heavy metals and organic pollutants from industry. The Eastern Europe governments have been slow to implement solutions to purify the drinking water in the various regions. Soil Pollution Samples of produce from upper Poland have yielded 30 to 70 higher regenerates of cadmium, lead, zinc and mercury then acceptable levels listed by the World Health Organization. The high percentages of these heavy materials indicate how polluted the soil is in the upper polish regions. In Hungary alone, waste generators dispose Of more than 500,000 tons waste found in illegal landfills. The local government has trouble tracking any kind of waste transportation and disposal due to obsolete tracking processes, and because not all waste is indicated as waste before being disposed of. Eastern Europe is wreaked with not only environmental problems, but also tit government, and local government problems also. The good news is that there are viable solutions to the environmental problems that the Eastern Europe countries are having. Viable Environmental Solutions The environmental problems that face Central and Eastern Europe are much the same as any other country in the world with one exception, the proximity of the environmental hazards. Most countries in the world deal with environmental hazards, but the hazards are spread out over different parts of the country. Central and Eastern Europe are unique when it comes o environmental disasters because Central and Eastern Europe was the industrial might behind the soviet military. For every environmental disaster Central and Eastern Europe faces, there is a viable solution thanks to modern technology and proven environmental regulations. Possible environmental solutions Because of the vast environmental disasters throughout Central and Eastern Europe there are several possible environmental solutions. The possible environmental solutions that Central and Eastern Europe are considering will be decided by the cost of the solution, ease of implementation, and consultation from environmental agencies such as the United States Environmental Agency. Even with the various economic, governmental agency communication problems, and various ecological disasters Central and Eastern Europe have a number of viable solutions. Air Pollution Solutions One of the possible remedies for air quality in Europe would be to switch to burning low sulfur coal. When coal is burned, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury compounds are released. For that reason, coal- fired boilers are required to have control devices to reduce the amount of missions that are released. The amount of sulfur oxides produced by power can be reduced by using coal with low amounts of sulfur present. Another possible air solution would be to use scrubbers. Scrubbers are an air pollution control system that removes pollutants from the air stream they are most commonly used to help control the emissions of sulfur into our air. There are a few pipes of scrubber, Air scrubbers, wet scrubbers, and gas scrubbers are differentiated by the manner in which they remove gases and particulates from the air; either wet or dry. Wet scrubbers literally wash dust ND particles out of the air. Exhaust air is forced into a spray chamber, where fine water particles cause the dust to drop from the air stream. The dust- laden water is then treated to remove the solid material and is often re- circulated. Dry scrubbers are used more commonly with acid gases. The pollutant is collected On or in a solid or liquid material, which is injected into the gas stream. A dry scrubber produces a dry product that must be collected downstream from this control device. Water Pollution Solutions One of the many possible water pollution solutions would be aeration. Aerating is the process to bring river water at the bottom of rivers up to the surface so that the entire river is oxygenated by the atmosphere surface to bottom. They can do this by pumping air into bodies of water at the very bottom. On the other hand Central and Eastern Europe could use more wastewater treatment plants these types of plants would drastically help the water quality in Central and Eastern Europe by removing harmful bacterias, animal wastes and pollutants and then recycling the clean water back into their system.. Soil There are many different types of soil pollution that hurt the environment ND by treating Sewage before dumping wastes would cut back on many of the current environmental issues. Spraying pesticides may be good for the crops but MIS destroying the soil and the drain off into the water system is affected by this as well. Cutting down on the usage of fossil fuels would create less solid waste and harmful gases that may seep into the soil. Eastern Europe needs to adapt to more of these possible solutions. Using low sulfur coals, Scrubbers and limestone in the remedies of air pollution would set a chain reaction in the environment the water would then become leaner along with the soil. These remedies may not fix the issue completely for Eastern Europe, but it would help them greatly. Efforts to correct Central and Eastern Europe have been left untouched since the end of the Nazi/German rule and the fall of the Great Berlin Wall on November 9th, 1989. Many of the people living in such a terrible environment still struggle every day to survive, but it is not a war against other countries it has turned into an environmental war and one that is near impossible for them to win without help. As with most all larger countries around the world Eastern and Central Europe are suffering from the same types of environmental issues but, in their case they do not have the means that we do in order to make the necessary changes that they need. Practical and low cost solutions need to be the wave of the future and used as often as possible. The problems need to be prioritize based on the highest health risk and the surrounding public will be educated and involved in its own environmental decision making. AIR- Airborne pollution is said to be one of the greatest environmental risks identified in the region. There is a large amount of sulfur dioxide found in the IR, it comes from several different places but are byproducts of several different types of older industrial facilities like the old coal burning power plants that used to be found there (ERA). The Ignited states are one of the few countries in which it is a law for vehicle owners to participate in an annual emissions test. The Czech government however has accelerated its efforts in cleaning the air pollution through it $240 million project that will assist its residents in converting homes from coal to natural gas in hopes to subsidize conversion costs (EPA). Along with this local agencies in many areas lack the equipment needed to assess and identify local problems so the Krakow Air Monitoring project. This project is under the supervision of the EPA and the Polish environmental experts are working together to identify and measure the major sources of industrial, residential and vehicle emissions testing (EPA). Along with such a huge problem facing the countries the EPA has also transferred some very low-cost techniques to help them out. Water pollution- Along with clean air there is the Krakow Water and Wastewater Improvement project, the idea here is to provide safe drinking water to city residents. Most people are drinking from contaminated drinking sources, especially those outside of the city limits. The idea here is not only to decontaminate the water before it is consumed, but to attack the problem at the source and to educate the people of the possible affects that waste dumping in insecure facilities can have on them and their families. The Krakow project as a result installed modern connation and chlorination equipment that in turn disinfected the drinking water of 400,000 residents in the area. It also focused on the improvement the forming of the Arab River Watershed Association as well as focusing on the agricultural runoff into local streams and rivers (EPA). In addition to this a team of EPA, Wisconsin, and Latvia environmental managers have also come up with a solution to protect supplies of future ground water in Disvalues, this is where the national ground water protection strategy is based. Solid and Hazardous Waste- All types Of waste needs to be dumped somewhere and the most contaminated solid waste sites are often found on military bases in Eastern Europe. They can be found on active or former military base cites, these are still dumping ties. Children in these areas are affected the most and are still being diagnosed with very high blood-lead levels, due to these case studies the EPA has provided special equipment and training to local officials to assess possible impacts of lead exposure. Due to such high levels of exposure in certain areas additional support has been provided by Romania officials to assist areas in the cleanup of contaminated soil, the Czech Council of Ministers even committed to assist the cleanup of future development cites by approving $40 million to get started, this is called Project Ecclesia. This is to the only cleanup plan in effect there is also the Solid Waste Policy Demonstration Project, this idea helps to train local communities in the proper way to carry out more effective policies of cleaning and recycling waste. Pilot programs include the construction of new sanitary landfills, the cleanup of existing landfills, curbside recycling, are probably the most important public outreach programs taking place (EPA). Technology Transfer- the EPA has also helped with the development of a geographic information system (GIS), this system helps to track different trends that occur over time. The GIS is a computer-based mapping system that over time will Store and track other environmental information that identifies pollution source and tracks it over time. This system will help the public become more informed and promote better decision making (EPA). The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Management Project is yet one more idea that is hoped to assist different storage areas of nuclear material in a quick-turnaround of radiochemistry data in case of any future leaks and potential disasters. To be able to assist such tracking a mobile radiology laboratory was created by the EPA along tit the United Nations Development Program and SAID, have provided the Ukraine with possibly one of the worlds best equipped mobile radiation monitoring laboratories.

Self Assessment and Writing a Graduate Admissions Essay

Self Assessment and Writing a Graduate Admissions Essay The  admissions essay  bewilders most graduate school applicants yet it is a vital part of the application that cannot be ignored.  The  admissions essay serves an important purpose because it permits you to speak directly to the graduate committee. This is an important opportunity thats also a big source of stress for applicants. Most admit that they dont know where to begin. Writing your admissions essay is a process, not a discrete event. Writing an effective essay requires preparation  You must gather the information needed to compose the essay, understand the task at hand, and decide what you would like to convey. Here are some tips to help you gather the information needed to compose a graduate admissions essay that sets you apart from the rest. Conduct a Personal Assessment The first step is to conduct a thorough self-assessment. Leave yourself plenty of time because this is a process of self-exploration that you dont want to rush. Sit down with a pad or at the keyboard, and begin writing. Dont censor yourself in any way. Just write what feels natural. Begin taking notes on what drives you. Describe your hopes, dreams, and aspirations. What do you hope to gain from graduate study? Granted, most of this information may not make it into the essay, but your goal at this point is to brainstorm. Identity as much of your personal history as possible so that you can carefully sift through and sort out events and personal items that will strengthen your essay. Consider: HobbiesProjects that youve completedJobsResponsibilitiesAccomplishments in the personal and scholastic arenaMajor life events that have changed youChallenges and hurdles youve overcomeLife events that motivate your educationPeople who have influenced you or motivated you  Traits, work habits, and attitudes that will ensure your success your goals Carefully consider your academic record and personal accomplishments. How do the attitudes, values, and personal qualities that youve listed correspond to these experiences? Try to pair them up. For example, your curiosity and thirst for knowledge may have led you to conduct independent research with a professor. Consider how each pair of attitudes/personal qualities and experiences show that youre prepared to excel in graduate school. Also, consider these questions that will help you gather information that will be useful in writing your essays. Once you have a master list, carefully examine the information that youve listed. Remember that the information that you chose to present can portray you as a positive and upbeat person or as a tired and discouraged student. Think about the image that you want to portray and revise your master list accordingly. Use the revised list as a basis for all of your admissions essays. Carefully consider  what you should (and should not!) include in your essay. Do Your Research Research the programs that interest you. Read the brochure, check the website, gather all information possible to help you determine what the admissions committee is looking for from potential students. Your research should provide enough of a knowledge base about the school to tailor your essay to it. Show that youre interested and that youve taken the time to learn about the program. Take careful notes on each program and note where your personal interests, qualities, and accomplishments coincide. Consider the Questions Posed If youre truly interested in the  graduate programs to which youre applying (and with a $50 application fee for most schools, you should be interested!), take the time to tailor your essay to each program. One size clearly does not fit all. Many applications require that students address specific questions in their admissions essays, such as  these common admissions essay topics. Make sure that youre answering the question. Take time to think about the question, the central theme asked, and how it corresponds to your master list of experiences/personal qualities. Some applications offer a string of questions. Pay attention to your responses and try to avoid being redundant. Consider How to Organize Your Essay Before you begin your essay,  familiarize yourself with the basic structure of admissions essays. As you begin to write, remember that this is your chance to present your strengths and really shine. Take advantage of it. Discuss your accomplishments, valuable experiences, and emphasize the positive. Make it involved and engaging. Show that youre motivated. Remember that the committee is composed of professionals who have read hundreds, even thousands of such statements over the years. Make yours stand out. Your admissions essay is a story that tells the graduate admissions committee who you are and what you can offer. Granted, the questions posed will differ by program, but the general challenge is to introduce yourself and describe your potential as a successful candidate. A careful self-assessment and consideration of the program and the questions posed will aid in your endeavor to write a winning personal statement.