ENVS01_Siegel

 Growing up in California I was used to water restrictions. Brown lawns, dry grass, and common drought warnings were ingrained early on. I never really questioned it or knew why this was, but it all seemed normal to me. In lecture, when we learned about how water accessibility is a common problem in this state, everything started to make sense. I was shocked when I found out that only 0.024% of Earth's water is actually accessible freshwater. I had to read that twice. That's almost nothing. And we're wasting it constantly. The Colorado River video was very unsettling to watch. That river supplies water to 40 million people and it's been in drought since 1999. There were shots of Lake Mead with these massive white rings on the canyon walls showing where the water used to be. The river doesn't even make it to the ocean anymore. It just stops. Thats something that stuck with me. In the Nat Geo episode, the probkem started to look more global. In many countries, water i...

 This week's topic covered many things; however, water availability was the most important thing that I've learned so far. Before this, I mostly saw water shortages as something that happened in places that commonly have desert environments, such as the Middle East and even certain regions of California. However, after learning about the Colorado River, it changed my perspective a lot. Knowing that major water sources support places like California and how they have become overused made it feel a lot closer to home. One thing that stood out to me the most was just how much water agriculture really uses. The crops that are not even directly feeding people use an immense amount of water, and everything from how we eat to what we wear is connected to water use. The idea that countries or groups can control water flow or even weaponize it was honestly disturbing, and it showed me just how much of a resource it really is. Personally, because I live in California, I've experience...

  This week's topic focused on climate change and air pollution. It made me think a lot about how normal it feels growing up and seeing pollution when it really shouldn't. In California, hazy skies and bad air days are incredibly common due to wildfires, and this has been something that I only now realize should not be the default in our state. This is something that many Californians are exposed to regularly, and one thing that stood out to me is just how much air pollution is linked with serious health issues like asthma and heart disease. It made me think of all the times where I've had headaches or felt tired outside and didn't question it. Living near big, busy roads and in the middle of the city also increases exposure more than I realized. Culturally, I feel like people just accept it as part of modern life, especially in big cities. We focus more on the convenience of things such as driving our cars, and we don't think about the long-term effects that they ...