Roberta Bondar

I have been asked to choose an astronaut with whom I may wish to brainstorm solutions that may help me with my most important ecological issue. Currently, my most important ecological issue is the adverse impact of human activity on the environment, which can contribute to negative changes in the climate. For this task, I have chosen Dr. Roberta Bondar.

Born 1944 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Neurologist Roberta Lynn Bondar is the first female Canadian astronaut to go to space.  She showed interest in science from an early age. Her interests in science eventually lead to a bachelor of science in zoology and agriculture, a master of science in experimental pathology, a doctorate in neuroscience, and a doctorate in medicine (Roberta Bondar’s wikipedia page). In addition to her achievements in various scientific and academic fields, Roberta ha

She began her astronaut training in 1984, and then did her first space mission as part of the 1992 crew of Space Shuttle Discovery, during that mission, she performed over 40 experiments in the Spacelab.

Since her astronaut days, She has been a consultant and speaker to diverse organizations, providing insight from her vast knowledge and experience as an astronaut, physician, scientific researcher, and environment interpreter.

In addition to her achievements in various scientific and academic fields, Roberts has had experience and involvement with climate advocacy and education. She has been active in many scientific and climate related causes. In 2009, she helped found the Roberta Bondar foundation, with the fundamental belief  that “the more we learn about our environment and the better we become at asking important questions, the better equipped we will be both to respond to change and to influence positive change”. The foundation has a mission to cultivate “a sense of awe, respect and appreciation for other life forms that share our planet” (Roberta Bondar foundation, our history). Her foundation hosts sponsored lectures and seminars with the goal of making substantial contributions toward heightening a population-wide appreciation of our environment and advancing our individual and collective desire to contribute toward its well being for today and tomorrow. Through these lectures and seminars, her foundation makes “substantial contributions toward heightening a population-wide appreciation of our environment and advancing our individual and collective desire to contribute toward its well being for today and tomorrow” (Lectures and Seminars). 

Roberta's resume, experiences and achievements are proof of her many skills that may be transferrable to me if I have given a chance to talk to her, or work for her. Among many transferable skills that she may have, I am interested in collaboration, communication, and global citizenship. I will discuss why I think she has these skills, and why I think there are relevant to my environmental cause, based on what I know about her.

My major ecological concern is the negative impacts of human activity on the planet which can cause negative changes in the climate.  A lot is being done by scientist, activists, and politicians around the world to combat the negative effects of climate change. While taking action to address the direct aspects and causes of climate change is important. I believe that it is equally important to reach out and help climate skeptics realize that climate change is a real thing affected by our activities. I would like to have a brainstorming session with Roberta and ask her about various ways in which I may be able to reach a wider and skeptic audience and persuade them to examine for themselves the scientific and narrative evidence of climate change and negative effects of human activity on the environment. I think Roberta’s education and experiences as an astronaut, physician, public speaker, and also as a speaker and the founder of her foundation is proof of her ability to communicate and collaborate with people of various backgrounds and education. More importantly, I think that her work through her foundation is proof of her understanding of diverse nature of the world we live in. It is also a proof of her desire as a global citizen to raise awareness about, and promote ecological, social, and economic habits that are important to living in a sustainable world. 

 As I was doing my research on her, I came across a TEDx Talk video in which she talks about facing the unknown (How do we face the unknown?). I was inspired by her power of communication and the depth of the material which she easily communicates with her audience. This, to me, was further evidence that Roberta is a perfect collaborator for me to brainstorm my thoughts and concerns, and seek guidance on how to raise awareness about climate change, especially among the climate skeptics.  

 

Sources and References
- Roberta Bondar (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberta_Bondar)
- Roberta Bondar foundation, our history (https://therobertabondarfoundation.org/about-the-foundation/our-history/)
- Lectures and Seminars (https://therobertabondarfoundation.org/initiatives/lectures-and-seminars/)
- How do we face the unknown? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUQ4H3Iy-ps)

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Periodic Table and My Environmental Concerns

 I know that elements are pure substances that consist of a single type of particle or atom. The periodic table helps me better understand the way the elements are categorized. It can help me identify characteristics of an element, its number of valence electrons for main group elements (groups 1, 2, 13, 14, 15. 16, 17, 18), its possible interactions and reactions with other elements. It can also help distinguish between metals, metalloids and non-metals.  It can give me valuable information such as each element’s symbol, the period number which tells me the number of orbits around the nucleus, the number of electrons.   

My ecological concern is the extensive use of fertilizers in agriculture. 

The elements of fertilizers that play a role with my ecological concern are nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. While these elements are essential to growth and nutrition of plants, too much of them can have serious adverse impacts on the environment. 

The reasons I believe these elements are connected to my ecological concern include:

Nitrogen (N):  

 Too much Nitrogen in the soil can lead to an overgrowth of foliar plant at the expense of flowers and fruits sets which can negatively impact the bees. Energy used for leaf growth can stifle the root system with high nitrogen soil levels. Roots slow their naturally spreading habit since they do not have the necessary nutrients to use as energy as the elements are redirected upward. This can destabilize the root system of several different plants (The Effects of Too Much Nitrogen in Plants).

Furthermore, the excessive nitrogen from the soil might transfer to the aquatic ecosystem via runoffs. This can lead to excessive amount of nutrition for, and overgrowth of planktons and algae, can lead to eutrophication and negatively impact the balance of the aquatic ecosystems. 

Potassium (K):

Potassium makes plants stronger and helps them resist diseases. It plays an important role in increasing crop yields and overall quality. However, too much of it can negatively impact the way the soil absorbs other important nutrients (Potassium Rich Soil: Tips For Lowering Potassium Levels).

Phosphorus (P):

 High amounts of phosphorus can lead to zinc and iron deficiencies in the soil. This can starve plants from these important minerals and can lead to the weakness and withering of plants. (Lowering Phosphorus Levels – Correcting High Phosphorus in Soil).

The excessive amounts of Phosphorus in the soil might transfer to the aquatic ecosystem and provide excessive nutrients for planktons and algae.

In general excessive amounts of the main elements of fertilizer can have negative impacts on not only the soil quality, but the aquatic ecosystem as well by increasing the chance of eutrophication which is a condition where there are too many nutrients, especially phosphorus, in the water.

 

image source: https://byjus.com/chemistry/eutrophication/

 Eutrophication can lead to algal blooms which turn the water green, the algae eventually die, and their remains sink to the bottom of the lake where bacteria will cause them to decompose. This may remove excessive amounts of oxygen from the water, and create dead zones at lower depths where fish may go to seek cooler temperatures. Lack of oxygen will be fatal to the fish.

 

image source: https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-and-solutions-to-eutrophication.php

Sources and References:

 
-    The Effects of Too Much Nitrogen in Plants (https://homeguides.sfgate.com/effects-much-nitrogen-plants-43755.html)
-    Potassium Rich Soil: Tips For Lowering Potassium Levels (https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/lowering-potassium-levels.htm)
-    Lowering Phosphorus Levels – Correcting High Phosphorus In Soil (https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/high-phosphorus-in-soil.htm)

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Long-Time Environmental Activist Becomes a Minister

 I have been asked to research and choose a person in my community who is passionate about an ecological concerns of mine. My immediate concern is the effect of human activity on environment and climate change.

The person I chose is Steven Guilbeault. He is a long-time climate activist, and a published author, who has been Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change since October 26, 2021.

After studying computer science, he switched to political science. He then became president of his faculty’s student association and took part in activities of the Canadian Human Rights Foundation. He later joined GRIP, a group formed by Ralph Nader, the renowned American consumer advocate.  In 1993, Guilbeault helped found ASSED, following the Earth summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. According to their website, the company seeks to motivate and influence people to take action transition towards ecological transition in areas of food and agriculture, transportation and mobility, climate and energy, and production and consumption.

He joined Greenpeace Canada in 1997, and was put in charge of its climate change division. He later became the organizations Quebec bureau chief in 2000. He made news in 2001 when he climbed CN tower with Chris Holden, a British activist and unfurling a banner that read “Canada and Bush Climate Killers", for which he was arrested and charged with mischief.
 

 

Guilbeault entered the provincial politics in Quebec and sat in the climate change advisory committees of different Quebec governments. He was then noticed by federal liberal minister, Stephane Dion, who said that Guilbeault "is among the select few in the environmental community with whom it is important to remain in contact, because his reactions and his opinions will count”. 

Justin Trudeau appointed Guilbeault as Canada’s minister of heritage in 2019 and as minister of environment and climate change in 2021.

 

I selected Steven Guilbeault because I find his journey from a student to activist to minister inspiring.  I think he is a person with strong climate protection and environmental convictions. He has been instrumental in a number of important government policies such as Oil Sands exploration restrictions and reduction in fertilizer use. These policies can lead to reduction in Canada’s CO2 emissions and the amount of nitrates, phosphates, and potassium in the land and the aquatic ecosystems. 

Guilbeaut has a rather active Twitter presence Steven Guilbeault (@s_guilbeault) · Twitter that I follow. He Twits about a variety of topic and policies.

I will continue to follow his Twits, look for his speeches and, hopefully, if I ever meet him, I will ask him about what motivated him to become and environmental activist and seek his advice on how to become a successful activist.

Sources and References

- Steven Guilbeault (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Guilbeault) 

- Steven Guilbeault’s not so secret agenda (https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/01/steven-guilbeault-canada-environment-minister-518446)

- Liberals nominate anti-pipeline activist Steven Guilbeault to take Montreal NDP seat (https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-liberals-nominate-anti-pipeline-activist-steven-guilbeault-to-take/)

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The Impact of Human Activity on Bee Population

 

In the previous post, Decline in Bee Population , I talked about the decline in bee population and its serious ecological consequences. Human activity has been one of the most important contributors to the decline bee population in the terrestrial ecosystem. While humans have not directly competed with the bees and have not actively killed the bees, their activities have worsened some of the limiting factors, such as temperature, pollution and habitat that affect the growth in bee population. 

Bees are a crucial part of our environment. They are one of the main sources of pollination. They are essential to plant life, and as such essential to the health of the terrestrial ecosystem.  According to an article published by Fairmont, “one in every three bites of food consumed around the world depends on pollinators, bees in particular” and “bees are responsible for the reproduction of alfalfa and clover, which feed cattle and other grazing animals”. 

In recent years, the bee population has suffered a steady decline in many places.  According to the following video by CBC news, many farmers in Quebec have experienced reduced crops due to the decline in bee populations. Some commercial bee keepers have suffered up to 70% loss in their bee stock.

 

 

 

According to the video, the largest culprit has been the Varroa mites, which are tiny red-brown external parasites of honey bees.

 

 

 

According to an article by CBC, warm weather has contributed towards a rise in the parasite population. According to the scientific community, human activity has contributed to rapid increase in the amount of CO2 globally. This can and has increased the greenhouse effects that have lead to an overall warmer temperature than previous years. Serious changes in human activity and reduction in the use of fossil fuels is needed in order to slow down the rise in temperature as a limiting factor for the bee population. Various human activity such as deforestation, and burning of fossil fuels have been major contributors to the increased, and increasing level of CO2.

 

The burning of fossil fuels and exhaust fumes from cars and other vehicles can have negative effects on insect pollinators such as bees. According to an article by YaleEnviroment360, “Air pollution may be making it harder for bees and other insects to follow the scent of flowers, reducing pollination by as much as a third”. The article mentions that “scientists found a 14 to 31 percent reduction in pollination among plants exposed to polluted air”. Reduction in pollination can lead to reduction of types of plants that bees rely on, resulting in further decline in the bee population, which intern can further reduce the plant population. If this continues it may lead to spiraling dire effects on the ecosystems that rely on bees for pollination and plant growth. 

 

In addition to the exhaust fumes from the burning of fossil fuels, human use of pesticides and herbicides have increased the amount of pollution in the terrestrial ecosystem. According another article by YaleEnvironment360, “Bees exposed to a neonicotinoid pesticide are able to fly just a third of the distance that unexposed bees can and stay in the air for far less time”. This implies that bees become weaker to exposure to pesticides, and cannot fly as far as they could have, and cannot pollinate as wide a range of land as they would have. Herbicides use has also contributed to adverse environmental effects that have limited the growth of bee population. Herbicide use can kill plants that may have been used by bees. It can also expose bees to chemicals that may be detrimental to their health. 

 

 In addition to rising temperatures and use of pollutants, urbanization has led to reduction in the bee’s natural habitat.  Urbanization also exposes the surrounding nature to diverse human activates such as burning fossil fuels to heat their humans and drive their vehicles, which, in turn, adds to the other limiting factors I discussed above. 

 

Various human activities such as urbanization, deforestation, use of pesticides, and use of fossil fuels have negatively impacted the habitat and food cycle of bees, acted as a strong limiting factor on the resources available to the bees and on their population growth. This has reduced the carrying capacity of bees, and resulted in the bee population reaching a plateau at a significantly lower level than before. 

 

A picture is worth many words, some say:

 

This is a graph of population growth in the US, Canada, and South Dakota from 1935 to 2015

 

 

This is a graph of bee colony changes in the US

This is a graph of bee colony changes in Canada and South Dakota

images from https://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/HS-LS_Bee_Colony_version2.pdf)

 

 

We can clearly see that human population growth in the US and Canada has led to decline in bee colonies. On the other hand, South Dakota's flat population growth has led to increasing bee colonies in that state.

 

This negative overall trend, if not reversed, will get worse.

It may not be too late for us to change our ways to lessen our negative effects on the environment. But, if we never change our ways, it will defiantly be too late to save the environment.

Sources and references:

 

- Life Without Bees: The Effects on Food (https://www.fairmont.com/infographics/life-without-bees/)

 

- Canada's bee colonies see worst loss in 20 years, explosion of mites blamed (https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/canada-bee-mortality-1.6530171)

- Air Pollution Makes It Harder for Bees to Sniff Out Flowers, Study Finds (https://e360.yale.edu/digest/air-pollution-makes-it-harder-for-bees-to-sniff-out-flowers-study-finds)

 

- Neonicotinoids Significantly Limit How Far Bees Can Fly, Study Finds (https://e360.yale.edu/digest/neonicotinoids-significantly-limit-how-far-bees-can-fly-study-finds)

 

- Colony Collapse Disorder nd an Analysis of Honey Bee Colony Numbers (https://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/HS-LS_Bee_Colony_version2.pdf)

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Decline in Bee Population

Bees are a crucial part of our environment. They are the most important pollinators in nature. They are instrumental in plant reproduction. They help with biodiversity and the dispersal of species into new regions and, therefore, help with the enrichment of the biosphere of other regions.
 

A decline in the bee population can have serious and wide ranging effects throughout the planet. Plants that rely on pollinators will be vulnerable to extinction. This can lead to threat to the survival of other species that rely on such plants. Many animals such that rely on bees as their food source will suffer from shortage of food. this can lead to adverse effects and major changes to the ecosystems.
 

There has been a steady decline in the bee population across globe over the past few years.  The data over the past few years has become more and more disturbing. According to a post by petpedia.co (petpedia.co/bee-statistics):

• There’s a 2.96 million decline in honey bee colonies over the years in the US. 
• US beekeepers lost an average of 40% of their honey bee colonies in 2018. 
• Utah beekeepers lost 49.1% of their colonies over the winter of 2019. 
• The EU is the second-biggest producer of honey globally. 
• There are 81 million western honey bee hives globally. 
• North Dakota has the highest honey production with over 38 million pounds. 
• The bee population in 2019 consisted primarily of wild bees. 
• Honey production in has declined by 90% in the 2019/2020 bushfire season. 
• Some bee species in the UK have become entirely extinct. 
• Canada’s honey production in 2018 was 15.4% higher than in 2019
  

 The following image published by the European Parliament (www.europarl.europa.eu) depicts the dire situation of the bee population in Europe

Human beings are a major contributor to the decline in the bee population. Among the reasons we can cite are the use of insecticide and herbicide, and the loss of their habitat due to growing urbanization. Climate change and global warming are other big contributors to the decline in bee population at a global level. 

In the short term, this decline will cause reduction in pollination, which will reduce a variety of agricultural products. It will also have adverse impacts on the food chain of species that rely on bees.
In the long term, there will be shortage of food, and changes to biosphere in some regions which, in turn, can lead o mass migration from areas that are severely affected, to areas that are less affected. 

 Eventually, all four spheres of any ecosystem will be adversely affected by a decline in the bee population. The biosphere will suffer from extinction of several plants and animals. This will change the effect that those organisms have on oxygen and carbon dioxide patterns which will eventually impact the atmosphere. A change in the atmosphere will have an impact on the hydrosphere. Over time, these changes will impact the shape of the surrounding land and therefore will have an impact on the lithosphere.

The decline in the bee population has been serious enough for scientists to conceptualize different ways of substituting bees with mechanical devices such as Plan B, and NewBees, which are both robotic pollinators.

While the efforts of the scientific community is laudable, It is much better to address and reduce the harmful human activities that have contributed to the decline of the bee population.  
 
 Sources and References:

Introduction: The Importance of Bees Worldwide) (https://www.fairmont.com/infographics/the-decline-of-bees/)

(What Would Happen If All the Bees Died? (https://www.britannica.com/story/what-would-happen-if-all-the-bees-died)

43 Frightening Bee Statistics to Know (https://petpedia.co/bee-statistics/)

On the Verge of Exrinction (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/resources/library/images/20191203PHT67953/20191203PHT67953_original.jpg

 'Plan Bee' drone can pollinate flowers when real bees can't (https://www.cnet.com/science/plan-bee-drone-designed-to-pollinate-flowers-in-style/ )

 

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Science All Around Us

Hello everyone,

Welcome to my blog. My name is Ilene. I am a grade 9 student from Ontario, Canada. Here, I will be posting my work for my grade 9 science assignments. I am new to blogging and hope to become better at it as I post here. 

I have always liked science studies.  There is science all around us. There is science behind everything we do. There is science in the way we breathe. There is science in the way our brain functions. There is science behind conversion of food to energy in our bodies. There is even science as we dissolve sugar in our coffees.  Science impacts us and everything around us. Without study of science we would not understand the world properly.

Will I pursue a career in science?

Most probably not. My primary area of interest is music. I plan to study music academically. Had music not been my first choice, I would have definitely chosen science, specifically, animal biology.

 Thank you very much for visiting my blog. I hope you find my posts informative.
 

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