Monarch Butterflies

The great Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, has been dying off for the past years. But, now an environmental group has sued EPA on allowing the use of a herbicide, glyphosate, and other herbicides by Monsanto Co's Roundup. The environmental groups and NRDC,Natural Resources Defense Council, wants EPA to review the harmful effects of herbicide on Monarch Butterflies. EPA claims that the science behind the herbicide is still evolving. The lawsuit claims that the number of Monarch butterflies have dropped from 1 billion to 56 million. This is a problem that our country must address.

Monarch Butteflies

(http://www.reuters.com/news/picture/environmental-group-sues-us-epa-over-mon?articleId=USKBN0LV2F320150227)

Monarch Butterflies are some of our State's butterfly and they look pretty and adorable. Monarch butterflies are required to pollinate vegetation, eat rotting fruits, and aphids. We need these beautiful Monarch butterflies to ensure that America's wild life stays in balance and to ensure that our tourism is not hindered. These majestic creatures are truly majestic, for I have seen them fluttered. Nature adapts, but we must help Nature.

Migration route

 (http://paulmirocha.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Monarch-Map_MW.jpg)

-Stephen

Pig Farms and The Environment

Large farms/factories that produce livestock, such as pigs are what feed America's growing population with delicious pork products, such as bacon, but residents around such farms are not happy. These farms produce a lot of manure, which are then used to fertilize surrounding farm fields or are just flung into the rivers. Which causes residents to complain about the smell, using law suites saying that they con not enjoy their property, and that the rivers are not clean enough to drink out of. Environmentalists, residents, animal rights activists, and supporters of local farmers are fighting against the large farms. The large farms/factories say that they do follow environmental standards, but not all factory farms do as some residents complained on how the drinking water is not clean. Most active activity with these farms are from Washington State to North Carolina.

These farms/factories are what keeping pork and other meat products low. Beef takes too long to make, but it is pretty good for the time it takes. This is exactly what the American public must fear, an increase in prices for meat products if we were to stop these farms and factories from growing. However, it may be sufficient to feed America's current and near future population, it will not be enough with our increasing population. We also need these farm/factories to send out pork exports and make jobs. However, if necessary precautions are not done, then the surrounding lands around the farms/factories will become polluted. So it must be up to the American public, since there must be more people protesting on the issue, for deciding which is more important, livestock or our America. If there were any vegetarians reading this article, my jokes on meat products were meant to be humorous, I did not mean to offend anyone.

-Stephen

Note, although these pigs are free from cages, most farms are not like that.

More Producation, less pollution; doable

Companies in the U.S. has been reducing Sulfur emissions while increasing production. Especially for manufacturers. Not only that, but manufacturers did not outsource much. However, Obama still wants to lower our carbon emissions. The improvement on decreasing pollution but increasing production is due to technological improvements, based on Arik Levinson. This improvement will no doubt continue as technology just keeps getting better, but there might be a spike in production causing more pollution than predicted.
Environmentalist groups will continue to want the environment to get better, for we only have one Earth and that is their nature. But, technology will continue to get better, along with alternatives in obtaining more energy. However conventional ways of obtaining energy will continue to exist and it is rather cheap, like coal, so we will always continue to produce pollution. However this is only for sulfur emissions, not carbon emissions.Carbon emissions have stayed relatively the same, even with breakthroughs in technology, probably due to the fact that our demand is balance out with more power plants that generate more pollution. So, in the end we must continue to fight our for our Earth.

From EPA