Week 13: Information Age • Alan Turing

- An English mathematician
Printing Press - Hired in 1936 by the British top-secret Government
• Was invented by German goldsmith Johannes Code and Cipher School at Bletchley Park to break
Gutenberg around 1440 the Enigma Code
• A device that applies pressure to an inked surface lying - Code-breaking works became an industrial process
on a medium, i.e., cloth or paper to transfer the ink having 12,000 people working three shifts day in and
• Hand mould printing press led to the creation of metal day out, 24/7
movable type • Nazis had made the Enigma machines more
• A new branch of media was known as “the press” complicated having approximately 10^114 possible
• Era of mass communication permutations
• Permanently reformed the structure of society • Turing designed Bombe
- Political and religious authorities were threatened - An electromechanical machine
due to the increase of literate population - Made British able to read all daily German Naval
- Middle class was distinguished Enigma traffic by searching through the
- Protonationalism had grown due to rapid increase of permutations
vernacular languages - Saved millions of lives since the invention shortened
• Rotary press run by steam and used in industrial scale the war by as much as two years
printing in 19th century • Published paper entitled “On Computable Numbers,
Computer Development with an application to the Entscheidungsproblem,” in
• Communications needed calculations due to advancing 1936
trade and industry - Presented a theoretical machine, called the Turing
• Computers were people who complied actuarial tables Machine
and did engineering calculations - Turing machine= solve any problem from simple
instructions encoded on a paper tape
• During World War II, the Allies, countries that opposed
the Axis powers (Germany, Japan, and Italy), had • Demonstrated simulation of Turing machine to construct
shortage of human computers for military calculations a single Universal Machine
- Became the foundation of computer science and the
• United States mechanized the problem by building the
invention of a machine that can solve any problem
Harvard Mark 1
by performing any task from a written program later
- An electromechanical monster 50 feet long
called Computer
- Capable of doing calculations in seconds
• A generation with “electronic brains” was born by the
• British needed mathematicians to crack the German
1970s who wanted their own personal computers (PCs).
Navy’s Enigma Code
- Used by Germans to transcribe their messages in • In 1975, members of the Homebrew Computer Club,
encryption using a machine called Enigma became eager with the potential of the new silicon chips
Enigma- looked like an oversized typewriter - Allow them to build their own computers
 • Steve Wozniak built a simple computer around the 8080 Impacts of the Information Age
microprocessor hooked up to a keyboard and television • Development of the information age from the
in 1976 discovery of printing press to the creation of social
• Steve Jobs called the computer Apple I and sold media platforms have impacted our lives
replicates of this machine to a Silicon Valley shop individually and the society as a whole.
• Bill Gates realized that PCs needed software and sold
• The impacts may be beneficial or adverse
his Microsoft programs
depending on how these discoveries were used.
Social Media Creations
From 1973 onwards different social media creations were Week 14: Biodiversity and the Healthy Society
introduced: Biodiversity
• Multi-user chat rooms • the variety present in all forms of life.
• Instant-messaging, e.g., AOL, Yahoo Messenger, MSN • 3 types of Biodiversity
Messenger, Windows Messenger 1. Genetic Biodiversity
• Conferencing and bulletin-board forum system -variation of genes within the species that gives
• Exchanging e-mails distinction of one population from another even of
• Game-based social networking websites, i.e., the same species.
Friendster, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, VK, Tumblr 2. Species diversity
• Business-oriented social networking websites, i.e., Xing -variety of species within a particular region
-similar species are grouped together in families,
• Messaging, video and voice calling service, e.g., Skype
families in orders up to kingdom
• blogging platform, image and video hosting website,
3. Ecological Diversity
e.g., Flicker
-the number of species in a community of organisms
• discovery and dating-oriented website, e.g., Tagged,
-variations of climatic and altitudinal conditions and
Tinder
ecological habitats
• video-sharing service allowing users to post virtually
Biodiversity and the Society
everything, e.g., YouTube
Society benefits a lot from the richness of biodiversity
• real-time social media feed aggregator, e.g., FriendFeed Goods and services from the natural systems
• live-streaming, e.g., Justin.tv, Twitch.tv • Foods, energy, timber and pharmaceutical products
• photo-video sharing website, e.g., Pinterest, Instagram, • Regulation of climate, water storage, flood control,
Snapchat, Keek, Vine buffering against extreme weather events, treatment of
• question-and-answer platform, e.g., Quora water and air, regeneration of soil fertility, decomposition
To date, these social-media platforms were just bought by of wastes.
one company owner to another and were modified based on the Health and Medicine
dynamic needs of the users.
• 2600 B.C., natural products, i.e., Cupressus
sempervirens (Cypress) and Commiphora species
(myrrh) for coughs, colds and inflammation
• Healing rituals and treatments of injuries resulted • 10th century to 1700s: active constituent digitoxin
from wars or accidents derived from Digitals purpurea (foxglove) in Europe and
• Over 700 plant-based drugs ranging from gargles, pills, used in congestive heart failure
infusions, to ointments were used by Egyptians • 1942 to 1944: penicillin
• Chinese in 1100 B.C. up to 659 A.D. utilized from 365 up - antibiotic used to treat infections caused by
to as high as 850 drugs from natural products susceptible bacteria
• In 100 A.D., Greeks recorded the collection, storage • 1970s: the production of bacterial strains
and the uses of medicinal herbs up to 300 B.C. supersensitive β-lactams, tests for the inhibition of β-
• During the Dark and Middle Age, the monasteries in lactams and specificity for sulphur-containing
England, Ireland, France, and Germany preserved this metabolites
Western knowledge on treating illnesses. - novel antibiotic structural classes, i.e., noncardicins,
• Arabs preserved the Greco-Roman practice and carbapenems and monobactams
expanded the uses of their own resources, and mixed - isolation of the antibiotics, norcardicin, imipenem,
with Chinese and Indian herbs and aztreonam
• Plant genus Salvia apiana used by Indian tribes of - 25,000 species of basidiomycetes and Ascomycota:
Southern California as an aid in childbirth and it gives antiviral, cytotoxic, antineoplastic, cardiovascular, anti-
high immune from all respiratory ailments. inflammatory, immune stimulating and anticancer
- Secretes a sweet, gummy material from the stems and activities
leaves called “manna” during hot days - Fungi, microorganisms found in trees, grasses, algae,
- contains melezitose, sucrose and invert sugar and and herbaceous plants and live in the intercellular
claimed to treat anorexia, constipation, dermatosis, spaces of plant stems, petioles, roots, and leaves
epistaxis, fever, leprosy, and obesity • 1994: oral formulation of pilocarpine for dry mouth
• Israelis also took the extract from roots for diarrhea (xerostomia)
• The Konkani people smoked the plant for the treatment • 1998: an autoimmune disease that damages the
of asthma salivary and lacrimal glands called Sjogren’s Syndrome
• Romans used the plant for nasal polyps • 2004: drug quinine was isolated from the bark of
• Plant Ligusticum scoticum Linnaeus Cinchona succirubra Pav. Ex Klotsch to treat malaria
- protect a person from infection Food
- the root was a cure for flatulence, an aphrodisiac and • Hunting and foraging what’s available in their habitat,
was used as a sedative in the Faeroe Islands fishing was also done
• Anti-inflammatory agent, acetylsalicyclic acid known • cultivation started 12,000 years ago
as aspirin • domestication of animals a thousand years after
• 1870s: crude morphine from the plant Papaver • agriculture and cultivation of plants for food
comniferum, used as painkiller • cultivate desired species of crops and animals
suitable for consumption
• prevention of diseases that could affect food supply
• invention of different ways to cook and prepare meals - Ancient Chinese for water pumps
• more hunting, fishing and even more lands to be used in - Middle Eastern civilizations for grinding crops
agriculture • In 1600s, coal and the British discovered that cooking
• healthy ecosystems to provide foods daily for our coal transforms it into hot-burning coke
consumption
• Biodiversity is necessary for most of our important • In 1700s, coal began to replace other energy sources
crops, though most of them are wind-pollinated, about became the primary source of energy around the
39 of the world.
leading 57 global crops need birds and insects as • In 1820s, natural gas was used as a source of light
pollinators. • In 1830s, the electric generator, motor and relay were
• Agrobiodiversity is the biodiversity resulted from developed based on Michael Faraday’s discovery of
planned agricultural crops or livestock. electromagnetism
- i.e., genetic biodiversity of varieties of organisms • In 1850s, commercial oil was drilled and led to
- farmers planning result to resistance to disease, distillation of kerosene from petroleum
tolerance to extreme climate conditions • In 1860s, Augustine Mouchot developed the first solar
- important for food security in the event of flood, powered system for industrial machinery
drought or infestation of pests • In 1892, the first utilization of geothermal heat to power
Energy was done.
• Heat energy from fire for survival against cold harsh • In 1942, the first nuclear fission reactor was designed
environment, for cooking, and for communication in and built.
the form of smoke in 770,000 BC. • In the 19th century and 20th century, the utilization of
• In 1000 BC, coal: northeastern China for heating and coal energy
cooking purposes - led to shaping up the industrial era of developing
- Romans and Northern Native Americans countries
• In 400 BC, water energy or hydro power was used for • No direct effect on biodiversity yet
powering machineries and for irrigation by the • As early as 1973, the effects on the environment and
Ancient Greeks and Romans. the risk of potential accidents alarmed many
• In 347 AD, China: oil wells using extensive bamboo environmental organizations
pipelines with depths 800 feet for lighting and heating • In 1979, a nuclear reactor accident at Three Mile
• In 1000: Persian: first windmills to pump water and Island near Middletown, Pennsylvania happened.
grind grain • At the end of 1980, the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska
• By 1300, windmills began to form the modern pinwheel became the biggest oil spill in U.S. waters.
shape in Western Europe • In 2000s, a number of catastrophic events transpired,
• 1390s, the Dutch: most efficient version of the e.g.,
windmill - climate change
- for navigation through bodies of water - coal ash spill in Tennessee
 - oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico percolation occurs running surface water into rivers
- Fukushima nuclear crisis in Japan and lakes.
• A study conducted by Nathan Jones (2012) shows that • Forests play major role in hydrological cycle by
biodiversity has been affected by the usage of affecting rates of transpiration and evaporation and
different forms of energy, primarily the fossil fuels. water storage in watersheds.
The effects include: • Flooding provides critical habitat for fish, waterfowl,
1. wildlife mortality and wildlife, and helps maintain high levels of plant and
2. habitat loss animal diversity.
3. fragmentation • Floodwaters also replenish agricultural soils with
4. noise and light pollution nutrients and transport sediment that is necessary to
5. invasive species maintain downstream delta and coastal areas.
6. changes in carbon stock - production of new plant and animal tissue
7. water resources - plants colonize new areas or take advantage of the
Water Storage and Flood Control increased light that becomes available when old
• Earliest recorded civilization was situated near bodies vegetation is cleared away
of rivers or lakes, which marks as the earliest record of - animals such as invertebrates and fish often find new
water consumption. food sources
• With increasing demand for potable and drinkable water, - major floods in coastal plain areas in southeastern US
wells began to be used 2,000 years ago, in Middle East in 1994 and in the forested mountains in Pacific
(Israel) from discovery of groundwater dug from sands Northwest in 1996
or rocks as well collection of rainwater. -create a much more complex variety of habitats
• Rivers and lakes are also used as source of irrigation and biological diversity
of crops - Need for flood management that works with the forces
• Flood ways were utilized to prevent flooding of nearby of nature
communities and damage of crops Air and Water Treatment
• Aqueducts were invented and built by later civilization • Some of the gases considered as criteria pollutants like
such as the Romans and Greeks to deliver reliable water NOx and O3, at moderate amount can bring a healthy
supply ecosystem and can balance biodiversity.
• Mixed forest and biodiversity play an unquestionable • However, due to excessive concentrations of these
crucial role in water resources. gases, the capacity of the environment to clean itself
• Forests provide natural filtration and storage and to be resilient is lessened.
systems to provide freshwater. • Decreasing nitrogen deposition enhances plant
• Roots and leaves of trees create conditions that species diversity and relative species richness in
promote the infiltration of rainwater into the soil to fill grasslands.
up the aquifer systems with groundwater while
• Excessive nitrogen stimulates presence of nitrogen- • Implementation of regulations and the worldwide
loving plant species but reduces the occurrence of protocols such as Montreal Protocol and Kyoto
plant species adapted to low nitrogen availability. Protocol
• Nitrogen decreases the resilience of forests to other • Cartagena Protocol has ten Pacific parties, Fiji, Kiribati,
environmental stresses such as drought, high wind, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New
frost, pests and diseases. Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Tonga
• Concentration limit of nitrate in drinking water is too - to ensure the safe transport, handling and use of living
high to protect natural ecosystems particularly the modified organisms (LMO) resulting from modern
plant species. biotechnology that may have adverse effects on
• Widespread exceedance of nitrogen critical biodiversity
concentrations will adversely affect the structure and - adopted in January 29, 2000 and was enforced in
function of the ecosystems. September 11, 2003
• Weakens the resilience of soil and the plants - linked to the Convention on Biological Diversity,
• From 1990 to 2006, there was also an extensive which helps to protect Pacific communities and
vegetation damage due to ozone. biodiversity from the consequences of living modified
• When ozone is high, it can promote early flowering, organisms
affecting the synchronization of pollinators and - requires having environments in place through proper
flowers. legislative frameworks, laboratory facilities,
• Ozone also damages the leaves of salad crops technology and technical capabilities
reducing their market value. • Locally, there should be a tight implementation of
• In 2000, ozone pollution reduced wheat yield by 14% environmental laws being practiced by industries and
and the tomato yield by 9%. communities alike to prevent further damage of
• Negative impacts on vegetation reduces the sink biodiversity from air pollution and water pollution. We
capacity for carbon dioxide and ozone, enhancing their also have to ensure that whatever treatment we employ,
atmospheric concentrations and affecting the global we do not promote just the mass pollution transfer from
water cycle. one matrix of the environment to another.
• Indirect global warming effect of ozone might be of • Tight implementation of environmental laws being
similar magnitude as the direct effect. practiced by industries and communities to prevent
damage of biodiversity from air pollution and water
• Soils store air pollutants temporarily and thus affects
pollution
water purification.
• We also have to ensure that whatever treatment we
• Stored pollutants will adversely affect soil functioning
employ, we do not promote just the mass pollution
(e.g., microbes and invertebrates)
transfer from one matrix of the environment to another.
• Nitrogen leaches from forest soil at a Carbon: Nitrogen
ratio below 23 in the organic layer causing algal bloom Week 15: Gene Therapy and Genetically
and eventually eutrophication Modified
 Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) - In 1993, FDA approved Bovine somatotropin
• Products of artificial manipulation and alteration of a (bST), a metabolic protein hormone used to increase
species’ genetic material in a laboratory using genetic milk production in dairy cows for commercial use.
engineering - In 1994, U.S. FDA approved the Flavr Savr tomato
• Plant, animal, bacteria, and virus genes may be for sale on grocery stores; this kind of tomato has a
combined or may be crossbred to produce another kind delayed-ripening effect allowing a longer shelf life
of species that do not naturally occur in the environment. than conventional tomatoes.
• GMOs in agricultural sector - In 1995, Bt Potatoes and Corn, and Roundup
- for better yield Ready Soybeans were approved safe by the
- for better resistance to drought and flood situations Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
- to artificially develop other traits in plants, such as - In 1996, weeds resistant to glyphosate, the
resistance to browning and pests herbicide used with many GMO crops, were
- enhanced nutrition detected in Australia.
• Are the benefits already proven to the market? - super weeds are 7 to 11 times more resistant to
• Humans seem to be disinterested in preserving genetic glyphosate than the standard susceptible population
diversity the natural way - Dolly, the sheep, the first cloned animal was
born
- In 1997, the European Union rules in favor of
History of GMOs mandatory labeling on all GMO food products,
- As early as 1935, DNA was discovered by Russian including animal feed.
scientist Andrei Nikolaevitch Belozersky - In 1998, a genetically modified papaya in Hawaii was
- In 1973, recombinant DNA, rDNA, was done by found to be resistant to the Ring spot virus and
Professors Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen produced the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin, an
- In 1975, in Asilomar Conference, a group of insecticide that is not harmful to humans
biologists with lawyers and doctors gathered to - Starting 1999, over 100 million acres worldwide are
create guidelines for the safe use of genetically planted with genetically engineered seeds.
engineered DNA. - In the Philippines in 2000, the first golden rice was
- In 1980, there was a court case between the developed to address the vitamin A deficiencies
genetics engineer at General Electric Co. and the - a variety of rice (Oryza sativa) modified genetically
U.S. government to secure a patent for a bacterium to biosynthesize beta-carotene, a precursor of
with an appetite for crude oil, to help solve the vitamin A in the edible parts of rice
problem on oil spill - additional three beta-carotene synthesized genes
- In 1982, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) make golden rice different from its parental strain
approved the first GMO - Humulin, an insulin - cannot produce the pigment in the endosperm,
produced by genetically engineered E. coli bacteria where photosynthesis does not occur unlike its
on the market. parent strain.
 - led to rising opposition from environmental and anti- - causing an imbalance in the ecology of a region just
globalization advocates since this may compromise exotic species would do
food, nutrition and financial security - accident in engineering the genetics of a virus or
- In 2003, a Bt-toxin-resistant caterpillar-cum- bacteria could cause a serious epidemic when
moth, Helicoverpa zea, was found feasting on GMO released
Bt cotton crops in the southern United States. - minor medical problems
- In 2006, a development of animals with traits that are - death
desirable compared with their natural counterparts
was conducted using Yorkshire pigs that were Gene Therapy
genetically modified to produce a type of pig that • a method just like having GMOs but normally adenovirus
produces enzyme phytase in its saliva to digest is used to introduce the modified Deoxyribonucleic
plant phosphorus, unlike their counterpart pigs. acid (DNA) into a human cell, altering the targeted site
- In 2011, research in eastern Quebec found Bt • conceptualized in 1972, but the first attempt of modifying
toxins in the blood of pregnant women and showed human DNA was performed in 1980 by Martin Cline
evidence that the toxin could be passed to the • In 1980s, gene therapy for Severe Combined
babies. Immunodeficiency Disease (SCID), a very rare, life-
- In 2012, a French farmer Paul Francois sued threatening disease that a child may be born with, was
Monsanto for chemical poisoning he claimed was explored
caused by its pesticide Lasso, part of the Roundup - done by taking the child’s blood and putting the normal
Ready line of products. He won the case. gene into the blood cell
- As early as 2013, corn and the poplars have been - child is then given a blood transfusion with his or her
genetically modified and used to produce biofuel own blood that has the normal gene inserted
which have been used as an efficient substitute of - gene then works itself into the immune system and
petroleum products lessens the symptoms of the disorder
- In 2014, the patent on the Roundup Ready line of • 1st approved gene therapy clinical research in the US
genetically engineered seeds ended. took place on 14 September 1990, at the National
- All these conversions involve mutation. Institutes of Health (NIH), under the direction of William
- Science agrees that there is a probability that the French Anderson.
majority of mutations attempted by a species would • In 1993, the first somatic treatment that produced a
fail miserably and the individual plant/animal would permanent genetic change was performed.
not survive.
• The first commercial gene therapy product Gendicine
Issues on GMOs was approved in China in 2003 for the treatment of
- safety certain cancers.
- right to modify organisms and remove their original
• Due to some clinical successes since 2006 Gene
aspects
Therapy regained researchers’ attention but still
- ecological problem
considered as an experimental technique.
• In 2016, the Committee for Medicinal Products for - should make the doctors feel comfortable with the
Human Use of the European Medicines Agency common problems of gene therapy and inspire others to
endorsed a gene therapy treatment called Strimvelis proceed to deeper studies and to address the dilemma
that was approved by the European Commission in June on the implementation of Gene Therapy
2018 Week 16: Nanotechnology
• In recent years, the delivery of bacterial or viral • The study and application that can be used across all
gene on the targeted site was also discovered. the other science fields, such as chemistry, biology,
- An emerging family of vectors involves bacteria of physics, materials science, and engineering
various genera. • The study and application that can be used across all
- bacteria are naturally capable of homing to tumors the other science fields, such as chemistry, biology,
when systemically administered resulting in high levels physics, materials science, and engineering
of replication locally • It is ‘convergent’ because it brings together sectors of
- invasive species can deliver heterologous genes intra- science that were previously separated
cellular for tumor cell expression - e.g. (deoxyribonucleic acid) DNA silicon chips,
• Gene or cell therapies have emerged as realistic converging between semiconductor science (inorganic
prospects for the treatment of cancer, and involve chemistry) and biology, with applications in the medical
the delivery of genetic information to a tumor to industry.
facilitate the production of therapeutic proteins. • It also involves design, characterization, production and
• This area still needs further studies before an efficient application of structures, devices and systems by
and safe gene medicine is achieved, primarily controlling shape and size at the nanometer scale.
developing the means of targeting genes to tumors • This technology is ‘enabling’ in the sense that it provides
safely and efficiently. the platform, and the tools to realize certain products.
Actions on Gene Therapy and GMOs • To make things simpler to imagine, we need to know
• Agroecology is a study that suggest novel how materials that we commonly have known work at
management approaches on farming systems that may the nanoscale.
help address the concern on the health of biodiversity Applications of Nanotechnology
and of the consumers of GMOs. In medicine, numerous applications of this field:
- should evaluate the performance of the specific GMO - more effective drugs for conditions such as high blood
and whether it poses risk to human health pressure
• Further basic and translational research, as well as - assisted by the view of these molecule afforded by X-ray lasers
clinical experiences, to outline functional mechanisms, - simulate biological mechanisms to monitor a cancer cell while
predictive approaches, patient-related studies and it is treated by drug-bearing nanoparticles
upcoming challenges should be done to address - “nanobots”, molecular-scale workers that can employ
existing problems in the field of development and future molecular processes within cells which eventually can deliver
perspectives in gene therapy. drugs to specific molecular sites or even carry out surgery
- diagnose prevalent contagious diseases like HIV/ AIDS, - Its activity has been enhanced with the discovery that
malaria, tuberculosis, etc. with screening devices using the bactericidal properties of Ag nanoparticles (1-100
nanotechnology nm) are dependent on both their size and shape.
• Water purification systems, with nanomaterials and • In agriculture, novel techniques of nanotechnology
utilizing new membrane technologies with variable pore applications are applied to breed crops with higher levels
sizes as filters of micronutrients, to detect pest, and to
- forward-osmosis membrane technology of Hydration control processing of food.
Technologies - Ultra-small probes on earth surfaces for agricultural
• used to prepare heat-resistant and self-cleaning applications and control of soil, air, and water
surfaces, such as floors and benchtops. contamination are also developed by nanotechnology.
• Nanoparticles of silicon dioxide or titanium dioxide can • Bio nanotechnology provides feasible solutions, e.g.,
also make a surface repel water, which prevents stains. support of cleaner production methods, provision of
• Detergent molecules self-assemble into a sphere to alternative and renewable energy sources, and source
form a micelle that allows the detergent to trap oils and reduction into the manufacturing process.
fats within the cavity of the sphere that eventually aids • Nanotechnology helps in energy consumption like in the
washing use of graphene into a coating material resulting in the
• Zeolites are silicon oxide and aluminium oxide that have need for only one layer, which does not require a
specific nanoporous cage-like structures allowing it to multifunctional film coating.
absorb molecules, i.e., heavy metals and compounds • Nanoscale chemical reagents or catalysts are smaller in
that cause odor sizes yet increase the reaction rate, thus lessening input
• For contamination of Arsenic in soil and water, a simple of raw materials.
and cheap but effective way of removing the Challenges of Nanotechnology
contaminant with TiO2 nanoparticles. • Nanotechnology, when used in environmental impact
• Availability of a nanotechnology-inspired detector from assessments and in toxicology testing, may bring a
Washington, which can sense the smallest amount of possibility of e-waste bins at recycling centers or even in
radiation, made the detection of a nuclear leak faster sanitary landfills. This technology involves intricately
and more accurate at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear engineered nanostructures that could screen what
Power Plant happen to these e- wastes, and to possibly lessen
• Chlorinated compounds, i.e., chlorinated solvents and environmental consequences. This may be feasible but
pesticides; polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); and may be difficult.
brominated compounds are major environmental • The mineral-based nanoparticles found in cosmetics,
contaminants that can be reduced using nanoscale paints, clothing and other products are questioned on
metal particles, such as FeO and Fe-Ni in conjunction how they affect the environment as they go through
with iron filings [Fe(0)] sewerage treatment plants untreated due to their very
• Silver (Ag) has long been known to exhibit strong small diameters.
antimicrobial properties.
 - They can be carried down by fine silts or microplastics we give up the benefits this technology can provide
with both inorganic and organic pollutants. to the society?
- Thus, may even affect our water source • Issues raised may be further studied and modification of
- In the 1980s, a semiconductor plant contaminated the nanotechnology methods may be done. For example,
ground-water in Silicon Valley, California (Zhang et al, altering the composition of graphene, known to be one
2011). of the most advanced materials for structural
• Carbon nanotubes used in the manufacture of memory improvement; substitution of silicon for electronic
storage, electronics, batteries, etc. were found to have devices, thermal transferring, and fire retardant, to
unknown harmful impacts to the human body, by become more environmentally friendly. Some studies
inhalation into lungs, comparable to asbestos fiber. also found microorganisms that can decompose
- The pulmonary toxicological evaluation of single-wall graphene to make it less toxic to the environment
carbon nanotubes indicated that it is more toxic than (Zhang et al, 2011).
carbon black and quartz once it reaches the lungs while • It is imperative therefore, that the society is give
multifocal granulomas were produced when rats were enough knowledge on how nanomaterials work for
exposure to single-wall carbon nanotubes. the benefit of society.
• Due to its size, nanoparticles are difficult to analyze and Week 17: Climate Change and Environmental
this lack of information and methods of characterizing
nanomaterials makes it a challenge to detect its
Awareness
concentration in air or in any matrix of the Climate Change
environment. • Pollutants may be from stationary sources, i.e.,
- Predicting the toxicity of a nanomaterial rely heavily on industrial plants and other commercial or residential
the information of the chemical structure since minor establishments that do combustion of fossil fuels; or
changes of chemical function group could drastically from mobile sources such as motor vehicles.
change its properties.
• Point to point risk assessment at all stages of • Effects of primary pollutants are direct, i.e., respiratory
nanotechnology should then be conducted to ensure the illnesses or human toxicity either on short term but more
safety on human health and environment. on long term exposure.
• The risk assessment should include the exposure risk • Pollutants may be from stationary sources, i.e.,
and its probability of exposure, toxicological analysis, industrial plants and other commercial or residential
transport risk, persistence risk, transformation risk and establishments that do combustion of fossil fuels; or
ability to recycle. However, this is quite expensive due to from mobile sources such as motor vehicles.
the difficulty in detecting nano particles. • Effects of primary pollutants are direct, i.e., respiratory
Dilemma of Utilizing Nanotechnology illnesses or human toxicity either on short term but more
• With the identified potential hazard that nanoparticles on long term exposure.
can bring to human health and the environment, shall
• Direct impacts are coming from carcinogens (causing • Causes dilution of salt of the ocean and disrupt natural
cancer), mutagens (damage the genes) and ocean currents
teratogens (cause abnormalities in the embryo). • Ocean currents control temperatures by bringing
• When pollutants are formed when a substance reacts warmer currents into cooler areas and cooler currents
with one or two more substances to form a more into warmer areas.
obnoxious substance, i.e., photochemical smog, a • Affects albedo, the ratio of the light reflected by any
product of five criteria pollutants namely, oxides of part of the earth's atmosphere
nitrogen and sulfur (NOx, Sox), volatile organic • When snow melts, the earth’s temperature inclines to
compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO) and the increase resulting to global warming.
particulate matter (PM), these are considered as having • Sea-level rise that will greatly affect low-lying coastal
indirect effects of secondary pollutants. areas where a large populations dwell
Global Warming
• Due to the greenhouse gases, aside from water vapor, Changing wildlife adaptations and cycles
that are present in the atmosphere like carbon dioxide
• Species such as spruce bark beetles in Alaska are just
(CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxides (NOx).
supposed to appear on warmer months but since the
• When some ultraviolet rays, considered as short-wave temperature has increased, they started to appear all
radiation, enter the atmosphere for biological processes year-round leaving the forest dead since they chew on
such as photosynthesis, the radiation is converted into the spruce trees.
the form of long-wave radiation and is absorbed by the • Polar bears also are starting to decrease their
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and produces a
population since the polar ice caps have started to melt
general warming effect.
down decreasing their possible habitats.
• Keeps our planet warm and prevent warmer air from
leaving our planet
• Global warming potential (GWP) of the natural
greenhouse gases are small as compared to other Spread of Diseases
anthropogenic gases from the burning of fossil fuels,
• Migratory species are supposed to migrate every
power plants, transportation vehicles and other
season in a region where there is sufficient food and
industrial processes.
water.
• These man-made greenhouse gases plus the increase
• Areas where these species are supposed to go are
in concentration of the natural greenhouse gases cause
already dry and thus, for survival these species would
the adverse Global Warming.
transfer to areas with water supply.
• Deforestation contributes to global warming and affects
• Since these species are not endemic in the new found
biodiversity since as rainforest are lost, wildlife habitats
environment, they may carry some microorganisms
are also lost
that may mutate in which humans have no built-
Melting Ice Caps immunity
 Stratospheric Ozone Depletion • The following reactions will then occur producing the
• A thin layer of ozone (O3) is maintained at the obnoxious Cl- radical which is very reactive to the point
stratosphere so as to protect us from the harmful of in the stratosphere: destroying 100,000 molecules
ultraviolet rays from the sun. of O3
• Only a thin layer is needed, when larger O3 • HOCl + hv → Cl + OH- (Equation 7)
concentration occurs, meteorological parameters, i.e., • Cl + O3 → ClO + O2 (Equation 8)
temperature and wind will bring down O3 in the • OH-+ O3 → HO2 + O2 (Equation 9)
troposphere causing respiratory problems on humans • Worst case will occur if available X is Br- which is 100
and thus can be considered as a criteria pollutant. times more reactive than Cl- (Sherwood Rowland,
• Ozone depletion occurring in the stratosphere 2006).
therefore is a normal photolytic process as well as O3 • Although there is direct relationship between Global
formation. warming and Stratospheric Ozone Depletion, the
• The reactions below occur to maintain such thin layer correlation on the greenhouse gases as they contribute
of O3. to creating the cooling conditions in the atmosphere may
- O2 + UV( < 242 nm) → O + O (Equation 1) lead to ozone depletion.
- O + O2 + M → O3 + M (Equation 2)
- O3 + UV or visible → O + O2 (Equation 3) Acid Deposition
• Due to the presence of substance X, which may either • When Sox and NOx react with particulate matters (dry)
be Cl-, Br-, NO, OH- coming from substances made of or with water vapor (wet), acid deposition occurs as it
chloroforms, or bromine-based substances used as causes surface water acidification and affect soil
aerosols, refrigerants, fire retardants and the like chemistry.
• At pHs lower than 5, may affect the fertilization of fish
• The ozone formation and destruction may now be eggs and can kill adult fish.
represented as equations below: • As lakes and rivers become more acidic biodiversity is
- X + O3 → XO + O2 (Equation 4) reduced. Many soil organisms cannot survive if the soil
- XO + O → X + O2 (Equation 5) pH is below 6.
- O3 + O → O2 + O2 (Equation 6) • Death of these microorganisms can inhibit
• As an intermediate product, let say X is Cl-, ClONO2 will decomposition and nutrient recycling since the
be produced. enzymes of these microbes are denatured by the acid or
• This substance is inert and will just be deposited on both are changed in shape so they no longer function.
the northern and southern polar regions due to winds as • Deposition of sulfur and nitrogen oxides affect the ability
the earth rotates. of leaves to retain water when under stress.
• The problem occurs when the ClONO2 reservoirs will • The low pH of soil will also allow the faster mobility of
be exposed to direct sunlight when a part of polar heavy metals present in the soil, i.e., Pb2+, Cu2+, Al3+
region experiences straight six months 24/7 daytime. and thus, may contaminate the growing plants which
 may then bioaccumulate the heavy metal concentration • Freezing rain or ice storms develops in some areas
as it is passed from higher trophic level to another. with a temperature inversion in a cold area because
• As these impacts affect the aquatic and terrestrial snow melts as it moves through the warm inversion
ecosystems, it is also imperative to connect its impact layer.
on climate change. • The rain continues to fall and passes through the cold
Thermal Inversion layer of air near the ground.
• The major component of photochemical smog, • As it moves through this final cold air mass, it becomes
peroxylacetyl nitrate (PAN) is a combination of all "super-cooled" drops, cooled below freezing without
these criteria pollutants. becoming solid.
• PAN is a transporter for NOx into rural regions and • Intense thunderstorms and tornadoes are also
causes ozone formation in the global troposphere associated with inversions because of the intense
which can decrease visibility especially in elevated energy that is released after an inversion blocks the
places. normal convection patterns of a region.
• The pollutants that come from sources, i.e., industrial • Its profiles lead to sea surface temperature to decrease
chimney or stack mix with the air. on the seasonal time scale via heat exchange at the
• The mixed air normally rises to the atmosphere. In a bottom of the mixed layer, which balances climatological
normal cycle of thermal inversion, an unstable air mass atmospheric cooling in fall and winter.
and air constantly flow between the warm and cool • El Niño is normal climate pattern that describes the
areas. unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern
• This allows fumigation of the mixed air on a higher tropical Pacific Ocean also known as the “warm phase”.
elevation. • The opposite of it is La Niña, the “cool phase” which is
• Due to increased concentrations of the pollutants, a pattern that describes the unusual cooling of the
during an inversion episode, temperatures increase surface waters of the region.
with increasing altitude and this disrupts the • These phenomena are supposed to occur perennial and
movement of the mixed air to a higher level since the globally, on one end of the equator and the other side of
warm inversion layer then acts as a cap or a layer that the equator.
forms stable air masses. • However, abnormalities in the occurrences of these
• It is also affected by weather conditions, or it may also phenomena cause widespread and severe changes in
occur in some coastal areas because of upwelling of the climate.
cold water that lowers the surface air temperature. • Rainfall increases drastically in Ecuador and northern
• Topography or man-made barriers like high rise Peru, contributing to coastal flooding and erosion due
buildings can also create a temperature inversion. to the convection above warmer surface waters.
• The cold air may be blocked by these barriers and then • Increased rains brings floods that may destroy
pushes under the warmer air rising from the source homes, schools, hospitals, businesses, and crops.
thus, creating the inversion.
• On the other side of the world, it brings droughts that • Buy fuel-efficient vehicles with higher fuel economy
threaten the supply of water and destruction of crops performance
affecting agriculture. • Since the environment is contiguous, the
• Stronger El Niño and La Niña events also disrupt responsibilities should also be shared not only locally,
global atmospheric circulation bringing colder regionally and even globally.
winters, unusual heavy rains and flooding in desert • Countries come together to come up with different
areas and other weather abnormalities. protocols and agreements so as to help each other
Disaster Risk solve Climate Change.
• The physical health after the disasters brought about by • Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to
Climate Change such as droughts and floods are not all the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
that matters. Change where the Philippines is one of the
• Depression, anxiety, grief and other manifestations of signatories.
loss and conflict may occur when familiar environments - commits each signatory or member by setting
are damaged and social connections threatened. internationally binding emission reduction targets
• With all these adverse impacts due to climate change, - adopted in 1997 but the first commitment period started
actions must be done. in 2008 and ended in 2012
Environmental Awareness - countries committed to cut by 2% their CO2
• One of the main culprit of Climate Change is the emissions until 2050 to help in solving the problem on
increasing CO2 present in the atmosphere coming from Climate Change
industrial sources and mobile sources. - estimated that by 2050, the world will have an
• Shifting of fossil fuels as sources of energy to approximate 80% reduction on CO2 emissions
renewable energy resources, i.e., solar, wind, or hydro • Montreal Protocol is gradually eliminating the
is one way to decrease generation of CO2 manufacture, trading and consumption of ozone
• For spaces that need air conditioning or heating, they depleting substances (ODS) to help the ozone layer
could be sealed or ensure adequate insulation to have recuperate from the hole it has attained due to
more energy efficiency. increasing ODS.
• When buying appliances such as refrigerators, washing • It is signed by 197 countries including the Philippines.
machine and the like, buy those that are tagged as Disaster Risk Management
energy efficient. • Due to global warming and the melting of ice caps at
• Lessen consumption of energy and even water since the Polar regions, sea level rise is now a threat to
it takes a lot of energy in pumping and heating water. coastal cities.
• Consume less of meat products since it takes a lot of • There are low-lying regions like that of Cartagena de
energy in growing, processing, packaging and shipping Indias, surrounded by the Caribbean and its interior
these products. bodies of water that are feared of being wiped out of
• Use better bulbs like Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs the map if they do not act quickly.
to lessen up to 80% your energy consumption.
• With the help of Climate and Development Strategy" Foro de Ministros del Medio Ambiente de
Knowledge Network (CDKN), a program funded by the America Latina y El Caribe.
United Kingdom Department for International • Just after the publication of this plan for Cartagena de
Development (DFID) and the Netherlands Directorate- Indias, Philippines was struck by typhoon Haiyan also
General for International Cooperation (DGIC) for the known as typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines.
benefit of developing countries, the city of Cartagena de • The national disaster risk reduction and
Indias included the adaptation to climate change in the management plan (NDRRMP) of the Philippines for
district development plan as a cross-cutting topic of 2011 to 2028 was revisited and was prioritized.
great importance in the territorial use of land in the - a plan that guides the country on how sustainable
city, which, in turn, articulates with other planning tools, development can be achieved through inclusive growth
such as the Territorial Land Use Plan (TLUP) and the - while building the adaptive capacities of
Risk Management Plan. communities, increasing the resilience of vulnerable
• This will help the city to become more resilient to sectors
climate phenomena. - optimizing disaster mitigation opportunities
• The plan will involve the citizens of the city in the design - aims to strengthen the capacity of the national
and creation of an adapted neighborhood in a zone government and the local government units (LGUs)
where the socio-economically vulnerable communities together with partner stakeholders
are located. - to build the disaster resilience of communities
• This is a declaration of Leaders of APEC, gathered in - to institutionalize arrangements and measures for
Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, October 24-26, 2010, reducing disaster risks
during the "XII Cumbre de Jefes de Estado y de
Gobierno del Mecanismo de Dialogo y Concertacion de
Tuxtla“
- "emphasize the importance of the Hyogo Framework
for Action aimed to raise awareness, mobilize action
and build global, regional, national and local, existing
practices to reduce loss of life, social and
environmental
needs of communities following a disaster, including
climate change adaptation
- highlights the work of the Secretariat of the
International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction
(ISDRR) in its role to promote, and monitor its
application, particularly through the campaigns
'Disaster risk reduction begins at school', 'Safe
hospitals' and 'Making cities resilient', promoted by the