Vanessa's E-Portfolio

Course Description

We will be introduced to natural disasters; the processes and energy sources that produce them, along with the spatial distribution and pattern of natural phenomena, while developing an understanding of the impact these phenomena have on human activity.

• Determine what the roles are of natural disaster mitigation at a federal and local governmental level, community level, and individual.
• Analyze and understand natural processes that create disaster events such as: earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, tsunamis, severe weather, disease, and climate change.
• Understand how natural hazards become disasters and ultimately catastrophes.
• Know how many natural processes are cylindrical meaning that they a frequency of recurrence which also influences their magnitude.
• Analyze the role humans play in creating natural disasters (i.e. population growth, poverty, environmental degradation, climate change, and politics).
• Understand the technology used to measure and analyze natural processes such as satellite imagery, aerial photography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and ground data.

I decided to include the video Dear Future Generations: Sorry by Prince Ea considering, the fact this course is a natural disaster class. As displayed in my final project and throughout the course humans have created their own disaster by destroying the planet we live on. This video shows what's wrong with the world in regards to the way we treat our planet today.

Urbanization

In this course I learned how temporary our lives on earth really is. I learned I rather go through a 9.0 earthquake than a super volcano because my chance of survival is greater. I feel very fortunate to even draw breath. As human beings I learned we are destroying a planet in every way possible. In my signature assignment I chose to discuss the negative effects on urbanization. In summary we are deforesting land to make room for cities. The trees we cut down to make room for skyscrapers absorb greenhouse emissions and as we expand our cities we are only causing global warming. We need to change the way we build cities or not build them at all. Unfortunately, we can't reverse the damage, so I only hope we can as a country acknowledge and change the course. As we enter an era of consequences I brace myself for more cities going underwater, severe storms, wars fought for resources, water shortages, and a change of lifestyle. In my lifetime I will live through it all and my child probably will learn about cities that used to exist. As gloomy as it sounds we destroyed Earth, but I'm hopeful for solutions.