Extra Credit Essay 1
Chapter 1 TG #4: When earthquakes, hurricanes, or other so-called “natural” disasters strike,
humans tend to blame nature and see themselves as innocent victims of a harsh and cruel natural
world. To what ex- tent do environmental hazards stem from un- predictable nature, and to what
extent do they originate from human activity? Should victims blame nature, other people, or
themselves for the disaster? Why?
In the text, Introduction to Geography: People, Places and Environment the 6th Edition by
Dahlman Renwick, the Thinking Geographically section of chapter 1 raises the question of
disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes and etc. and to what extent they are caused by
natural, unpredictable phenomena and events and to what extent are they influenced and caused
by human activity. Once a natural disaster strikes, human beings are left devastated as their
homes and lives are destroyed. When one considers the cause of natural disasters and its effect
on humans, one must also consider the impact that human beings have on this planet. Humans,
by far of all the life that exists on this planet, have the most impact on it. And although nature
does take its course and it cannot be fought against, human beings do indeed have a very
prominent role in the acceleration of the natural Earth processes that bring about harm and
disaster.
The Earth does have natural processes that in turn can lead to having cataclysmic effects
on humanity. For example, earthquakes are a result of a natural earth process that is the Plate
Tectonic Theory in which the plates of the Earth’s crust move. This process is what has resulted
in the layout of the land and continents on Earth as we see them today, as opposed to Pangea of
millions of years ago. However, this natural process of plates moving, can lead to earthquakes.
Earthquakes are caused when rocks break along a fault. These faults include convergent,
divergent, and transform boundaries, where two plates collide with each other moving towards
the other, moving away from each other, and sliding past each other, respectively, which results
in an earthquake (UPSeis). This is a natural process that has been happening for hundreds of
millions of years and cannot and will not ever be stopped. As a result, an earthquake is not due to
any human activity because it is a product of a natural processes that we as humans are
completely powerless against. We can take measure of what do in case of an earthquake such as
earthquake proof buildings, storing supplies, and making shelters (National Geographic) but we
cannot prevent them.
Though there are some hazard humans cannot prevent or cause, there are some that we
can and have, such as global warming and climate change. Although the Earth has been getting
warmer naturally as stated by NASA, “Most often, global climate has changed because of
variations in sunlight. Tiny wobbles in Earth’s orbit altered when and where sunlight falls on
Earth’s surface. Variations in the Sun itself have alternately increased and decreased the amount
of solar energy reaching Earth. Volcanic eruptions have generated particles that reflect sunlight,
brightening the planet and cooling the climate. Volcanic activity has also, in the deep past,
increased greenhouse gases over millions of years, contributing to episodes of global warming.”
(NASA). However, this does not explain the very rapid increase in temperatures around the
world. That is because humans are rapidly increasing what is a slow and natural process of
global warming by means of increased carbon dioxide emissions and greenhouse gases that
cloud the atmosphere and trap heat in. Due to rapid industrialization, we are putting out more
greenhouse gases and in doing so, increasing the temperature of the Earth rapidly (Union of
Concerned Scientists). This is leading to the rapid melting of glaciers, which is resulting in rising
sea levels and floods around the world.
Although Global Warming is a natural process, human involvement in increasing it
rapidly. We cannot blame anyone but ourselves because due to our selfishness and greed, we are
driving the planet we live on to a point where it may not be inhabitable for future generations.
There are certain disasters that are out of our hand, such as earthquakes, but there are things that
we are in control of, such as global warming. We cannot blame anyone but ourselves for that
because we are the primary cause of rising temperatures and we cannot fix it until we realize our
error and the effect we are having on the planet we call home.
Bibliography
Dahlman, Carl H., and William H. Renwick. Introduction to Geography: People, Places, and
Environment: Global Edition:6th Edition. Pearson Education Limited, 2015.
Endsley, Kevin. “Why Do Earthquakes Happen.” UPSeis, www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/why.html.
“Global Warming : Feature Articles.” NASA, NASA,
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/page4.php.
How Do We Know That Humans Are the Major Cause of Global Warming? Union of Concerned
Scientists, www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/science-and-impacts/science/human-contribution-to–
gw-faq.html#.Wi2WnCPMz-Y.
Tézenas, INSTITUTE Photograph by Ambroise. “Earthquake Safety Tips, Preparation, and
Readiness.” , Preparation, and Readiness, National Geographic, 13 Feb. 2017,
www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/earthquake-safety-tips/.
Osama Chaudry
Professor Grande
Geogrpahy 101
12.11.17 Extra Credit Essay 2
Chapter 3 TG # 4: Mount St. Helens in Washington State erupted violently in 1980. The Loma
Prieta earthquake in California occurred in 1989. How far apart are these two points on a map?
Was there a possible connecion between these two events? List reasons there might be, and there
might not be, a connection.
In the text, Introduction to Geography: People, Places and Environment the 6th Edition by
Dahlman Renwick, the Thinking Geographically section of chapter 3 discusses the eruption of
Mount St. Helens in Washington State in 1890 and the Loma Prieta earthquake that happened in
California in 1989, raising a question whether or not there is a connection between the two or
not. Mount St. Helens, the volcano, is found in Skamania County, Washington which when
erupted, caused over $1 Billion in damages, caused 57 deaths, and deposited ash in 11 states in
the US and many Canadian provinces as well. The eruption rose 15 miles into the atmosphere.
Loma Prieta Earthquake happened in Northern California in the Forest of Nisense Marks State
