Henry Snow – Undergraduate - Environmental Science Natural Resource Planning and Management
Eutrophication of Lake Taihu: Ecological Consequences, Social Impact, and Conservation Efforts in a Rapidly Industrialized Region
Lake Taihu is China’s third largest freshwater lake, supplying over 30 million people with water. Due to intense industrialization in recent years, it underwent the process of eutrophication. The lake was previously known for its large fishing industry which supported a large part of the people living in the Southern Jiangsu area of China. Lake Taihu has a water area of 2,338.1 km2, but only has a maximum depth of 2.6 m. Due to the lake’s shallow nature, large size, and very low inflow rate, it is very susceptible to pollution. Lake Taihu is one of the most economically developed areas in China; during the 1980s and 90s, industry in the area tripled. This sudden increase in industry in the area negatively impacted the health of the lake, which would then change the balance of the hydrosocial cycle of the Southern Jiangsu area. This eutrophication has all but removed several groups, such as fishers and farmers, from Lake Taihu’s hydrosocial cycle. This paper will examine how the eutrophication of Lake Taihu started, its impact on local ecology, its impact on local people, and modern conservation efforts.
Jacob Taylor – Undergraduate - Geography
The Heat is on for Farmers in China
Severe draught in China has caused farmers to conserve water in any way they can. Average temperatures are warmer than they have ever been due to global climate change. Farms are failing to produce enough crops and people struggle to get adequate drinking water. The farmers and everyone who relies on them have had to adapt. Building wells, updating pump equipment, and purchasing crop insurance are a few ways farmers can conserve water. Engineering methods are constructive measures like building cisterns. Non-engineering methods are policy-based measures like adjusting crop irrigation. Farmers are well aware of climate change that has been happening. Many of them say they have noticed increases in temperature throughout their lifetime. The major rivers of China flow through several major cities. These river networks are some of the longest in the world and affect millions of people. Draught is the surface issue when talking about how farmers will get water. We must also figure out how they can utilize these watersheds.
Peregrine Hart – Undergraduate - Geology, Geography
A Mangled Yarn: Textile Wastewater & Impacts In Bangladesh
In recent years, the Global North’s rapacious appetite for cheap clothing has called upon under-regulated developing nations for supply. Bangladesh, the world’s second largest textile exporter, has depended on that demand for up to 16% of its GDP. The textile industry looms large over the nation's waters, with some 5000 factories consuming between 250-300 liters for every kilogram of textiles produced. Much of that then becomes wastewater, released with little consequence into major waterways and wetlands, where residents who use the water face diverse health risks and water ecosystems face substantial disruptions. The government of Bangladesh has struggled to enforce existing environmental regulations as the industry grows, with textile plants shielded from fines by their low relative cost. Though chemical treatment solutions have been proposed, even critical researchers never challenge the paradigm in which production is king, assuming that the world will perpetually and unchangeably demand ever-greater volumes of cheap textiles. Engineering solutions have rushed to the aid of a problem that is ultimately social at its core, and it’s more often Bangladesh called upon to confront it than it is wealthy clothing importers whose market pressures forestall change. Moving forward, as Bangladesh faces political shocks in a sudden, protest-fueled regime change, the country stands to lose both the economic benefits of the industry as-is, and its potential to become less damaging in the future.