C/D Blocks Social and Environmental Sciences - We start with Benton and soon thereafter Young too (quick Doctor's appointment) looking at the Colorado today. The Colorado River Basin covers an area of over 252,000 square miles (652,677 square kilometers), travelling 1,450-miles (2334 km) from source to mouth. The river supplies water to over 40 million people and irrigates nearly 5.5 million acres of farm land. Twenty two federally recognized tribes (indigenous nations), seven National Wildlife Refuges, eleven National Parks, and four National Recreation Areas also rely on the Colorado River. In addition to this more than 4,200 megawatts of electricity is generated on the river. It created the Grand Canyon (one of the Eight Natural Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and is an economic driver of the American southwest:- The Colorado River supports $1.4 trillion in annual economic activity and 16 million jobs in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming - that’s equivalent to about 1/12 of the total U.S. domestic product, meaning the Colorado River’s contribution is important to the national economy as well
- For each of these western states, the river accounts for at least half of its gross economic product. The total is much higher for some state economies, including 65% in New Mexico and 87% in Nevada.
- If just 10% of the river’s water were unavailable for people, we would see a loss of $143 billion in economic activity and 1.6 million jobs in just one year.
- The resulting economic hit would be delivered across the board, with the largest effects in real estate, healthcare and social services, retail, technical services and finance.
As famous as the Colorado may be, it’s equally infamous for the stresses placed upon it due to over-allocation, overuse, and more than a century of manipulation. The Colorado River Water Compact drafted in 1922 to divide water between upper and lower basin states was based on analysis of one of the wettest 10-year periods in history, establishing a permanent deficit. The battery of threats facing the natural masterpiece the river has carved through the Grand Canyon have earned that segment the number one spot on American Rivers’ Most Endangered Rivers report in 2015. About two-thirds of the water flowing in the Colorado River and its tributaries is used for irrigation, and the other one-third supplies urban areas, evaporates into the atmosphere, or provides water to riparian (streamside) vegetation. Without Colorado River water, the region would support few crops, and major cities such as Las Vegas, Nevada, and Phoenix, Arizona, would not have grown so rapidly.
Later, with Young, you'' need to work on Friday's questions
So:
- What factors limit people's access to safe, fresh, potable water?
- How does conflict arise from unequal access to safe, fresh, potable water?
- How do you value water? Does water have an intrinsic value for example, or should it be regarded simply as an economic good, much like coffee is?
- Would you fight for access to safe, fresh, potable water? Why or Why not? *Look at the Merville Water Guardians article to see a local example
- Is civil disobedience and peaceful protest an effective tool to change people's minds on an environmental topic like access to water? Why or Why not?
- What are some effective ways to change governments slow reactions to water crises in Canada?
A Block Legal Studies - I might be able to secure a notebook cart to have you finish up your question from Friday. If not, you'll need to get after that question and hand it to me by this Friday. Today we'll continue looking at discrimination in Canada focusing on women's issues of injustice connected employment and pay equity, sexual harassment, and discrimination against pregnant women. On a global scale consider this: From the UN HDI GII...
"Gender inequality remains a major barrier to human development. Girls and women have made major strides since 1990, but they have not yet gained gender equity. The disadvantages facing women and girls are a major source of inequality. All too often, women and girls are discriminated against in health, education, political representation, labour market, etc. with negative consequences for development of their capabilities and their freedom of choice".
From the OSSTF In 2016, a report conducted by Statistics Canada showed that one in five Canadian women had been harassed at work in the past year, compared with one in eight Canadian men. The women who were most vulnerable to this type of abuse were young, single or unmarried. Indigenous women and those persons who identify as LGTBQ+2 were also disproportionately targeted by harassment.
From the Canadian Human Rights Reporter:
The Supreme Court of Canada held that the Government of British Columbia's aerobic standard used to test the fitness of forest firefighters discriminated on the basis of sex, and further that the Government failed to show that the discriminatory standard is justified as a bona fide occupational requirement ("BFOR").
Most B.C. women have experienced gender discrimination: Poll
 |
| From the Canadian Women's Association |
I'll have you work on the following questions:
1. What are some of the current barriers to equality facing women?
2. What is pay equity?
3. How are different jobs compared under pay equity?
4. What is employment equity?
5. What groups are protected under employment equity laws?
1. What are some of the current barriers to equality facing women?
2. What is pay equity?
3. How are different jobs compared under pay equity?
4. What is employment equity?
5. What groups are protected under employment equity laws?
And the videos we didn't get to...
*warning there is potty mouth in the following videos so please be aware and watch with care
B Block Human Geography - Today's key question is "Why Does Population Growth Vary among Regions"? and it's kind of an important one to look at. Although population rates vary among countries, the model for a similar process of change in a society’s population is the demographic transition. So we'll look at the model...it looks like this:
I'll have you fill in the chart in the Population/Development work package with characteristics describing each stage in the demographic transition model (CBR, CDR, NIR, etc.) along with the amount of growth of each stage (low, high, decreasing aka moderate) etc.
Consider Bulgaria. Bulgaria is projected to have the fastest-shrinking population in the world. Its already lost a fifth of its population since the 1990s. But what does this mean for those who remain? Bulgaria's dwindling population numbers happen in part because a lot of young adults have left the country so the birth rate is low but the Bulgarian government does not see immigration as a possible solution to the country's dwindling population. So...stage 4 (maybe 5) in the DTM. What should they do?
Consider Bulgaria. Bulgaria is projected to have the fastest-shrinking population in the world. Its already lost a fifth of its population since the 1990s. But what does this mean for those who remain? Bulgaria's dwindling population numbers happen in part because a lot of young adults have left the country so the birth rate is low but the Bulgarian government does not see immigration as a possible solution to the country's dwindling population. So...stage 4 (maybe 5) in the DTM. What should they do?
Today's Fit...
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