Climate Change

Climate change has been induced by natural and man made factors.  Our insistent need for energy and our obsession with consumption of trivial objects has had a substantial effect on the world's climate.  It is also the release of natural Carbon Dioxide and Methane emissions that has had an immense effect on the world's climate.  Temperatures are rising, ice caps are melting, and habitats are beginning to escape.  Who is to blame?  We discovered in class that there have not been very many reliable explanations of climate change or global warming.  We are sort of limited to extreme views that leave little room for truth and neutral explanation.  The media has created very strong opposing views in order to explain global warming.  Extremists on either end have dictated the way the American public views climate change.  Without a balanced explanation of what global climate change is and why it has (really) been occurring.  Unfortunately, without a neutral and balanced explanation of the issue we cannot be expected to truly care or make a change.  Although I may not see the immediate repercussions of climate change the generations that come after me will have serious cleaning up to do.  That is, if we make it to another generation.  Climate change has the potential to put cities and states underwater.  It can also displace and kill off plants, animals, and their habitats.  This could have a massive effect on usable resources.

Eucalyptus. Genetic modification or not?

ArborGen (a biotech company) has expressed a desire to plant test plots of genetically modified eucalyptus here at FGCU! This GM eucalyptus has been engineered with enhanced cold tolerance. This allows it to grow not only in Southwest Florida, but potentially as far north as South Carolina. As an eco-aware citizen, the USDA has subpoenaed you to testify on the merits and pitfalls of this plan.


There are many different species of Eucalyptus tree. It is estimated to be somewhere in the 700-800 range.  It grows inland of water and helps establish riverbanks.  They grow quickly and produce wood, oil, and natural insecticides.  The eucalyptus tree is also beneficial to draining out lakes, swamps, rivers.  It can empty the bodies of water through what is called 'water-sucking.'  The Eucalyptus tree is good for making paper, but as it is in the wild is not beneficial to a wide variety of plant and animal life.

Eucalyptus Plant

Eucalyptus Tree

Genetically Modifying a plant such as Eucalyptus could be beneficial for many reasons.  One of the major benefits of making a GM eucalyptus is that it has the potential to be able to resist the adverse affects of cold and freezing weather.  Ensuring plants resist freezing temperatures would lead to more sources for paper, wood, oil, and energy.  Since more trees would survive more energy can be harvested and used. Although GM Eucalyptus does have it's benefits, it also has it's downfalls.  There are both intrinsic and extrinsic concerns for creating a GM Eucalyptus plant.  Eucalyptus could become a catalyst of drought, it could also dominate other plants since it is made to sustain otherwise in-climate weather conditions.  Creating a plant with super powers that allow it to fight against the natural environment.  This makes it very threatening to create and spread GM Eucalyptus.  Although there are ways to research the consequences and manage them, it is also very risky and extremely costly to produce a plant with super growing powers.