Haden Jones – Climate Change Simulation

When I played my role in the policy exercise, I started off very confused and taken aback at all the countries trying to create deals/agreements so quickly. I was a part of the China team. This was challenging because China produces the largest amount of CO₂ emissions. Even though this amount has decreased, we were still the leaders of CO₂ emissions by a good amount. It seemed almost impossible to make a change that could better help the world’s problem of global warming and climate change.

Changes in emotion: My emotions did not change too much throughout this activity. I remained pretty overwhelmed throughout and unsure how to help solve this problem in an effective way.

Changes in ideas & what prompted this change: Considering China was largely at fault for this problem, it was inevitable we would have to share finances in order to gain deals. The money that we initially decided to give went up 3 billion dollars and our peak year went down 10 years. This change in money was due to United States agreeing they would also give the same amount.

Can emissions really be cut? Honestly, I do believe emissions can be cut; however, I do not believe there will be a time where there are no emissions. At the end of the day, we are not the real policy makers. Creating real change would most likely require more money and take a lot more time to find a deal all countries agree with.

Cost barriers: There was one problem with cutting emissions for China: afforestation. In China, there are many places that it would be hard to do this because farmland is a necessity in China, and trees cannot be planted in those areas.

Change in US: In order to catalyze change in the United States, we would need to somehow reduce the CO₂ emissions. In order to do this, governmental change would need to be implemented. As one citizen, we could help by having more protests on climate change in the capital. Ultimately, the only way we can try to catalyze change is to spread the dangers of climate change.

Climate Simulation Reflection

When I played my role in the policy exercise, I was a member of the developing nations. At times I felt slightly frustrated when other countries expected us to “contribute more” when at the point we were at there wan not much more we could. This particularly difficult in regards to carbon emissions as everyone seemed to forget how many people we had and that some form of carbon emissions was inevitable. Generally, though I was able to understand where they were coming from, though I think part of the issue is that while the design of the agreements worked for most nations in regards to decreasing climate emissions it did not in regards to us and India. As the two groups with the lowest per capita carbon emissions, we simply could not sustain any yearly percentage decrease. We could offer a one time decrease of a certain percentage over some years but that proposal could not be incorporated into any calculations. In some ways, our group was lucky in that we had so little that our ideas and requests stayed fairly consistent throughout the process. It was, however, heartbreaking to see that even with all of our aforestation and anti-deforestation efforts, ultimately it did little. I remain optimistic though that over time as though forests would build up they could have a greater impact, it just might be an impact that the people who start such campaigns would never get to see—I still believe it would be worth it.
Several issues arose in the simulation that I am sure are problems with these negotiations today. Mistrust between countries and fear of political corruption is one that we, in particular, had to deal with. This I completely understand. The developing countries of the world (particularly the regions we were given) are rife with corruption and greed in the places of power. These powerful but corrupt individuals are also proponents of taking advantage of their natural resources when they can—regardless of the long-term consequences (The Brazillian President Jair Bolsonaro and his attitudes toward protecting the Amazon being only one of many examples). These are issues that will not be easy to solve. In the simulation, we were able to work out arrangements that included other countries being able to oversee operations they were funding (so long as the jobs went to out people) but we are not blinded by greed or a lust for power the way many world leaders, unfortunately, are.
All in all, I am more optimistic now then I have been in the past about reducing emissions. There seems to be a growing base of support for the idea in the US as well as in China. Here I think we can continue to present the facts, and perhaps stop presenting climate-change deniers as if they have the same scientific backing that climate change itself does. I am not sure if we will realistically be able to get the average degree increased to 2 degrees celsius, but I have hope that more people will see the severity of the situation, and that if some countries who are committed to this are able to sustain themselves on more green energy that the more stubborn of the countries (in particular the US) may come around to the idea.

Watershed Reflections – Paul Paterson

In this picture, you can see a metal sculpture that had been placed in a ditch just outside of the Lamar Dodd School of Art. When I look at it, I immediately notice that the metal is rusted, meaning quite a bit of water has touched most of the sculpture. This means that despite the ditch looking relatively shallow and wide, it does its job of directing water to the main channel quite well. I also notice that the structure looks somewhat like a cornucopia, possibly symbolizing the positive effects that a proper watershed network can have on a community. I wonder if this was constructed where it was due to the insight or ideas of an art student with interests in biology, agriculture, or something else having to do with watersheds.

Scavenger Hunt Reflection Hyde Healy

In this picture, I see the Lily Branch Stream with its eroded bank the focus of the picture. What immediately jumps out to me about this picture is the drastically eroded bank of the stream. Instead of the gradual decline that comprises most banks, the Lily Branch’s bank drops straight off like a cliff. This picture makes me think of water and just how powerful of a force it is. The erosion displayed in the picture tells the viewer water is a force that commands their respect and attention. This photo highlights the importance water management and watershed maintenance plays in the town of Athens. When I look at this picture I feel motivated to learn more about watersheds and water management so I can aid in the battle to keep Athens healthy and beautiful. The photo makes me realize there is much more I could be doing to help. I think this picture is about watershed management and, more specifically, erosion.

Michael Burnett Watershed Reflection

In this picture, I see a drain labeled “No dumping! Drains to river”. I have never seen a drain like this before, which struck me. This makes me think of how rain combined with pollution on the streets can easily drain to the river with this feature. When I look at this picture, I feel a need to to better, find better ways to protect our environment. I think this picture is about our society thinking of simple solutions, not complex which actually have better chance of saving our environment.

Eric Miller Watershed Image

I took this picture at the area where Lilly Branch comes out from underground to daylight near Joe Frank Harris. The main thing that struck me with this picture was the amount of erosion along the bank. The fact that Lilly Branch has been kept out of sight in most areas kept me from knowing it existed for the past year at UGA, even though it is easily visible on my morning walk to class, as I first noticed the next day. The sheer notion astonishes me that the water from our community, that has been hidden from mine and others’ sight for so long, has also made such an impact on the environment over the years to create the erosion we see in the image.

This image prompted me to have more awareness and start to take action in the community. The fact that our campus was built over the stream makes me realize that our community has a lack of awareness, and even care, about where our water goes, and more importantly, where our pollutants end up. Thus, I am excited to learn more about the specifics of such pollution in Athens and make a difference through our semester projects.

Linda Cullen Watershed Reflection Post

In this photo I see a storm drain with a warning sign that reads “No Dumping! Drains to River.”
In this photo, I noticed the effort made to protect the environment by keeping the river clean and not allowing waste products into the local water sources. This really stuck out to me because sometimes local water sources can be overlooked.
This picture makes me think about how important it is to keep the materials that shouldn’t be in the rivers and streams out of them. I see these signs on storm drains all the time, but I never thought about why they are necessary or how important they are.
When I look at this picture, I feel proud of the steps being taken toward bettering the local water sources. I hope this is one of the first steps of many leading to cleaner water locally, as well as within the larger community.
I think this picture is about moving forward in the attempts to protect the local watersheds, which is something that affects us more than we think. I see this photo as a way of shedding light on a topic that goes unnoticed.

Watershed Walk Reflection: Eryn Hasty

In this picture, I see the daylight water source of Lily Branch located on East Campus.

What I notice in this picture that stuck out to me initially was the size and natural beauty of it! While it is no massive waterfall or something anyone might go hiking for, it is a beautiful pop of nature we are lucky enough to have in one of the busiest places on campus. People may not even recognize what is right in front of them.

This scene makes me think about, and honestly realize, how I spend so much of my time not taking in my surroundings. I have been a student at UGA and lived in Athens for over a year, and I have never noticed this watershed site until I was forced to go searching for it. I even work at the Ramsey Student Center which is directly next to where this picture of Lily Branch was taken and I had no idea it was there! Along with that, I had no idea about the intricate watershed system that I learned about while on my scavenger hunt. There are so many intricate places and structures that go into Lily Branch that I was oblivious to! This East Campus scene also made me realize that when I am not noticing things like this in my environment, it causes me to loose consciousness of how I am treating the environment and watersheds in my area. While I do not treat them “bad”, I have not put in any effort to treat them better. I have been oblivious to the situation and the need on campus for us to care for our watershed.

When I look at this picture, I feel peace. Water has always been a place where I feel calmed whether it be by an ocean, lake, pond, river, and even stream. The gentle movement of the water always allows me to take a step back and clear my mind. This picture also makes me feel motivated to spread awareness about how we can promote healthier watersheds in our area.

I think this picture is about realizing what is right in front of us that we often overlook. It will serve as a reminder for me, and hopefully others in our class, that we should recognize what our environment needs from us so that it can continue to be healthy.

Watershed Reflection

Here, we can see a storm water pond on East Campus. It is decently sized and can hold quite a large volume of water, although it is not near full capacity in the photo. This pond is something we as the UGA and Athens communities should care about as it helps to reduce flood damage and retain excess precipitation.

One thing that really strikes me as interesting is just how shallow it is. We have had lots of rainfall lately in large bursts and while it has not exactly been pouring everyday, I would expect a higher water level from the rainfall.

To the average person walking around campus, this seems like just another pond, maybe with some fish. This made the gears in my mind begin to turn: what would happen if it was not there? How would campus be different? Would we not be able to drive on some roads during heavy rainfall? Would students not be able to attend class? Would deliveries not get made on time? As an economics major, the simple idea of a small disruption to the ecosystem has me thinking about all the ripple effects in our daily lives not having a storm water pond could cause.

When I see this photo, I feel a sense of security knowing that we as a group can always continue our battle against Mother Nature. I think this picture is about the value we place on simple things like storm ponds that help us, quietly and behind the scenes, live our daily lives.

Scavenger Hunt Reflection

In this picture, I see a broken up red solo cup close to the watershed.
What really struck me about this picture is that the piece of trash is so small, that anyone who passed by it could easily pick it up. It is also unclear how long this piece of trash has been there. It could have been there for years for all that we know, so it is very sad that no one picked it up yet.
This picture makes me think about how little we care for our environment, even our closest surroundings. This is not like throwing a piece of trash in a place you will never visit again (which is still bad). This shows people trash their own home, and also don’t care enough to fix it whether or not it is theirs.
When I look at this picture, I feel sad. I also feel hypocritical because I know that as bad as it is to leave this trash there, there have been plenty of times where I have just left a piece of trash somewhere because I was in a hurry or I just did not care enough.
I think this picture is about being aware of how our small actions affect something as big as a watershed. It is also about being aware of how much impact we can make just by being conscientious of our own and others mistakes.
I think that the groups I am interested in, cleaning the watershed and the tailgating cleanup, would both agree that this is an important issue. At the tailgating initiative especially, they probably have seen many more red solo cups around that people just discarded.