Environmental Economics
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Cost and benefits of Genetically Modified Food
Great. An examination of the economic and environmental costs will make this an interesting and informative research topic. Any thoughts as to sites/locations you would visit to get first hand information and perhaps conduct informal interviews?
Also, think of some key questions you would want to get answers to.
Tanya,
This sounds like an interesting topic!
Cost-benefit analysis of “street” recycling in New York City
Great. Did you sign up for the tour of the SIMS recycling facility on October 8? Will you research another site?
Hello, I have signed up to visit the recycle site. I would also visit Brooklyn Heights and other recycling friendly areas.
Great – sounds good.
Houses made with recycling plastic bottles. How it help the environment. Which person can be benefits of it. How many bottles are recycled in USA at day , year. and more…
http://www.instructables.com/id/New-Innovation-in-Construction-using-Waste-Plastic/
http://www.inspirationgreen.com/plastic-bottle-homes.html
http://www.connect-green.com/recycling-plastic-bottles-to-build-a-home/
Myriam,
This sounds like a fascinating topic. You mentioned some places (countries) where this is being tried. You may want to focus on some of these places and what they have tried so far? Has the technology been successful? How many such structures have been built? Are they designed to be affordable? In addition to this as an interesting recycling practice, has it been successful as a way of constructing housing? Some photos would be great. I’ll take a look at your links.
Green building technology. energy efficiency, resources efficiency. Examples of environmentally friendly buildings in NYC, …
My Research topic:
How does deforestation contribute to climate change?
The following are three questions that will guide my research topic:
1. what information need to be gathered?.
2. where can the information be accessed?
3.What is known, and what does the literature say about the problem?
Macloed,
Interesting choice of topic. You may want to focus on a particular geographic area (just a suggestion); your questions are a good start to investigating this issue.
Research Topic: How does Recycling help global warming
1) What are the necessary items to be recycled?
2) What are the benefits of recycling waste product?
3) What percentage of individual participates in recycling waste products?
4) Is the percentage of recycling higher certain class status?
Latoya,
Topic sounds great: just a suggestion for a slight re-wording of the question: “How does Recycling help Reduce global Warming?
In terms of the questions, these are fine: In question #1, are you proposing that there are specific kinds of things that need to be recycled in addition to what currently is (glass, plastic, paper, e-waste)?
In #2 you may want to look at the economic and environmental benefits and obtain any available data on measured benefits. In #3, do you want to look at the nation overall or the NYC area? In question #4, are you asking whether individuals’ participation in recycling is related to social/economic class? If so, this would be an interesting question to look at and perhaps think about how the benefits of recycling can be better publicized in areas/neighborhoods where participation is known to be lower.
1) reply: not necessarily
2)reply: will do
3)reply: Just NYC area
4) reply: Yes
Thanks a lot for your suggestions.
Research Topic: Solar Roadways.
1: Are Solar Roadways feasible under the currently allotted highway budgets?
2: Given current solar technologies what is the potential energy output per line per mile?
3: Will the current workforce for highways be able to be used on the Solar Roadways?
Group Member: Ki Hong, Hiu Lee Tsui, Jia Min Li
Research Topic: How does Local farming benefit the environment?
Questions for the research topic:
1) What is local farming and what makes it different?
2) How does local farming benefit urban economy?
3) Why people should choose local food and how does it benefit to resident?
What are the measure able economic and environmental benefits of recycling?
Research topic: Cost-benefit analysis of “street” recycling in New York City
Questions for the research topic:
1. How many recycling facilities serve NYC area?
2. What is the volume of recycling being performed by an average recycling plant?
3. How many recycling receptacles/cans are installed in NYC?
4. What are the costs associated with recycling program?
5. What are the quantitative benefits of recycling for NYC and its residents?
1. What effects will solar panels have on the economy later on in terms of its wealth?
2. Since it might cost less to use energy, will having so much energy effect the production of products or food?
3. If energy becomes very inexpensive to use, my there be less waste being dumped? If so then what kinds of waste besides necular waste?
4. How might solar panels effect people state of mind?
5. How much money and time do you think must be spent inorder for us as an individual to leave almost everything in our house running and not have to worry about it?
Research Topic: How radiation accident affect environment badly in the world?
In the paper, I’ll define…
1.The property of radiation: pros and cons
2. providing examples of radiation accident: Chernobyl in Russia and Fukusima in Japan
3. Compare and contrast between radioactive energy and alternative energy such as solar and wind power
4. How those radiation accident impact ecosystem in the world
5. Providing radiation safety in the case of emergency
I have decided to do the research on “how New York City can prevent damage from future super storm” I struggled to find the place to do the file work about how specific method that New York City take to prevent the storm. However, I found that many proposals and projects about preventing are still in the evaluating stage, not actually implementing. After review “southern Manhattan coastal protection study”, which can retrieve from: http://www.nycedc.com/sites/default/files/filemanager/Projects/Seaport_City/Southern_Manhattan_Coastal_Protection_Study_-_Evaluating_the_Feasibility_of_a_Multi-Purpose_Levee.pdf and http://www.nycedc.com/resource/southern-manhattan-coastal-protection-study, this study outlines a very important concept that any prevention technique may be feasible but not induce flooding, effectively address the known climate change risks must remain as the core driver of that process. We can build buildings and subway system waterproof in preparing for 1 in 50years storms, but if we do not act to reduce climate change, if the sea level keeps rising, our 50 years plan may be only work for 20 years; we could not predict how strong storm and flooding we are going to meet in the future. For example, Delta Works that is a sea wall built in Dutch in 1953 and is designed to protect the Netherlands from 1-in 10,000-year flood, but the fact is sea levels have already risen by nearly 30 cm over the past century, a rate that is accelerating, Dutch must put another 1 billion dollar per year to heighten the Delta Works. I think dealing with climate change is more useful than dealing with building waterproof.
I think my topic can relate to how New York City deal with climate change after Sandy, recycling would be a good example to build a more sustainable environment and reduce green house effect.
The questions I am going to address in my research are:
1. What NYC does to promote the recycling?
2. How many recycling facilities around the city?
3. What is the cost of recycling?
4. Is it accessible and doable by residents?
5. Does city have any reward program to encourage people recycling?
6. What is benefit of recycling?
7. Where are the recycling products going to?
8. How to reuse recycling products?
Lin,
I think your proposed research on “How New York City can Prevent Damage from another Superstorm” is an excellent one, and your reference to the project undertaken by the Dutch is an excellent example. If this is the project that still most interests you, I think you should pursue it even though it may be difficult to find areas to directly observe. I have posted a link to an article here that may be very relevant. It is from 2010, but certainly relevant. Its focus is on ‘waterproofing’ the waterfront areas of the City, and among the authors are Dutch environmental specialists looking at the Brooklyn waterfront and building a sustainable infrastructure.
Otherwise, your second choice on recycling is also fine also.
Could sustainable tourism affect the economy? Could it make it decrease or increase? Can undeveloped countries afford this trend? Could the preservation of the environment through the use of tourism help the economy to increase?