Peer Response Instructions

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Peer Response Instructions:?As part of the this assignment, you will be expected to write comments on two peer blogs per week. To ensure that everyone receives feedback, you will be assigned to respond to specific blogs. I will send emails during the first week of class with peer names, 2 per each week.
In your response to peer Blog 2, you should
1) Add some information in the form of a citation that supports, expands, and/or improves upon the argument made by your peer. Be sure to clarify how this information adds to your peer’s argument.
2) The introduction of rats to Easter Island, whether it was intentional to use the rats as a food source or unintentional, with rats stowed away on visiting boats, was the most serious violation of Heinberg’s axioms of sustainability. This axiom states that sustainability requires that substances introduced into the environment from human activities be minimized and rendered harmless to biosphere functions. (1) In this case, it was not a substance that was harmful to biosphere functions, but rather an invasive species.
3) Without the rats’ introduction, it is possible the Rapa Hui may have recovered their numbers by way of reforestation. It’s unlikely, but possible. With the rats being present eating the seeds of potential palm trees, they effectively destroyed any possibility of turning things around for the inhabitants of the island. (2) Further, the rats competed with humans for other food as well, eating chickens that the islanders had previously used as their source of protein. Some research points to the rats being purposely introduced as a food source along with chickens. (5)
4) Heinberg’s third axiom of sustainability tells us that renewable resources must be consumed at a rate that is less than or equal to rate of replenishment. (1) Trees are a renewable resource. Trees were cut down faster than they could grow and replace themselves. Once rats arrived on the island, they ate coconuts and the trees could not grow. Islanders had already greatly reduced the trees for fuel, burning the wood. The statues they constructed had to be moved on rollers made of tree trunks, and other areas were deforested to make room for crops. The rats were just the final factor that nearly eliminated the palms. (3)
5) Heinberg’s first axiom of sustainability states that if a society uses critical resources in an unsustainable way, that society will collapse. (1) The statues (moai) were chiseled from stone for ceremonial purposes. It’s not known why so many statues were constructed or why they had to be placed about the island, but the process required a lot of trees and manpower. As there were not enough trees being planted to replace those cut down, the consumption of the trees was unsustainable. Erosion due to deforestation was inevitable, and the soil wasn’t great to begin with, which lead to reduced crop yields. (5)
6) Heinberg’s second axiom of sustainability holds that population growth and/or growth in the rates of consumption of resources cannot be sustained. (1) The Rapa Hui didn’t experience exponential growth of population, but the effects of the rats and deforestation for agriculture and statue construction limited the number of humans the island was able to support.
7) As for Heinberg’s fourth axiom stating that nonrewable resources must be consumed at a declining rate, the Rapa Hui did not really consume nonrenewable resources such as fossil fuel, so this isn’t applicable. (1)
8) Sources
9) 1. Heinberg, R. #178: Five Axioms of Sustainability. Richardheinberg.com. February 2007. Accessed 4/1/15. URL: http://richardheinberg.com/178-five-axioms-of-sustainability
10) 2. Dobson, R. Rats, not men, to blame for death of Easter Island. The Independent. 01/07/07. Accessed 04/02/15. URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/rats-not-men-to-blame-for-death-of-easter-island-431105.html
11) 3. Dangerfield, W. The Mystery of Easter Island. Smithsonian.com 03/31/2007. Accessed 04/02/15. URL: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/the-mystery-of-easter-island-151285298/?no-ist
12) 4. Hunt, T. Rethinking the Fall of Easter Island. American Scientist. September-October 2006. URL: http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/rethinking-the-fall-of-easter-island/2
13) 5. Than, K. View of Easter Island Disaster All Wrong, Researchers Say. LiveScience.com. 03/09/06. Accessed 04/02/15. URL: http://www.livescience.com/616-view-easter-island-disaster-wrong-researchers.html
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Peer Response Instructions:?As part of the this assignment, you will be expected to write comments on two peer blogs per week. To ensure that everyone receives feedback, you will be assigned to respond to specific blogs. I will send emails during the first week of class with peer names, 2 per each week.
In your response to peer Blog 2, you should
1) Add some information in the form of a citation that supports, expands, and/or improves upon the argument made by your peer. Be sure to clarify how this information adds to your peer’s argument.
The fall of the old kingdom of Egypt was a more complicated one that is hard to pinpoint, but it can be said that the famine did play large part in its down fall. (1) There was a definite population decline while the famine and drought raged for 20-30 years. Looking at the society before the Old Kingdom of Egypt was managed surprising well with a long ruling pharaoh before the drought and having a long history of being a superior civilization. As far as urbanization went in the downfall or status of the civilization it was not of too much concern as there was a limited amount of arable land and it needed to cultivate for the sake of the nation, So agriculture was a main stay of the Egyptian community as it is reflected in much of its myths and culture. (2)
The population of Egypt had already been pushed beyond its traditional limits, instead of relying on only agricultural practices the Egyptians began to domesticate animals that would rely on the rain of the winter. This wasn’t enough they also developed a technique of growing crops near certain areas of the Nile were it would flood as to take advantage of the fertile soil. This was before the Egyptians invented irrigation so they were heavily reliant on this natural rhythm. (3) This caused a plethora of other problems though; it obviously negatively impacted the economic activity and even the political structure of the city. Since the pharaoh at time died before any major problem could be solved the nation became less centralized and ruling power feel into the hands of the governors of various provinces. It is said this caused two major problems, migration out of Egypt and corruption of the political elites with them hoarding food. They were unable to handle this crisis with a fragmented government at play and the pharaoh couldn’t do much with the weakened power, add in an invasion and things did not go well for this kingdom due to a number of factors coinciding. (4)
1. Week 2 notes
2. http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/the_end_of_the_old_kingdom.htm
3. http://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-25-1-what-caused-egypt-old-kingdom-to-collapse
4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/apocalypse_egypt_01.shtml