Response to Interactive Simulations

Environment   Sep 25, 2016 by Kiersten Sell

Simulation 1 – Ecological Footprint Calculator

Going into this simulation I was fully prepared for the worst. Due to my job and the sprawling landscape of Calgary, I recognize that my fuel emissions are cringe-worthy. What I hadn’t expected was my overall water consumption. Discussed in the third simulation, there is a lot more to water consumption than just running a tap, and that was something that greatly affected my ecological footprint. As a result, my footprint was much higher than the Canadian average, but only slightly greater than that of an average Calgarian.

Unfortunately, transit is not an option I can use while commuting to work. Due to its remote location and the amount of materials I require, it is not a viable solution. However, it may be more practical to use other means of transportation in most or all other situations. For example, walking to the grocery store, or using the bus to get to a friend’s home. In this way not only am I decreasing my exhaust output, but I’m also saving money on gas, and a little more physical activity never hurt anyone.

Simulation 2 – Climate Challenge

In my opinion, this simulation was the most interesting. Finding global solutions is not an easy task, and issues cannot simply be fixed with basic solutions. There are multiple areas and topics that exist, and for every solution, there is always a drawback with a severity that varies. This is one factor that contributes to the complexity of politics.

My main strategy approaching this simulation was the idea of balancing. Obviously there would need to be a priority placed on climate change, but all other areas would need to be accounted for as equally as possible. That includes public opinion. For the most part, this was an effective strategy and I was able to meet most of the deadlines. What I hadn’t accounted for was the impact it took on my economy. I had inadvertently inflated the market, causing a crash that took many jobs with it. They didn’t seem to mind though, because my popularity was maintained.

There are just too many variables to consider for one to always make the best decisions, and unseen events can drastically alter circumstances. As a result, as thought-provoking as this challenge is, there cannot be enough space on each card to reflect the effects a decision will have on a community. However, in the interest of promoting awareness, the cards were an effective way to represent the most pressing issues and their effects.

During the International negotiations, the best policy was always to lead by example. For a country to be bold enough to propose a solution, it also must be dedicated to upholding it. Change is hard enough, and when the would-be-leader cannot lead, confidence will falter. There needs to be an example, to prove that it can be done, and that it is worth it for others try as well.

Simulation 3 – Water Footprint Calculator

As stated before, part of what becomes your water footprint, is much more than just running the tap. Though it makes sense, food production was a factor that surprised me. Overall my water footprint was fairly small compared to the average Canadian’s, and was only slightly larger than that of the Worlds. That being said, I completely fall into the stereotype of an Albertan, and consume a lot of Alberta beef. Recognizing that meat uses much more water to produce than vegetables and that eating too much red meat is not healthy, it would be logical to propose that cutting back on meat is a good way to start shrinking my water footprint, much to my dismay.

Summary

I believe it has become very easy to push the issue of our climate to the side. Though we know and understand that there is an issue, we don’t fully recognize the extent of the effect we have on the environment. This issue is a result of many separate acts that have accumulated to form a larger affect. Therefore these simulations are absolutely applicable to my community. A nation’s population is but the foundation to any issue or solution. If the foundation is altered than so is the outcome. Even in simulation 2, the public opinion and condition was taken into account while making decisions on a global scale. By participating in these exercises, I now have an idea of my effect on the environment and a means to improve it. It has also reinforced the idea that every individual’s actions count and that through altering simple acts, we may find that global change isn’t as daunting as we once thought.

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