In chapter 6, Kolbert speaks about her experiences in Castello Aragonese which is an island that is a product of the northward drift of Africa that presses into Eurasia. Because of this, volcanic eruptions occur and carbon dioxide is released through vents into the sea floor. The author explains the effects of industrialization on the environment. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is extremely high which is creating an increase in the global temperature. The increase in carbon dioxide concentration is also impacting oceans. When gases and water interact, gases get absorbed into the ocean and the dissolved gas gets released into the atmosphere. Because of this extra carbon dioxide, pH levels of the ocean is dropping. The author mentions that it has already dropped from 8.2 to 8.1. Even though this doesn’t seem like an extreme change, Kolbert states, “A decline of .1 means that the oceans are now thirty percent more acidic than they were in 1800. Assuming that humans continue to burn fossil fuels, the oceans will continue to absorb carbon dioxide and will become increasingly acidified.” (114) This shows that if humans continue to abuse the planet, the ph levels of the ocean will continue to fall and the oceans will be much more acidic. The high levels of acidity in oceans affects organisms that live there. “But some of these lower organisms, they don’t have the physiology to do that. They’ve just got to tolerate what’s happening outside, and so they get pushed beyond their limits.”(116) This connects to the theme, environmental problems have a social and cultural context. I say this because, ever since the world has become industrialized, the atmosphere of the earth has been altered to the point of no return. It also connects to the theme, Humans alter natural systems because the increased burning of coal and other substances is causing the ozone layer to deplete which leads to global warming.
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