: Maria Fernanda Ossa Echeverri - Raquel González E - Maria Fernanda Bedoya S - Valentina Muñoz R. - Maria Alejandra Palacio D. - Sofía Zapata A - Stefania Betancur.

                                  

                                 CARBON FOOT PRINT: COMPARISONS AND CAUSES.

                                                         COLEGIO BETHLEMITAS

                                                        ENGLISH FINAL PROJECT        

                                                                    GRADE: 11ª

                                           TEACHER:    DEISY JANNETH MUÑOZ A.

Obesity rates among children and youth in Canada have nearly tripled in the last 30 years, that’s why it is important for the government to develop new strategies that involve healthy life styles for all families and children in Canada.

●         The government, with help from experts and nutritionist have figured a “eating healthy” book, that’ll help Canadians to avoid high blood pressure and heart disease and type-2 diabetes, and it could also help people that suffer from sleep apnea and breathing problems, and teens and woman that have abnormal or missed menstrual cycles

One of the causes of this problem could be the fact that most Canadians usually use the car, as their transport to go everywhere. This is not only a cause for a disease like obesity, but a big issue, that's polluting the air and causing lung and breathing difficulties to children and adults. When oxygen enters to our body, it is consumed by our cells, and transported through our body and, as a result of this process the body eliminates carbon dioxide; but when oxygen is mixed with other gases it is really dangerous.

According to a study done by the Health Ministry, "half of Colombians are overweight and are generally unhealthy".

Health Ministry official Fernando Ramirez, in conjunction with a professor from the University of Antioquia carried out a study of Colombian health. The study found that 50% of all Colombians are classified as overweight. Furthermore, 16.5% percent of that 50% are clinically obese.

Most Colombians use the bus, the metro and other resources as their ride, but even though not all people use cars, Canada rates for Air quality, and Fresh and clean Water are higher and better.

In the last Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey in 2012, it was estimated that 21.6% of Canada’s population met the criteria for a substance use disorder. That is close to 8 million people suffering from addiction in Canada.

In 2012, it was determined that 18.1% of Canadians met the criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence at some time in their lives, many of which were in that past year. This number grew to 19% in 2016. Alcohol, by a wide margin, is the most abused substance in Canada. Even compared to the rest of the world. Where other nations are consuming less and less, Canada continues to drink heavily.

This numbers may not seem threatening, but more people were hospitalized in 2015 through 2016 for alcohol-related harm than heart attacks. That came out to about 77,000 people who were hospitalized from drinking.

More than 30,000 Colombians between the ages of 12 and 65 took part in the 2013 National Study of the Consumption of Psychoactive Substances in Colombia, which was co-sponsored by the United Nations (UN), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the United States Embassy in Colombia.

Among the study’s other important conclusions, the authors highlight that the consumption illicit substances increased by 50% among 18-24 year-olds.

While the study found that less than 2% of Colombian women consume illicit substances, drug consumption increased by 27% among women between 2008 and 2013, with men’s drug consumption, already more prevalent, increasing by 38%.

Even though the rates are not that high, it is important to consider that is not only the people that become addict’s ever year, but the fact that Colombia loses 2,000 km2 of forest annually to deforestation. Deforestation in Colombia is mainly targeted at primary rainforest which covers more than 80% of Colombia. This has a profound ecological impact in that Colombia is extremely rich in biodiversity, with 10% of the world's species, making it the second most biologically diverse country on Earth.

Deforestation in Canada is among the world’s lowest, with a 0,02%. This means that Colombia’s deforestation rates are higher that Colombia’s, with a great difference.

But the bigger picture is that deforestation has an effect on the Carbon Cycle also known as the Greenhouse gas effect and global warming. Trees and forest balance the amount of Carbon in the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis in which plants make their own food with carbon dioxide.

Comparing the Carbon footprint from a Canadian with a Colombian, we found out that Canada’s average person footprint is of 18%, and Colombia’s average person footprint is of 9%.

The world needs more people that care about their environment, the ecological systems and pollution, and also, the world needs people that care about their carbon foot print and that are trying to drecase their levels of contamination and that try and make this planet happier and healthier.

CONCLUSIONS

Through the information gathered, it was important to identify common factors that affect Colombians and Canadians, and these are related to obesity, drugs abuse and alcohol.

Adding to the problematics it is  concluded  that deforestation is not only killing our environment, but us. We don't own nature or the planet, we are part of it, and we've got to respect it.

The different life styles that a human adapts to his life, like eating well, taking the bus, and practicing regular exercise can have a positive impact on the environment and the organisms health.

Not all people in Canada or Colombia are conscious about their carbon footprint, this makes them act without the sense of Consequences and affect the planet, the natural places and ecosystems and their health.

REFERENCES

Katzmarzyk, P. T. (2002). The Canadian obesity epidemic, 1985–1998. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 166(8), 1039-1040.

Tremblay, M. S., & Willms, J. D. (2003). Is the Canadian childhood obesity epidemic related to

physical inactivity?. International journal of obesity, 27(9), 1100.

McGuire, S. (2011). Shields M., Carroll MD, Ogden CL adult obesity prevalence in Canada and the United States. NCHS data brief no. 56, Hyattsville, MD: national Center for Health Statistics, 2011. Advances in Nutrition, 2(4), 368-369.

(2018-01-25). Tackling Obesity in Canada: Obesity and Excess Weight Rates in Canadian Adults. . Government of Canada Recuperado de https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/obesity-excess-weight-rates-canadian-adults.html

Etter, A., McAlpine, C., Wilson, K., Phinn, S., & Possingham, H. (2006). Regional patterns of agricultural land use and deforestation in Colombia. Agriculture, ecosystems & environment, 114(2-4), 369-386.

Armenteras, D., Cabrera, E., Rodríguez, N., & Retana, J. (2013). National and regional determinants of tropical deforestation in Colombia. Regional Environmental Change, 13(6), 1181-1193.