Question

‌

CHAPTER‌ ‌1‌ ‌

Thought‌ ‌Lab:‌ ‌ Considering‌ ‌Connections‌ ‌

‌

‌

‌

Purpose:‌ ‌‌Reflect‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌relationship‌ ‌between‌ ‌all‌ ‌living‌ ‌things‌ ‌and‌ ‌their‌ ‌environment.‌ ‌

‌

Procedure‌ ‌

In‌ ‌September‌ ‌2004,‌ ‌Sheila‌ ‌Watt-Cloutier‌ ‌encouraged‌ ‌a‌ ‌committee‌ ‌of‌ ‌United‌ ‌States‌ ‌senators‌ ‌to‌ ‌

consider‌ ‌reversing‌ ‌the‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌position‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌Kyoto‌ ‌Protocol.‌ ‌Near‌ ‌the‌ ‌end‌ ‌of‌ ‌her‌ ‌testimony,‌ ‌

Watt-Cloutier‌ ‌asked‌ ‌the‌ ‌Senate‌ ‌committee‌ ‌members‌ ‌to‌ ‌consider‌ ‌how‌ ‌the‌ ‌Arctic‌ ‌region,‌ ‌its‌ ‌

peoples,‌ ‌and‌ ‌its‌ ‌wildlife‌ ‌are‌ ‌connected‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌rest‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌world.‌ ‌Read‌ ‌her‌ ‌statement‌ ‌below,‌ ‌and‌ ‌

then‌ ‌answer‌ ‌the‌ ‌Analysis‌ ‌questions‌ ‌that‌ ‌follow.‌ ‌

‌

“Use‌ ‌what‌ ‌is‌ ‌happening‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌Arctic—the‌ ‌Inuit‌ ‌Story—as‌ ‌a‌ ‌vehicle‌ ‌to‌ ‌reconnect‌ ‌us‌ ‌all,‌ ‌

so‌ ‌that‌ ‌we‌ ‌may‌ ‌understand‌ ‌that‌ ‌the‌ ‌planet‌ ‌and‌ ‌its‌ ‌people‌ ‌are‌ ‌one.‌ ‌The‌ ‌Inuit‌ ‌hunter‌ ‌who‌ ‌

falls‌ ‌through‌ ‌the‌ ‌depleting‌ ‌and‌ ‌unpredictable‌ ‌sea‌ ‌ice‌ ‌is‌ ‌connected‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌cars‌ ‌we‌ ‌drive,‌ ‌

the‌ ‌ ‌

industries‌ ‌we‌ ‌rely‌ ‌upon,‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌disposable‌ ‌world‌ ‌we‌ ‌have‌ ‌become.”‌ ‌

(Testimony‌ ‌of‌ ‌Sheila‌ ‌Watt-Cloutier,‌ ‌Chair,‌ ‌Inuit‌ ‌Circumpolar‌ ‌Conference‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌Senate‌ ‌

Committee‌ ‌on‌ ‌Commerce,‌ ‌Science‌ ‌and‌ ‌Transportation,‌ ‌Washington‌ ‌DC,‌ ‌September‌ ‌15,‌ ‌

2004.‌ ‌

‌

‌

Analysis‌ ‌

1.In‌ ‌what‌ ‌ways‌ ‌could‌ ‌an‌ ‌Inuit‌ ‌hunter‌ ‌falling‌ ‌through‌ ‌the‌ ‌sea‌ ‌ice‌ ‌be‌ ‌connected‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌activities‌ ‌

of‌ ‌people‌ ‌who‌ ‌live‌ ‌south‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌Arctic?‌ ‌

‌

2.Aboriginal‌ ‌peoples‌ ‌often‌ ‌talk‌ ‌about‌ ‌how‌ ‌all‌ ‌living‌ ‌things‌ ‌are‌ ‌connected‌ ‌to,‌ ‌and‌ ‌depend‌ ‌on,‌ ‌

one‌ ‌another.‌ ‌What‌ ‌does‌ ‌“being‌ ‌connected”‌ ‌mean‌ ‌to‌ ‌you?‌ ‌

‌

3.Do‌ ‌you‌ ‌think‌ ‌you‌ ‌are‌ ‌connected‌ ‌to‌ ‌everyone‌ ‌and‌ ‌everything‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world?‌ ‌Can‌ ‌you‌ ‌prove‌ ‌

that‌ ‌you‌ ‌are‌ ‌‌not‌?‌ ‌Explain‌ ‌your‌ ‌ideas‌ ‌to‌ ‌a‌ ‌partner,‌ ‌and‌ ‌share‌ ‌them‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌class.‌

Answer 1

1. Inuit hunters are the poeple living in the harsh environments of the arctic. The activities of poeple living in the south of the arctic can be connected to an inuit hunter falling through the sea ice. The cars we drive, the industries we rely upon are all connected to this. The exhaust of the cars and the gaseous waste of the industris are contributing to the greenhouse gases. These green house gases such as carbon dioxide and methane contribute to the global warming effect. Due to this the climate is changing and it becomes a lot hotter in the arctic region and the ice starts to melt. This in turn affects the inuit hunter.

2. All living things are connected and depend upon one another. The activities of one thing affects the others either directly or indirectly. And, Some living things obtain the energy for continuing their life from other living things. The ones who make energy needs the help of others in various physiological processes such as obtaining nutrients, spreading of seeds, pollination, etc. We depend upon other living things such as plants and animals for our food. The microorganisms depend upon us and other organisms for their food. In this way, we are all connected.

3. Yes, we are connected to everything and everyone on the world. No, we cannot prove otherwise. The activities we do affects others directly or indirectly. When we drive a car, we release a lot of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide to the environment. The carbon monoxide poisons the lungs of the poeple passing by and the carbon dioxide contributes to the global warming as a green house gas and can affect a person living in the other end of the world.