Environmental PoliciesEcuador's constitution contains a document called "The Basic Environmental Principles." This part of the constitution consists of how we should preserve our environment. There have been many others different laws put in place in Ecuador in hopes to preserve their environment. This country has made many laws to preserve their country environment and this is really something that many other countries should start to put into place soon!!
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Quito Bus Systems |
Quito has a population of over 1.4 billion people. In 2000 about 75% of motorized trips were by bus, whereas only 25% of motorized trips were by car. This shows how much the bus system in Quito is used. When reading about the Quito bus system I found it very interesting and actually very smart that the buses have their own separate lane away from cars. This is such a smart concept in big cities, because buses can hold up lots of traffic. The daily trolleybus occupies 3,500 passengers per vehicle per day!! The trolleybus system also has a positive impact on the environment because they are electric as well as because they are separate from where the cars drive so there's less traffic in car lanes. The Quito bus system costed approximately 57.6 million US dollars, but definitely seems to be well worth the money!!
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Living with Natural Disasters |
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Ecuador is located in an area that has intense seismic activity. Living in Ecuador there are multiple different natural disasters that can occur and can threaten your life. In Ecuador you can experience tsunamis if you live by the coast, you can experience earthquakes, volcano eruptions, forest fires, as well as an intense rainy season. Knowing that their are a high risk of these natural disasters you should always be prepared and know safety precautions for each.
We are lucky enough to live in areas where this is not something we think about on a daily basis but for Ecuador it is something that they must have in the back of their minds everyday, incase of an emergency. Reference: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ecuador/natural-disasters |
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Ecuadorian Andes |
The colliding of continents cause these huge mountains to be formed, which we call the Andes. The Andes span over 8,000 miles and run right through Ecuador. The highest volcano in Ecuador is Chimborazo, which has five separate peaks, with the highest peak at 6,310 meters. This volcano is known as the heart of the Ecuadorian Andes. Alpacas and llamas are able to survive in this cold weather because of their thick hair as well as their extra red blood cells absorb oxygen to stay alive at such high heights. The volcano Tungurahua is 5,029 meters high. When it snows on these peak the contrast between the white snow on the peak and the black bottom is beautiful. The snow that falls and melts hydrates the land and creates waterfalls. The meadows of the andes have many different native flowers as well as all the species are biologically unique. Cotopaxi is one of the most beautiful mountains on the planet, with its permanent snow, is 5,897 meters high.
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Cloud Forests |
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Cloud forests are found in mountainous areas mainly in the tropics. They have a constant cloud cover that surrounds the dense vegetation. All of the trees are all the same height because there is much less light available because of the constant cloud cover. The vegetation consists of much biodiversity, such as epiphytes, orchids, mosses, and ferns. These epiphytes are able to capture water directly from clouds and fog. Cloud forests play a very important role in keeping water quality stable as well as the trees are able to guide the rain down their trunks and into the rivers that are already present in those areas. The water in these cloud forests are unpolluted and area also available year round which make them very important for some regions. Cloud forests are also home to many endemic species that can only survive in that environment.
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Water Crisis |
Water is such a vital thing needed for us to live and yet we are constantly taking it for granted. In Latin America they has one of the biggest sources of fresh water, with its glaciers and amazon basin, but many people who live there do not have access to it. Fresh water is being polluted by factories and then being reused for farming. But what happens if we run out of fresh water? Glaciers are melting at an alarming rate and we need to find ways to conserve our water usage. In Chile, they are installing clocks in showers, so that you do not loose track of time in the showers, which is then saving water and energy. They are also making advances on shower heads that are incorporating air in to the water, which makes the shower more enjoyable and you are actually saving money and water. The problem is that this water is still not available to some people.
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