Queen Rania of Jordan
Part
One: Questions
Chapter
1
1.
What are its location, neighboring countries,
and major types of topography?
(9) Jordan’s
location is the Middle East. Its neighboring
countries are Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq,
Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon. The major topography is
dry plateau running from the north to the south of the Jordan
River.
2.
What are its major languages? (20) The major languages are Arabic and
English.
3.
Is a developed or developing country? (7) Jordan is an undeveloped
country. What are some clues? Even though Jordan
is one of the richest countries in the Middle East,
it is still a developing country. Jordan is developing in new
technologies, environmental standards, and in its economic growth. Jordan is also
a third world country.
4.
Is there economic growth and if so, is it
sustainable? (7) Yes there is an economic growth at 3.2% annually. It is
sustainable due do Jordan’s
growing technology.
5.
What is the average ecological footprint? (15)
The average ecological footprint of Jordan is 1.71. Do the citizens suffer from influenza? Yes
just like most countries in the Middle East
influenza can occur. Before traveling to any Middle Eastern country the center
for disease control recommends vaccination of influenza. The harsh desert of
this country with the dry dust and sand makes influenza worse.
6.
Include a picture of its flag and a sample
native costume(s) (4) and (6)
Chapter
25
2.
How effective has education been in improving
the people’s ability to live sustainable? (17) Jordan has one of the highest
education standards in the world. In fact their standards are much higher than
the United States, but lower
than the standards in Sweden
which has the highest education standards in the world. Jordan has one of the highest numbers
of university graduates per capita in the Arab world. Therefore the average
educated person can live sustainable; however there is a high poor population
in which is becoming more sustainable in living. The poor population in Jordan
can be a concern with the lapse in the world’s economy.
Chapter
23
1.
How strong is the economic system in your
country and is it related to a sustainable environment? (15) It has a stable
economic system and the environment is nearly sustainable at 1.7 earths
compared to the 2.5 in the United
States. (20) Jordan participated in the
so-called Paris Club, which is a debt buyback program. Jordan paid $2
billion which reduced their debt from 46% to 32% in the Gross Domestic Product.
This made Jordan
more sustainable. Jordan has
a high percentage compared to the United States which has only a 2.5%
debt in the Gross Domestic Product.
2.
What value is put on natural capital, pollution
control, and resource use? (22) The value placed on natural capital in Jordan is
average. Phosphates, potash, shale oil are the natural materials found in Jordan. As far
as pollution control Jordan
produces 3.986 metric tons of carbon in the atmosphere a year, compared to the
1488.47 metric tons produced by the United States. Jordan uses its
natural resources to the best of their ability and they are trying to find
better and more efficient ways of using their resources.
3.
What economic tools are being used to deal with
environmental problems? (12) First of all the region of Jordan has to
stay calm and non-warring for the economy to rise. Then they can deal with the
environmental problems. One of the tools being used is the International
Monetary Fund. In which balanced the economy of Jordan. (9) The King of Jordan
integrated a program to conserve fresh water, because of the dry land causing a
water crisis of 500 million cubic meters per year. Jordan preserves the land that is
used for agriculture. The contamination of such land would bring about
devastating consequences. He also set laws to establish wildlife reservations. Lastly
the Jordanian Board of Education set standards to bring about environmental
awareness to its students.
4.
What level is the poverty, how would it be
reduced, and what would that do to environmental problems? (15) Jordan is one
third below the poverty level overall. The country is working to reduce this
through a strong economic system, housing development, and better resources.
The country has an established water conservation program. (2) There are better
food resources in which there are four types of wild mushrooms eaten that help
to feed the poor people. What the poverty level does to the environmental
problems is causes some disruption in the atmosphere due to the poor who use
cooking burners that put pollutants and toxins into the air.
Chapter
24
1.
How has the government helped make the
transition towards a more sustainable society? (11) The government of Jordan has oil policies with Saudi Arabia
and other Arab countries. Though oil is a declining resource, Jordan imports
it along with 95% of its energy needs at a cost of only one fifth of its GDP. The
biggest problem for the government to transcend and produce its own energy
resources is the barren dry land. To solve this they are considering building
nuclear energy plants to help with the electricity needs of the country. The
nuclear energy is an efficient – less costly energy. The government is, also,
considering building a shale oil electrical power plant that would be completed
within the next seven years. This will stabilize the economy as well.
2.
How is any policy, especially environmental,
made? (7) When the King of Jordan is considering making laws to protect the
environment he considers several factors. For one he thinks about the dunums
(area of land that can be plowed in a day) and what can be used for agriculture
and what can be reserved. To develop a sustainable strategy he considers the
environmental aspects in his decisions. The agricultural land of Jordan
is 3.1 million dunums; this is only four percent of the countries land. One of
the major environmental problems to consider is the water to be used. Most of
the people of Jordan
rely on rainwater which is scarce, so the country established a water
allocation policy.
3.
What are the major environmental laws and how
effective are they in dealing with their respective problems? (7) The major
environmental law for Jordan
is the Environmental Protection Law 52 which was passed in 2006. This law has
articles about how it is forbidden to pollute the territorial marine
environment around the Kingdom
of Jordan, and such
factors as ships dumping pollutants, and how businesses are prohibited to dump
materials that are harmful to the environment. I do not feel that the fines are
big enough in this law to prevent a business from polluting. The maximum fine
is only twenty thousand dinars. Just like in the United States when a major oil
company has a spill in the ocean the maximum fine is forty thousand dollars a
day and the subsidies more than make up for that. (5) There are factors of the
law that deal with respective problems like the irrigation of the Caspian and Arial Seas
and water conservation policies that were set-forth by the King of Jordan. There
were policies to control the use of the water from the Caspian and Arial Seas
before the law was established. The biggest part of the law is the protection
of the marine life and the prevention of the contamination of water systems.
4.
Describe the roles of environmental groups. (19)
The Jordan Environmental Watch Program is the major environmental watch
organization of Jordan.
The main focus of this program is on water security: to prevent the
contamination of the fresh water, how to manage water properly, and prevent the
depletion of drinking water. This watch group is also concerned with how to
minimize pollution to the air and the soil and how to control the use of
insecticides. They also conduct seminars and write reports that are sent to the
government of Jordan.
5.
What is being done to increase environmental
security? One of the things being done
to increase environmental security is a rare consensus between Jordan and its surrounding countries to protect
the Dead Sea. The Dead
Sea is dropping at roughly three feet per year this is creating an
environmental problem through out the region. This affects the water supply,
the marine life, species around the sea, and plant life. How effective is it? First-of-all
for Israel and Jordan to be in
an agreement is a pathway to continued peace. This increases security in the
region just by the countries working together to solve a common problem. Second-of-all
the Jordan River traditionally flows into the
sea – producing 75% of the intake water into the sea. Now the sea is drying up
faster than what the river is producing. This is due to the irrigation from the
sea used in the agriculture. After the environmental law was passed the problem
is being addressed with the nations throughout the region. One of the solutions is the water
conservation program.
Chapter
2
1.
What is the major form of energy used to fuel
the economy? (18)The major form of energy used today to fuel the economy of Jordan is imported
fuel. Ninety five percent of the electricity and fuel used in Jordan is imported from the neighboring
countries of the Middle East. The cost of this
fluctuates each year, which causes uncertainty.
2.
Are the four scientific principles of
sustainability being used? Explain. No,
not all four scientific principles of sustainability are being used. The first
principle is – reliance of solar energy. Jordan relies on imported energy
from the neighboring countries. The second principle is – biodiversity. This is
often affected by power, greed, and politics. There is a lot of politics
associated with the country of Jordan
as the government maintains peace with Israel,
other Middle Eastern countries, and the United States. The sewage and pollution
in the Jordan River has led to a reduction in
the biodiversity. The third principle is population control. Jordan is a
well populated country with a growth rate at 3.2%. The population compared to
the land of Jordan is study. The fourth principle is
nutrient recycling. This principle is used in the food web of Jordan.
Chapter
14
1.
What are the major geological processes and
hazards (how frequent) of your country? (5 and 10) The major geological processes
of Jordan are the
evaporation of the Arial, Caspian, and the Dead Seas.
As the seas dry the land around them deteriorate. The water is put back into the seas from the Jordan River at 75% while 95% of the seas are being used
for irrigation, agriculture, drinking water purification facilities, and other
water uses. This is a loss of 20% a year. The rain water adds to the seas, but
there is still a significant loss a year. The Arial, Caspian, and Dead Seas
can be gone in five years. The seas are mostly gone. The one water mass around
the area that has abundant marine life is the Gulf of
Aqaba. This water mass has clownfish, angelfish, and sea urchin.
It is full of beautiful corals, plankton, and other marine life.
2.
What are the major mineral resources and what
environmental problems are found? (5) Phosphates, potash, shale oil are the
natural materials found in Jordan.
The environmental problems that are found with these materials are for one in
the mining – when the ground is dug up the phosphates mined are run-off into
the surrounding seas, this causes an ecological imbalance with the marine life
as algae is overgrown. The potash salts can cause freshwater contamination
along with the shale oil mined from the rocks. The smelting of the shale oil to
remove impurities such as sulfur has detrimental impacts on the environment.
This pollutes the atmosphere and the sulfur deposits contaminate the earths
crust. This can be linked to illnesses and disease. Particularly with the
lungs.
3.
What is the expected depletion time for the
major nonrenewable mineral resources? First-of-all Jordan only has two percent of the
world’s phosphate reserves. Phosphates are constantly being put back into the
environment through fertilizers and pesticides. Second- of-all potash is a type
of manufactured salt that contains potassium. This is, as well, used in
fertilizers and put back into the soil. Thirdly Jordan manufactures shale oil which
is a type of synthetic oil derived from kerogen which is a mixture of organic
compounds that is part of sedimentary rock. As far as depletion time of these
resources – phosphates and potassium in accordance with the Hubbert curve are
expected to peak at around 2030 with a depletion time around the year 2120. This
is only at the current rate of use. And the world’s oil, including synthetic,
could last another one hundred years.
4.
What can be done to use the resources more
sustainably? One thing that can be done is to use resources less, preserve
resources, and waste less. Just like with the rest of the world.
Chapter
3
1.
Describe a typical food web. A typical food web
in Jordan
is:
1)
Producer - Dead Sea
flora.
2)
Herbivore - Arabian Oryx eats Dead
Sea flora.
3)
Carnivore – cheetah kills and eats Arabian Oryx.
4)
Scavenger – Egyptian vulture steals the cheetahs
kill.
5)
Decomposer – bacteria and fungi decomposes kill,
formed into wild mushrooms.
6)
Omnivore – human eats the wild mushrooms.
2.
What type of gross and net primary productivity
is found? (16)The primary productivity is phytoplankton. This helps keep the
water conditions in the Wadi-Al Arab Dam pure. This reservoir is used to
irrigate, which helps control the irrigation from the seas around Jordan. It is
mostly replenished through rainwater.
3.
Describe some producers, herbivores, carnivores,
omnivores, decomposers, and scavengers. (1) The Arabian Oryx is Jordan’s
national animal. The species went extinct in the 1920’s, but was reintroduced
into the wild in 1972 and now is a thriving species. This animal is a type of
antelope, but it has straight instead of twisted horns.
(7) Producers include – wild lily, flame trees, and irises.
Herbivores include – the Arabian Oryx, iguanas, and fat desert rats. Carnivores
include – the Egyptian mongoose, cheetahs, and badgers. Omnivores include – pygmy
gerbils and bushy-tailed jirds. Decomposers include – bacteria and fungi, such
as wild mushrooms. Detrivores include – the dung beetle and scavengers include –
hyenas and the Egyptian vulture.
What are some of the human based effects on the major
nutrient cycles? Some of the human based effects to the cycle, of course is
polluting. Another human based effect is hunting and poaching. Just like when
the Arabian Onyx was extinct, but re-introduced. Humans know their errors.
4.
Are there any types of research being used to
study its ecosystems? Yes there are. Studies being conducted by
environmentalists and scientists are being conducted and reported to the
government. The government of Jordan
uses such research in their environmental law making decisions. Some of these
studies are what to do with and how to control the limited freshwater
resources, preventing desertification and deforestation, and how to control
overgrazing of livestock on the limited grass lands.
Chapter
4
1.
Are there any hotspots of biodiversity? (14 and
16) The biggest hotspot of biodiversity in Jordan is along the rift river
valley. There are six protected reserves along this area. There were twelve
recommended protected reserves in 1979; six were passed in the 1980s and 1990s.
Some of the major reserves are the Wadi-Rum, Dana, and Mujib Nature Reserves.
The Mujib is the biggest reserve which covers the Dead Sea
area. The other reserves cover the Wadi-Arabia and the eastern desert area.
2.
Has any evidence (fossils) of evolution been
found? There is evidence of pre-Israelites that were found along the rift river
valley. Describe it. Anthropologists have found fossil remains of
pre-Israelites along the Dead Sea. As the
water evaporates they found saline fossils upon the bottom of ancient species –
proving that the ancient reefs were as complex as they are today. There was a
remarkable find of what they believe to be ancient human fossils as well.
3.
What
climate conditions have influenced the
natural selection in the major biomes? The dry climate conditions along
the Dead Sea caused many of the microscopic species to adapt
to the saltier water. As the water becomes more saline during
evaporation, the
species had to adapt. The natural selection of species in the Dead
Sea is bacteria and fungi. In the other seas around Jordan, species
are suffering a similar fate.
4.
Were there any major extinction’s? The major extinction in Jordan was the
Arabian Onyx, however it was reintroduced. The animal is hunted by the cheetah.
What were the causes? (9) The causes
were hunting by humans, and the cheetah and other animals, the expanding
population of humans causing habitat loss, and industrial pollution. These
factors are still taking its toll of species in Jordan. (3) There are several that
are on the endangered species list: the Arabian gazelle, snow leopard, and sand
cat - to name a few.
5.
Describe some unique indicator, keystone,
foundation, nonnative, and specialist species. One of the indicator species is
the acacia raddiana which is a type of broadleaf small tree. This tree has a
cold tolerance of -8 and a heat tolerance of 45. This like many other indicator
type species of trees changes rapidly with the climate, indicating what the
weather would be like. The diverse species
of flora in the country of Jordan
is indicative of its keystone species. In the spring the land of Jordan
is full of flowering plants. One of these flowering plants is their national
flower – the black iris. There are over two-thousand keystone species of flora in
Jordan.
The fat desert rat is indicative of a foundation species for any desert area
that has flora. Areas where the rat is prevalent there is an abundance of
flora; areas were the rat is not the land is too dry for the flora to exist. A
non-native species in the country of Jordan is the syriaca bee. Bees in
general are able to adapt well in harsh environments. This bee pollinates the
beautiful flora of Jordan.
One of the specialist species to the country of Jordan is the Eurasian Oystercatcher.
This bird has a beak that is especially designed to crack open the shells of
mollusk.
Chapter
5
1.
Indicate specific examples from your country
a.
Inter-specific competition – Lions and hyenas.
b.
Predator and prey – Cheetah and Arabian Onyx
c.
Parasite and host – Desert flea and pygmy gerbil.
d.
Mutualism – Bees and moths pollinating flora.
e.
Commensalism – Spur-winged plovers and shrubs.
2.
For each of your examples in #1, indicate
whether each population lives in populations or clumps. A) Populations, B)
Clumps, C) Clumps, D) Populations, E) Clumps
3.
Describe some of the succession. Is it primary or secondary? Initially the country of Jordan was a
dry barren land, which means that it was a primary succession. As people
migrated agricultural land was established. Animals then became more spread out
into clumps, where many of the endangered species live in clumps at the
reserves. There are some populations in the wild. What would be the normal
climax community? The normal climax community of Jordan would be a desert land with
cactuses, wild flora, small animals like fat desert rats, and desert shrubs.
Today there is more green vegetation due to irrigation taken from the river and
seas.
4.
For the stable ecosystem, is the stability due
to inertia (persistence) or resilience?
Describe your reasoning – I would say resilience, because many of the
species around Jordan
have survived since biblical times. This, to me, is resiliency. The species
survived thousands of years without dying off. The plant species of Jordan have survived
in the harsh desert resiliently. These are the producers that are the heart of
the cycle.
Part two: Solutions
What would I do to better the
country of Jordan?
I conclude that
there are three major problems in the country of Jordan to get fixed. One is the use
of energy. The government of Jordan
imports 95% of their energy. Two is the irrigation of the Arial, Caspian, and
the Dead Seas, where 20% of the water is taken
annually with little getting replaced. Thirdly is the population control. As
the country becomes more populated more animal species get pushed away into
clumps or they migrate out of the country. This causes an imbalance of the
eco-system. If these problems get fixed Jordan will be a more sustainable,
eco-friendly, environmental country.
1. There are discussions in
place by the government of Jordan to build nuclear power plants and they have
plans of building a shale oil electrical power plant to better stabilize the
country. Why not build a solar power plant and put up wind turbines instead. Since
I have traveled to the Middle East while in
the Navy, I know one thing for sure is that it can get windy in the desert and
that the sun is hot and penetrating. The wind turbines when they spin can store
energy that can still be used when it is not spinning. This can be backed up by
the solar power in the day.
2. Jordan
and the surrounding countries are in agreement that the Arial, Caspian, and Dead Seas
have to be preserved before they dry up. Are the water conservation policies and
the irrigation from the Wadi-Al Arab Dam enough to prevent the total loss of
the seas? I do not think so? More must be done. The people of Jordan do rely
on rain water for drinking and cooking. One solution to the problem can be the
rain water, but instead of individual rain water barrels at households build
collecting stations that can be used as primary water for irrigation instead of
taking it from the seas. Then use the seas as alternate irrigation. This along
with the policies in place could fix the problem of the seas drying up. To add
to this solution the building of aqueducts, like they did in the city of Rome and Istanbul
is a great way to solve the water problem.
3. Big cities in the United States like New York are overpopulated. The solution to
fix the problem was during the industrial revolution when skyscrapers were
first built. People like animals are then clumped together into a single living
space within these high-rises. People should not be clumped and neither should
animals. I do not recommend building big high-rises so that several families
can live within one space. People should be free to explore just like animals.
What I recommend is like biblical times when people and animals lived under the
same roof; though today that would be frowned upon. In reality the only
solution to this problem is have a one child policy, limit immigration, allow
more people to emigrate, and keep the animal population to enough to allow
animals and humans to live sustainable.
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