Thinking Spatially - AP Human Geography and Current Issues

 Climate change is starting to become impossible to ignore, and scientists are exploring more and more solutions to shifting climate change in a positive direction. Though it may seem that our efforts have hit a roadblock, there are actually many different solutions being looked at for reducing, mitigating, and adapting to climate change. Drawing examples from nature, scientists and inventors have come up with brilliant new ways to combat climate change. One of these ways is to use biomimicry. Biomimicry is the technical mimicry of organic and natural functions and behaviors, and it can be used in a plethora of ways- big and small. This recent solution is a great example of biomimicry. EcoLogicStudio, an architectural company based in London, has developed a curtain that is displayed on the sides of building complexes. These plastic curtains include zig-zagging rows that contain millions of micro-algae. The curtain acts as an incubator for this micro-algae, enabling them to und...

Cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis have reached an all-time high this past year in the United States. According to World Health Organization, more than 1 million sexually transmitted infections are acquired every day worldwide. There are currently more than 115,000 cases of syphilis reported in the U.S., while gonorrhea and chlamydia have the most number of cases reported ever (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). STD testing for unborn children is very important for the safety of both the mother and child. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) says that syphilis in babies is one of the reasons for the spike in the number of STD cases. These diseases are being spread by other kinds of infections and parasites. 67% of the world’s population have gonorrhea, 76% syphilis, and 21% have chlamydia. If that many people have an STD, think about the people that are visiting the U.S on a nice family vacation. According to the American Sexual Health Association,...

For five months, protests have raged on in the region of Hong Kong, China. Pro-Hong Kong protestors have clashed with Chinese police in a series of violent uprisings and protests. As of now, very little progress has been made by the Chinese government in an attempt to put an end to the protests. The people of Hong Kong are not only fighting back at their government for imposing unfair laws, they are fighting for democracy as well. What started as a protest against unfair legislature has become a revolution led by the people of Hong Kong. Protests started in April of this year when the Chinese government introduced an extradition bill, which allowed for criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China. Since 1997, Hong Kong has essentially functioned as its own entity under the supervision and control of China. The “one country, two systems” agreement allows Hong Kong to have its own judiciary and legal system separate from that of mainland China. According to the BBC, the int...

Since the year 1804, every United States President has been elected through a process called the Electoral College. When the founding fathers were deciding how the President would be elected, one group believed that a popular vote should determine the victor, while the other group believed state representatives should vote for their preferred candidates. Rather than simply having it one way or the other, the founding fathers believed that the Electoral College was a sufficient compromise. Under the Electoral College, each state has a number of electors based on the state’s number of representatives. This ensures each state has at least three electors, which gives lower populated states a lot more power in the election process than they would under a popular vote system. Even though the number of representatives from each state is based on the population in their state, the number of voters each elector represents in disproportionate. This is due to the Senate, where there are two rep...

In the little country of Lebanon something is occurring on a massive scale. No not pollution, not war, but a massive debt that keeps on increasing year after year and will eventually lead this country to destruction if not changed now. So what caused this staggering debt that Lebanon finds themselves in? There are two main reasons why; refugees and government overspending. While most countries today can handle refugees and be fine Lebanon is struggling. When the Syrian civil war started in early 2011 their debt was actually decreasing and their economy was improving, but with the flood of refugees coming in the debt has rocketed to its highest yet. With nearly one in four out of the 6 million population being refugees from the recent civil war in Syria alone it has become a major economic drain on the country. The country has also been misusing the money they do get and have actually been spending more than they are making. It also does not help that tension in the middle east ...