Deforestation Crisis - Essay Example

Question One of the major environmental concerns in the world is tropical deforestation. Over the last decade, almost 13 million hectares of forest land has lost due to factors like over population, construction and agricultural expansion. Forests play an important role in the sustenance of life on earth; they attract rain and most importantly balance carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Therefore, deforestation is a serious matter that has raised concerns in the entire world (Spilsbury 44). United State of America is one of the core countries characterized by high urban and industrial centers.

It is also capital intensive, have high production technology patterns, high wages and low exploitation of labor. However, deforestation has become a major environmental concern in the US (Spilsbury 66). It has by 90 percent, destroyed the virgin forests since 1600. Furthermore, in 70 years to come one-fourth of the forest will only stand at the current rate of deforestation. However, money has influenced activities that lead to deforestation. In US landowners are lured by the money generated from logging.

They have sold forested acres to logging companies and developers aim at building housing complexes to form urban sprawl. Kenya is a periphery country, which according to world’s system theory, may be controlled by other states and has weak central government. Just like other periphery countries, it depends on and exports raw materials to the superior states known as the core countries. However, Kenya suffers from deforestation just like the US. Over 100,000 hectares of its largest Mau forest is a victim of deforestation.

The largest driver of deforestation in the region is the growing demand of construction timber due to infrastructural development in the country. However, factors like the need for charcoal fuel, expanding farming land and demand for settlement have also contributed to the deforestation in Kenya (Spilsbury 12). Kenya and United State of America have correspondingly taken steps to help restraint the issue of deforestation. For instance, both governments have passed strict rules regulating the harvesting of trees in the forest and tough penalties for those who disobey the rules (Spilsbury 32).

Similarly, the non-governmental organizations have also joined in the fight to curb deforestation in the two countries. The Green Belt Movement founded by the Nobel Prize winner Wangari Mathai has played a huge part in reducing deforestation of the Mau forest in Kenya. Likewise environmentalists in US have campaigned on the importance of conserving the forest leading to a lot of people participating in replanting of trees. Question 2 In Africa, marriage patterns differ across countries due to difference in ethnic groups.

In Mozambique, for instance, the average age of female getting married is 20 years of age and men are allow to be polygamous. However, In the US the average marriage age is 28 year and polygamy is not allowed. Despite the differences, in both regions the man is the head of the family and the wife is meant to be submissive to his husband. This can be attributed to the difference in cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Education and literacy levels may contribute to the difference. Studies on marriage and the family in the US show that many individual with social benefits are rooted in the permanent union of a single man verses a sing woman (Geertz 51).

Question 3 European institutions have gradually developed a new vocabulary different from the native English language. Words have been added and removed from the language at large. For instance, the word twerk was added in the English language as both a noun and a verb. According to the Oxford Dictionary, as a noun the word means a dance move while as a verb it means to dance in a particular manner thrusting hips and squatting (Gordon and Bromberg 44). The word twerk has been around for at least 20years.

It gained popularity in 2012 which led to it being added to new words watch-list and eventually added in the dictionaries. Oxford Dictionaries categorize the word as informal so as to reflect the fact that it is used in most informal contexts.Though, if the word is widely adopted in mainstream use, if could change its use (Gordon and Bromberg 13). Queston4 A cultural group is an ethnic group of people with the same ancestral backgrounds while space group is a learned culture that that relies on being raised up within a framework.

One of the cultures to which I belong is the corporate culture. It is a culture which is practice in the specific setting of an office. This is evident in the dressing styles, how employees relate with each other and the office settings (Geertz 43). The culture is mostly practiced in offices or corporate organizations. It cannot be practiced always because there specific times when the corporate world is active. The culture that is commonly practiced is the one of diversity and develops as a result of merging different cultures into one.

It is wide spread because people from different areas travel and settle in a common place. In addition, the culture is always practiced because people interact every time. However, both corporate and diversifies cultures are equally as important to today’s society because they sustain our day to day life Cohen (Geertz 64). Work Cited Geertz, Clifford. The Interpretation of Cultures. Boston: Basic Books, 1977. Print. Gordon, Melvin and Bromberg Murray. 1100 Words You Need to Know. New York: Barrons Educational Series, 2013. Print. Spilsbury, Richard.

Deforestation Crisis. New York: Rosen Central, 2009. Print.