Matt Klein approximately 250 words
INTD 105-19: Science Writing
“Land Divided, Coast United” Response
By Matt Klein
In her article “Land Divided, Coast United,” Josie Glausiusz demonstrates how political tension can blind national leaders from the needs of the people. Due to the conflict between Israel and the Islamic organization Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, Gaza is unable to obtain the resources it needs to maintain a clean water supply. As a result, “over 90,000 cubic meters of raw or partially treated sewage [is dumped] into the Mediterranean Sea every day.” This leads to serious problems as the sewage pollutes beaches and the water supply, leading to disease. The sewage is also wasted because it is too saline for agriculture. Though Gaza is working with outside organizations such as EcoPeace, Israel refuses to cooperate, denying Gaza the proper equipment because it could also be used for military purposes. Those struggling with the water problem argue that Israel should look past the political situation and realize that, since they share the same coast, what is good for one country is good for the other.
Although there is no major political conflict in the United States, the issue of pollution control is similar to Gaza’s water issue. US manufacturers produce lots of waste in the form of chemicals and greenhouse gases that need to be disposed of properly. If the government allows these businesses to have their way, there is a much larger chance of global warming effects and damage to the environment. Our government does work to prevent this, though, in the form of controlling how much waste factories produce and how it must be disposed of.