Understanding Environment

Running head: UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENT
UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENT
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1UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENT
Edward Lorenz was meteorologist who wanted to predict weather with computers but
gave rise to the modern area of chaos theory. He is best known for the butterfly effect which
describes the concept that a small disturbance just like a flapping of butterfly, can be the
reason of enormous consequences. This theory however, is recounted in James, Gleick’s
book ‘Chaos’. In this book, Lorenz have tried to demonstrate that a perfect weather forecast
will be needing not only a perfect model, but also perfect information about wind, humidity,
temperature and other elements everywhere in the world at one particular moment of time
(Gleick). To him, even a smallest discrepancy can lead to totally different weather.
Gotfryd in his Human Adaptation to Climatic Impacts on Biodiversity, has stated that
there are two styles of human adaptations anticipated with the climatic change. One I reactive
another is proactive. The proactive mode involves planning and taking social responsibilities
to better the quality of life. The author is chiefly focused on the change in the climate of
Canada as it is costly warming day to day. The author has expressed his concern about the
human adaptability with increasing number of convective storms, drought, flood and heat
waves. Not only the human but the animal kingdom and crops also are suffering due to this
climatic change. The author’s concern for Canada focuses on the Canadian resources on
which the world depends largely. Hence the climatic change in Canadian region can have a
butterfly effect on the entire biosphere of the earth.
Within a complex system, small changes can be impossible to predict but according to
the butterfly effect, the flapping of a butterfly’s wings can be the reason of atmospheric
change or violent storm elsewhere in the planet (Gleick). This butterfly analogy began in the
year 1972, when the theorist Lorenz delivered his speech Predictability: Does the Flap of a
Butterfly’s Wings in Brazil set off a Tornado in Texas? There are some positive effects and
negative effects of the butterfly effect. One good change in the world can be adopted and
truly make a real difference in the population as well as in different generation.