Assessment #1 Exercise #3: Connecting Past and Present
December 28, 2025 By: Emily Tithecott
Post 1: Conservation
Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/wetlands-climate-flooding-canada-1.7101439
A recent CBC article discusses ongoing efforts to restore and protect wetlands in Canada as climate change increases flooding and biodiversity loss. This connects closely to Unit 3 discussions about conservation as an active process, rather than simply setting land aside and leaving it untouched. The article challenges the idea that conservation is only about protecting “pristine” nature by showing how heavily altered ecosystems still play critical ecological roles. It also reflects course themes around how conservation priorities have shifted over time, from resource preservation for human use to protecting ecological functions and long-term resilience.
Post 2: Urbanization
Link: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-urban-sprawl-green-space-canada-cities/
A recent news piece examines how rapid urban development in Canadian cities is reducing green space and increasing pressure on urban ecosystems. This directly connects to Unit 3 material on urbanization and the historical tendency to prioritise growth, infrastructure, and housing over ecological considerations. The article reflects how cities continue to reshape natural systems through land conversion, increased runoff, and habitat fragmentation, issues that were already emerging in the twentieth century. It reinforces the idea from the course that urban environments are not separate from nature, but deeply entangled with ecological processes and environmental consequences.
Hi Emily,
Thank you so much for sharing your insights on conservation and urbanization! I wasn’t able to access the links you provided (they didn’t seem to work), but I still wanted to share some thoughts on your excellent points about urbanization, which I found very enlightening. I came across another 2022 article that explores urbanization and its connection to climate change. It explains how sealed surfaces like roads, driveways, and patios prevent rainwater from soaking into the ground and being absorbed by plants, really highlighting how urbanization affects the land around us. The article also notes that lawns treated with multiple fertilizers can lead to runoff into local water sources, potentially affecting drinking water quality. This really supports the idea, both from the course and your perspective, that we are deeply connected to the ecosystems around us. I also found an interesting point in the article about the rapid growth of home building in recent years, driven by population increase and the decline in affordable housing. To me, this shows the importance of balancing the need to provide for people with the preservation of the ecosystems we are heavily engaged with.
Article link: https://theconversation.com/residential-green-spaces-protect-growing-cities-against-climate-change-183513#:~:text=With%20affordable%20housing%20in%20decline,including%20insects%2C%20birds%20and%20fish.
I think you made great arguments in both articles! i like how you organized your paragraphs and inserted the links before the paragraphs. its very easy to read and you made great points regarding backing up the articles.