Nick+-+ASID+-+SP13

Dr. Julia Cole - Professor of Geosciences and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Arizona
 * __Name__ **

Kenya is located in the southeastern part of Africa, and is about 224,000 square miles in area. The country borders the Indian Ocean, as well as five other African countries (South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Somalia). Kenya is also unique because it lies on the equator. The country uses the Kenyan Shilling currency and is one of the largest economies in Africa. Not to be misinterpreted, Kenya is still a third-world, developing country. Currently, Kenya has a population of around 43.013 million with a life-expectancy rate of about 63 years. Religion in Kenya is mostly Christian-based, but includes other minority religions like Muslim and Traditionalist. The country is also one of the countries with the largest percentage of the population living with HIV/AIDS, and correlates with the high-risk for contracting an infectious disease in the country.
 * __Country__ **

Dr. Julia Cole graduated from Columbia University in 1992 with her doctorate in geological science and has been employed at the University of Arizona since 1999. She has worked on many projects on a vast variety of subjects, including coral reefs, caves, droughts, monsoons, global warming and climate. Cole has also gone on many trips to gather more research and develop further projects, such as a recent, ongoing trip to Melbourne, Australia from July 2012 to mid-August 2013. She has also been involved with many media events, including interviews, articles, videos and lectures to the community. Dr. Julia Cole is very well known for her geological work, and will continue to be world-renowned for many years to come.
 * __Background__ **

1. //Dr. Gilbert Siboe// - A scientist at the University of Nairobi that has completed similar studies and experimentations on coral reefs coinciding with those of Dr. Julia Cole. Siboe has also made statements of agreeance with those made by Cole, connecting their works and opinons.
 * __References__ **

2. //Union of Concerned Scientists// - The Union of Concerned Scientists has created multiple ad campaigns with Cole advertising and expanding her outreach to the scientific community, as well as promote her as an official member of their union and society, making them important partners in Cole's studies.

3. //Institute of the Environment at the University of Arizona// - Cole is currently the Professor of Geosciences and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Arizona, more specifically the Institute of the Environment. Cole's colleagues and other affiliated members have first hand experience working with Cole, and have the very high possibility of sharing most, if not all, opinons and findings of her work.


 * __Benchmarks__ **

1. //Safety and Rule of Law// The damage that is currently harming the coral reefs on the coastal parts of Kenya is having a very negative effect in the country. It is hurting its accountability, which can hurt the country’s economy and reputation. One key factor of the economy in Kenya, and pretty much every economy, is it’s tourism. People visit different coastal parts of Kenya to see and discover for themselves the magnificent coral reefs that have formed over many years off the coast. If these coral are no longer present, or have been a victim of coral bleaching and degradation, then that hurts the city and the country overall. The economy will be affected negatively, since tourism will suffer from the lack of visitors to the once tourist-filled sites. The credibility of being a fascinating vacation destination will also be diminished due to the damage being done to coral reefs. Overall, the damage can ruin the accountability and reliability of Kenya through its economy and tourism factors.

2. //Participation and Human Rights// The current issue with damages of coral reefs in Kenya can be specifically related back to the human rights that the government imposes on its people. In Kenya, the government does not see everyone as equal, especially involving different genders. While changes in government leadership could pose a possible solution, even those running for top positions have been involved in deadly human rights violations in the past. The ways that the government is treating its citizens is directly reflected on the way they treat their valuable resources. If the government isn’t going to treat the citizens correctly and fairly, then why should the citizens treat everything around them in the same matter? Therefore, the human rights violations brought upon the citizens can be related to the lack of action taken to prevent coral reef degradation and bleaching.

3. //Sustainable Economic Opportunity// Kenya is unique in the fact that it has a special sea-based landform known as coral reefs. These reefs are only found in certain coastal parts of the world, and are very hot spots for tourists and visitors to experience. Therefore, there is a large tourism and vacation industry for these coral reefs. With large amounts of tourism, that amounts to a lot of money for the people, the city, and the country in which the coral reef if located in. Kenya, like other places such as Australia, are home to these magnificent land forms, with the potential for a vast, thriving economy based on them. Unfortunately, Kenya is still a developing country, and the coral reefs have had significant damage done to them recently. This is due, in part, by the increased temperatures of the water, as well as overfishing and rising sea levels. While some of these factors are natural occurrences in the environment, some can be corrected by humans themselves, who were originally the cause. The damage inflicted upon Kenya’s coral reefs can be significantly reduced, bringing them back to their colorful, healthy, attractive state, allowing the country a sustainable economic opportunity. Kenya has the resources available for one, but whether they choose to take advantage of it, is their choice.

4. //Human Development//

As for human development, Kenya has the opportunity to impose environmental policy and sustainability laws and programs onto their coral reefs. These laws and programs would help preserve and protect the natural, rare and currently endangered sea formations. With the preservations and conservation of these precious areas of the Kenyan coast, tourism, economy, and overall country status can be improved. With these laws and programs, measures and methods can be taken to reduce the amount of damage put onto the coral reefs. This would allow for further growth and expansion of the reefs, which can then become a more valuable asset to the country of Kenya. The asset would include increased tourism, a better economy, as well as recognition from outside sources for taking the time to secure and protect what is valuable and precious to their region. Human development and continuation on working with the coral reefs can have nothing but positive effects on the country of Kenya.

__Works Cited__ "Central Intelligence Agency." CIA. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. .

"Cities and Towns." VisitKenya.com .: Kenya Travel. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. .

Hakanson, Gretel. Unearthing Evidence of Climate Change. Tuscon: The New Southwest, Aug. 2010. PDF.

"Julia Cole's Lab." Julia Cole's Lab. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. .

"Kenya." Kenya - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. .

"Kenya." Kenya. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. .