Human/Environment Interaction

http://la.streetsblog.org/2010/12/13/density-car-ownership-and-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-los-angeles/
vs.

http://www.sfindicatorproject.org/img/indicators/small/Population_Density.png

Humans have since day 1, and will continue to till the end of time, had both positive and negative effects upon the environment. Human/Environment interactions include everything from population density, to agriculture, and our two cities have a fair share with each.

One of the main contributors to environmental impact is the population density of a given place. The more humans to inhabit a definitive space means that more resources will be used and thus the environment will be affected with the appropriate responses. LA and SF are both heavily populated places, but only one can come out on top. According to a 2012 press release from the US Census, "the nation's most densely populated urbanized area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif., with nearly 7,000 people per square mile." No worries though, as "the San Francisco-Oakland, Calif., area is the second most densely populated at 6,266 people per square mile." What these numbers usually entail is an exploitation of resources. Southern California is the most densely populated place in the US and one major result of that is a shortage of water. Los Angeles and all suburbs are naturally dry places, absent of much natural water. Being that this is the case, there is a major water shortage going on now because the environment was never meant to support this many people.

Los Angeles isn't the only one with problems as San Francisco is also dealing with repercussions following their interaction with the environment. Much of San Francisco's problems also deal with water, but not in the same manner as Los Angeles. "Throughout the San Francisco Bay, state Water Quality Standards are exceeded for pesticides, invasive species, mercury and other metals and toxic substances. Many miles of beaches are impaired for unacceptable levels of bacteria due to sewage spills and crumbling sewage infrastructure. Habitat destruction has eliminated more than 90 percent of shoreline wetlands and 40 percent of the total San Francisco Bay aquatic ecosystem in the last 150 years, leading to the special protection of more than 90 species of plants and animals" (EPA, paragraph 1). Pollution is more or less the problem up north and it stems from their heavy agriculture community. San Francisco tries their best to cultivate the Earth through projects like Community Grows and Little City Gardens. In doing so though, they pollute some of the habitats with their pesticides necessary for crops. More nature friendly pesticides are being produced but with some species loss already occurring, some effects may be too late to reverse. 

Los Angeles and much of Southern California aren't consider agricultural places because for one, their environments are not keen for growing food; the hot temperatures make it very difficult to grow most fruits and vegetables. Instead what LA has tried to do in order to give back to the Earth is reduce greenhouse gases. Like previously stated, LA is the most densely populated area in the US, so in order to not end up like Beijing, China, or Rio de Janiero, Brazil, Los Angeles needed to create strict regulations. California created what is called the Smog Check Program, designed to make sure the vast amount of cars on the road weren't emitting too much green house gas. "Between 2005 and 2007 air pollution led to almost 30,000 hospital and emergency room visits in California for asthma, pneumonia, and other respiratory and cardiovascular ailments," but in the past 10 years many improvements have been made and air quality is on the up and up (Shevory, paragraph 5). 

All in all, both LA and San Francisco have their environmental problems, but both locations are taking many steps necessary in order to ensure a quality standard of life for generations to come.