In this article, “This Self-Proclaimed Micronation Has Plans
for a Car-Free, Algae-Powered City”, Peters (2016) expressed the idea of
soi-disant “micronation” located on a small piece of land between Croatia and
Serbia, known as “Free Republic of Liberland” She stated that in order to
tackle the issue of land scarcity, an architectural plan has been established
by layering the city’s neighborhood platform, while the city expands. For algae
to power the city, genetically altered algae are planted on the bottom of each neighborhood
platform. Moreover, in order to achieve the status of zero vehicle nation, as
well as to reduce pollution, buildings are clustered around transits to allow
citizens to access different parts of the city by foot. However, Peters
only affirmed the advantages but failed to look into the drawbacks of the
proposed design, which makes the article incomplete.
Peters
only shared the benefits of having a city powered by algae that only requires
the underside of each platform in the neighborhood buildings. But, she failed
to state the underlying disadvantages of having genetically altered algae. Thus
making the article incomplete. It is mentioned by Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), that the two main support
for algae growth are phosphorus and nitrogen (EPA, ND, para. 2). Also, a large
amount of algae is needed to power the entire city. According to Déry P.(2007),
phosphorus is an irreplaceable nonrenewable resource which will run out in approximately
50 to 150 years from now. Hence, in the future, this will be a problem when
production peaked reaches as phosphorus are more expensive and harder to
extract. Thus, one might questioned the sustainability of the city as
more resources are needed to be sought for. Resources might run out, which will lead to
the decrease in algae production. With this, the city might not be able to
function properly as there might not be enough power to sustain the whole city.
In addition, the algae has to be grown in a controlled
temperature environment, along with a considerable amount of land and water.
(Siegel R P, 2012). In the article, Peters failed in mentioning how the
architectural plan is going to deal with the growth of algae. Furthermore,
Liberland is located near the west bank of Danube River, between Croatia and Serbia.
(Liberland, ND, para. 1) Thus, without
exercising extra caution, it might results in having algae blooms. This will be
the main reason for nutrient pollution; which is a process which oxygen in the
water is reduced. With this, plant and animal species living there will
suffocate, and water quality will be aggravated. Consequently, nearby rivers
and lakes will be affected. Citizens fishing in the area might not be aware of
nutrient pollution. Hence the fishes consumed would cause harm to the human
body. (ICPDR, ND, para 2).
In conclusion, although Peters has discussed certain valid
point on the methodology of Liberland achieving green micronation, her article
is incomplete because of the incomprehensive analysis on the potential drawbacks
of what the green technologies will have. She should have discussed on the drawbacks
and the ways to counter the situations to increase the credibility of her
article and assured the effectiveness on the functionality and sustainability
of the city.
(535 Words)
References
Nitrogen
pollution in the Danube Basin (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2016, from
https://www.icpdr.org/main/publications/nitrogen-pollution-danube-basin
Support for algae growth (n.d.).
Retrieved October 12, 2016, from https://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/problem
Patrick Déry, Aug 13, 2007. Peak phosphorus. Retrieved October 12, 2016 from http://www.resilience.org/stories/2007-08-13/peak-phosphorus
Sigel R.P (2015). Algae-based biofuel Retrieved October 12, 2016 from http://www.triplepundit.com/special/energy-options-pros-and-cons/algae-based-biofuel-pros-cons/
