The Ring of Fire: Theory and Hypothesis

Answer

The Ring of Fire: Theory and Hypothesis

Introduction

            Any project requires a sustainability measure for it to impact positively in the society. This paper seeks to construct a theory and a hypothesis for the Ring of Fire mining project.

Question 1

Theory

            I will use the sustainability theory for this scenario. According to this approach, to attain sustainable development, a society must be able to meet their present needs satisfactorily while at the same time safeguarding the requirements for the future generations.

Hypothesis

            The null hypothesis for the study states that mining in Ring of Fire affects its economic, environmental and social sustainability.

Commentary

            A theory is an explanation of the reasons behind occurrences and the interrelationship between several things. I used the scientific method to develop the theory based on the mining project on the Ring of Fire (Brown, 2014). This approach has predictions that can be measured and provides details on how it works.  Having studied the causes behind the cancellation of the project, I gathered crucial information on how the project impacted on sustainable development and why it was not approved (Morse & Kimball, 2012). From the information, I was also able to link the economic, social and environmental aspects to the mining project.

            Secondly, I used the sustainability theory because it provides general information that relates to how sustainable development can be achieved in any mining project anywhere in the world. I found various academic resources supporting sustainability theory and deduced that what had been verified previously can be applied in the Ring of Fire project (Barnes, 2012). From the information gathered, I was able to use the available facts about the Ring of Fire mining project to explain a set of facts and propose possible outcomes from the observations. The hypothesis, in this case, is formal thus contains both dependent and independent variables. Similarly, the premise is measurable and observable (Donley, 2012).

Question 2

Variables

            The independent variable is mining in the Ring of Fire in Ontario. The variable is both quantitative and qualitative about the region covered and reduction of value respectively (Morse & Kimball, 2012). The variable can be measured at an ordinal level which implies that the GDP improves when there is mining going on that when there is no such undertaking. The variable is continuous since its value can only be obtained by measuring the area under mining or amount of minerals (Donley, 2012).

            The dependent variables are economic, environmental and social sustainability. They are also quantitative and qualitative. The level of measurement used for these variables is the ratio level since it involves measurement of the magnitude of the impact of mining on the lives of people, the environment, and the economy of state(Donley, 2012). They are discrete variables because it is easy to establish the number of people who have gained meaningful employment from mining, the area covered by the site and the amount contributed to the GDP (Brown, 2014).

Question 3

            There are three aspects of sustainability namely; economic, social and environmental. Environmental sustainability envisions the maintenance of the earth’s system that supports life. This entails ecosystem services such as pollution filtering and eliminating any activities that lead to environmental degradation. Social sustainability, on the other hand, is about ensuring all stakeholders get equitable treatment and the community is facilitated to engage in productive participation. Finally, environmental sustainability is the ability to maintain an economic system capable of a stable, loving standard for the current and future generations.

            Therefore, in the Ring of Fire scenario, I will employ sustainability theory to suggest that economic, social and ecological systems are interdependent, interacting and interrelated in a way that forms a completely sustainable system (Irvine, Sheppard, & University of Waterloo, 2016). Hence, for any undertaking, each of these components must be evaluated and its impact analyses to ensure the balance is maintained. This explains why before commissioning a mining project within a given area, governments are usually advised to conduct impact analysis both in the short term and long term implementation. Typically, independent institutions are tasked with the responsibility just because they are expected to be above board and without bias. Governments rely on their recommendations, and that explains why they must provide information that is not only empirical but also verifiable (Barnes, 2012).

            Implementing the mining project at the ring of fire is believed to be of immense economic benefit to the nation by its enormous contribution towards its GDP. Similarly, it is expected to boost the social stature of people in Ontario by offering employment opportunities. With employment targeting both aboriginals and their neighbors, it is likely to create a bond and bring them closer to each other hence improving social fabrics of the society (Irvine, Sheppard, & University of Waterloo, 2016). However, the project will interfere with the natural landscape and lead to a reduction in its environmental value. Thus, it’s sustainability in the long term is brought to question (Barnes, 2012).

Conclusion

            In conclusion, the sustainable theory is indeed a crucial aspect when looking at mining sustainability at Ring of Fire. The success of this approach is further exemplified by the fact that the hypothesis is not only measurable but also observable.