Description
Choose ONE of the following topics for your paper. Each topic provides an article you can read to get started on your research.
- Research alternative energy sources; then make an argument for the three most desirable ones to introduce in South Florida. Here is a link with a list of renewable energy resources to get you started:
https://www.renewableresourcescoalition.org/alternative-energy-sources/. - Research the status of sea-level rise in South Florida today and the ways in which it is being addressed through State processes. Make an argument that the solutions today are or are not sufficient. Here is a link to a web page that will help you get started with your research:
https://sealevelrise.org/states/florida/. - Research the effects of the environment on human health. Does the health of the environment affect the health of the human beings within it? Make an argument that supports your answer. Start your research by reading this article: https://orionmagazine.org/article/beyond-the-patient/.
- Should access to drinking water be privatized? Start your thinking about this topic by watching this short video:
https://storyofstuff.org/movies/the-story-of-water/. - Where does recycled plastic end up? What solutions to plastic pollution are most feasible? Start your thinking on this topic by watching the videos on this page:
https://www.storyofplastic.org/watch. - How is biodiversity important to a thriving planet? What are the dangers of the high rate of species extinction that the planet is facing? What are the proposed solutions to this problem and how effective will they be? Start your research by reading this article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/05/06/one-million-species-face-extinction-un-panel-says-humans-will-suffer-result/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.98fc33bfad58. - Are electric vehicles better for the environment? Start your research by reading this article from Forbes magazine:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesellsmoor/2019/05/20/are-electric-vehicles-really-better-for-the-environment/#5609f23876d2. - What are the effects of consumerism on the environment? What must be done to address the problem? Start your research by reading this article from Science Daily:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160224132923.htm. - The government makes the claim that using public transportation has positive effects on the environment
(See: https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-guidance/environmental-programs/transit-environmental-sustainability/transit-role); however, in South Florida, efforts to develop more efficient public transportation has been less than successful. Research the reasons for the failure of public transportation in South Florida. - What are the environmental effects of our agricultural practices? What are some solutions to these problems? Start your research by looking at this web page from the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota: http://www.environmentreports.com/how-does-agriculture-change/#section2
and this article about the threat to food resources:
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/world/climate-change-threatens-the-worlds-food-supply-united-nations-warns/ar-AAFwd8r. - Overpopulation is among the top environmental problems facing the world today. What is the connection between educating women, supporting family planning, and reducing the risks of overpopulation? Should educating women be a priority on the world stage? Start your research by reading this editorial:
https://www.wired.com/story/to-stop-climate-change-educate-girls-and-give-them-birth-control/. - What are the effects of urban sprawl on the environment? Should the government institute strong regulations to curb urban sprawl? Start your research by reading the information here:
http://www.everythingconnects.org/urban-sprawl.html. - What are the environmental effects of deforestation? What should be done to solve the problem of deforestation? Start your research by reading this article from National Geographic:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation/. - How does our overreliance on fossil fuels damage the environment? What are the advantages of ending our reliance on fossil fuels? Make a capitalist argument against the fossil fuel industry. Start by reading the following opinion article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/16/capitalism-climate-change-risks-profits-china.
- Despite the disasters at the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear power plants, some still make the argument that nuclear power is a more feasible alternative to fossil fuels than other alternative energies. Make an argument for or against the feasibility of nuclear power. Here are the arguments made by the World Nuclear Association:
http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/the-nuclear-debate.aspx.
Here are some general websites that might provide some useful data for your research:
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Laws and Regulations:
https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Data:
https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling. - World Bank Data:
https://data.worldbank.org/topic/environment. - United Nations Environment Program:
https://www.unenvironment.org/regions/north-america. - 350.org:
https://350.org/science/. - NASA on climate change:
https://climate.nasa.gov/. - The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC):
https://www.ipcc.ch/about/.
