Global Warming/ Environmental Issues

Description

NOTE: The intructions provided are an exact copy of the ones provided by the professor. I have selected the chapter “Plagues of Warming” for this essay. Instructions For this essay, you will unpack, understand, and become experts on an assigned chapter of The Uninhabitable Earth. Your goal is to analyze who is most effected by the problems Wallace-Wells writes about in a chapter of your choosing from Elements of Chaos and to connect your chapter to what we’re experiencing today with COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter. The problems you write about and the connections you draw should be concrete, specific, valid, and accurate — we are, after all, talking about real lives and the future of the planet. Here’s how this essay will work: Everyone will read “Cascades,” “Plagues of Warming,” “Climate Conflict,” and one other chapter of your choosing from Elements of Chaos. Once you’ve chosen a chapter, please email to let me know. The essay you write will focus on a single problem and the attendant feedback loops Wallace-Wells writes about in your chosen chapter. You can draw on the other chapters from the book and outside sources to help you craft your essay. But your essay should focus specifically on the information presented in your chosen chapter. A helpful way to find a problem to write about is to focus on a key term in your assigned chapter; Wallace-Wells usually italicizes the key terms. Your essay will consist of a two paragraph introduction. The first introduction paragraph is an introduction to the book and to your chosen chapter. It should include an attention grabber, introduce the author, title of the book, and succinctly summarize your chapter. The second paragraph is an introduction to a problem presented in your chapter. It should a) define your problem and any other key terms, b) explain the science of how your problem works (e.g., how does sea levels rise work? how do wildfires occur?, how are nano plastics suspended in the air?, etc.), c) explain the feedback loops associated with your problem, and d) present your thesis. Your thesis should state the problem you are focusing, who is most impacted by the problem, and why they are impacted. You will then write three body paragraphs on who is most impacted by the problem and feedback loops. Your body paragraphs should follow the body paragraph template (see below) and explore who is most effected, how they are effected, and why they’re effected. You will need to draw on outside sources to develop your body paragraphs. I’ve provided a few sources to get you started at the bottom of this assignment. Also, I define evidence broadly. Evidence can be a quotation, a chart or graph, an image or photograph, a personal experience, etc. As long as you’re analyzing your evidence, you can use any sources you want to illustrate your points. Here are some questions to help you focus your paragraphs. You don’t need to answer all of these questions, but you use them to guide your research depending on your interests and to help you craft your paragraphs. How are people impacted by this problem: Who suffers the most from this problem? (you can look at specific regions and demographics) What are the health risks associated with this problem? How will this impact mental health? What damage might this cause to infrastructure? What are the economics / costs of the problem? What inequities exist or are being exacerbated because of this problem? How does this problem impact wildlife and ecosystems: What natural resources are being depleted as a result of this problem? How are habitats being altered because of this problem? How are species responding to this problem? Are they migrating, dying, thriving, etc.? How will this problem impact ecosystems around the globe? Body Paragraph Template Topic Sentence Explain Topic Sentence Lead in Evidence (quotation, chart, graph, image, experience, etc.) Analysis Lead in Evidence (quotation, chart, graph, image, experience, etc.) Analysis Transition You will then write one or two conclusion paragraphs on how the problem you wrote about connects to what we’re experiencing with the pandemic and Black Lives Matter. This might be a little more challenging because there may not be a 1:1 to connection between your chosen problem, COVID-19, and the fight for racial justice. You might need to think bigger about the connections between climate change, a pandemic, and inequality and racism. Your essay will look like this: Introduction Summary of book and chapter Introduction to chosen problem Body Section Impact Impact Impact Conclusion Section Connection to what we’re experiencing Works Cited Your essay will be graded on the following criteria: The focus and specificity of your essay (focusing on only one problem) The validity of your ideas (how accurate and real they are) Sentence-level features (concise writing, active voice, etc.) Sources to get you started with your research: The News app on your smart phones 54 great sources for climate news: https://publichealthonline.gwu.edu/blog/sources-for-climate-news/ (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) NASA Climate Change: https://climate.nasa.gov (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) NOAA Climate Change: https://www.noaa.gov/categories/climate-change (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) 7 Podcasts to learn about Climate Change: https://kinder.world/articles/you/7-podcasts-to-learn-more-about-climate-change-and-how-to-fight-it-19813 (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) NPR Climate Cast: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/414685982/climate-cast (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) Half-Earth https://www.half-earthproject.org (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) Ted Talks: https://www.ted.com/topics/climate+change (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) Chris Jordan (artists): http://www.chrisjordan.com/gallery/rtn2/#carbon (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)