SCI Questions

D1.

Using at least two scholarly or reputable resources and your textbook, address whether or not we as humans should be concerned with the extinction rate. Additionally, discuss whether or not humans should strive to preserve representative samples of all biomes on the planet. Before beginning your discussion, watch the video “Choosing Articles and Revising Searches,” which defines the difference between scholarly, reputable, and non-reputable resources.

D2.

In the United States, we are fortunate to have an abundant supply of food. However, this abundance is largely due to advances in agricultural technology, which have in turn created numerous concerns surrounding our food sources. Provide at least two modern examples of how the United States has increased its food production. Using at least two scholarly or reputable resources and your textbook, discuss how these changes have affected the environment, and what impact they have on food safety.

D3.

As you know, our world is heavily dependent on oil. In Chapter 6 of Contemporary Environmental Issues, you have read that there is concern about the possibility of reaching a peak in oil production. Describe at least two alternatives to oil that are currently available and discuss the barriers that keep these alternatives from replacing oil as our primary means of energy? Additionally, utilizing at least two scholarly or reputable resources and your textbook, discuss the role that government plays in ensuring a transition to such alternatives in a post peak-oil world?

D4.

As increases in human population lead to expansive industrialization and cultivation, increased carbon emissions are resulting in global climate change. This atmospheric alteration may result in a number of detrimental environmental impacts including food insecurity, increased spread of disease, more intense storms, and sea level rise. As the United States is one of the largest contributors to atmospheric carbon emissions, what specific policies might the United States enact to reduce its impact on global climate change? Using at least two scholarly or reputable resources and your textbook, discuss the economic impacts of any proposed policy.

D5.

In 2012, Americans alone produced over 250 million tons of garbage. One large component of this waste consisted of oil based plastic bags, which are utilized excessively by grocers, restaurants, and stores nationwide. In order to reduce this source of waste, many countries are banning plastic bags or taxing customers for their use. Using at least two scholarly or reputable resources and your textbook, discuss at least two environmental problems caused by such extensive plastic bag use. If you were in charge, what plan might you propose to reduce or eliminate their use? Discuss the economic impacts of implementing your plan versus the financial impacts of making no change in our current use.