Category: Environmental science

Textbook: Global Climate Change: Turning Knowledge Into Action, Chapter 7

While reading this chapter, consider these questions:

What is the difference between coping with, adapting to, and mitigating climate change?

What is the precautionary principle?

What are some of the case studies presented? How do you approach these case studies or what is measured and studied by scientists?

Website:

• Review this website from a coalition of small island and low-lying coastal countries that share similar concerns about the environment. .

Discussion Post PROMPT:

When responding to your peers, discuss if society is coping with, adapting to, and/or mitigating climate change. Provide specific examples to support your rationale. Note: There are some vast differences among these approaches and you must explain why any solution must include measures to address a broad spectrum of issues that you have read about in this module.

-This was very interesting to me. While I have been feeling it in general I thought heat sensitivity was due to me aging as I just hit 40, my agin is likely a contributor. After living in Coastal Carolinas for 15 years now I find it getting a few degrees warmer in the summer and this heat tends to drag on longer than when I arrived in 2010. I addition to the heat changes, the winters are marked by 1-2 snow events a year and more freezing. While the overall average may not be affected the extreme swings in temperature are noticeable. The weather patterns here (Wilmington) are affected by shorth period oscillations in climate such as the currently eventful snow in my area…picture for posterity.

The article below highlights how extreme heat waves will affect regional health issues, water availability for consumption and agriculture, and energy generation and distribution concerns globally. Briefly speaking a two degree centigrade increase in global temperatures could generate more frequent and dangerous heat conditions by 2050 (Watts, 2026). Described in the article areas normally equipped to manage such heat will get even warmer affecting human health and causing infrastructure strain. From a social perspective, regions that were once tolerable and people were able to carve out an existence may no longer be able to sustain themselves in a given region. This will likely cause stress on border and political relations caused by immigration and other related cultural issues over natural resource usage. Rising heat and other climate changes affect humans, the environment, and how we relate or co-exist with one another. The looming problem is not as simple as “It is Hot!” – drink water…where is the water coming from, the electricity for cooling, fuel for transportation and agricultural use of that water. These issues cause by shifting climates are a threat to regional security and stability, where the borders get closer and tighter specifically. Wars over resources are historically an issue for the planet.

Watts, J. (2026, January 26). Number of people living in extreme heat to double by 2050 if 2C rise occurs, study finds. The Guardian.

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Watch videos, and complete worksheets as PDF

Select a scenario from the list below: There is a species of fish (with low numbers) that is having trouble traveling up and down the river because of a dam. Chose an area that is economically depressed but has a lot of species diversity, you need to protect the species while providing jobs for locals. An animal is being poached for its horn which is believed in some cultures to cure many diseases, it is not critically endangered. The demand for farming is increasing, which is destroying native forests and affecting their biodiversity. An animal is starting to become isolated because it is afraid to cross roads created by deforestation. Local birds typically migrate over the winter, but people are feeding them and thermal pollution at a local stream is keeping the water warmer the birds are not migrating, resulting in water pollution. A drought has been going on for a period of time; the water needed for homes, businesses, and farms has decreased lake and river levels impacting the amount available for local flora and fauna. Species are being found dead on local beaches due to plastic. Use the textbook and/or “Environmental Resource Management” infographic under topic Resources to find the best resource management practice to implement. Create a pamphlet addressing the following: What is the issue and why is it an issue? Describe the restoration method you selected and why it would be best (with at least 2 examples of how it has worked in similar situations from peer reviewed sources) Time frame to complete the plan (include short and long term objectives) What is the end goal of the restoration project? This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

1. Write a Literature Review You are not collecting data. You must read, compare, and analyze published studies about: ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems in the UAE This means: Use journal articles, government reports, and company sustainability reports Compare what different authors say Do not just describe critically analyze 2. Follow the Required Structure Your paper must contain five clear sections: Introduction explain the topic and why it matters in the UAE Key Drivers & Challenges analyze why companies adopt ISO 14001 and what stops them Current State in the UAE show how ISO 14001 is used, with case studies Conclusion & Recommendations summarize and propose improvements References APA style 3. Use Academic Sources To get full marks: Use at least 10 credible academic references Cite them correctly in APA style Every idea that is not yours must be cited 4. Meet Formatting Rules You must: Write 56 pages no more refrences are including within the 5-6 pages Use Times New Roman, size 12 Double space Number all pages Include a cover page Include a reference list 5. Demonstrate Critical Thinking The rubric expects you to: Explain why ISO 14001 matters Analyze how drivers and challenges affect adoption Evaluate how well UAE organizations are implementing EMS Not just list information 6. Avoid Plagiarism Your Turnitin similarity must be below 20% Paraphrase properly Cite all sources 7. Write Clearly and Professionally To score full marks: No grammar or spelling errors Clear paragraphs Logical flow between sections 8. Support Claims with Evidence Every main point must be supported by: A reference Or a UAE case example

In this module, you have begun exploring how sustainability can be considered in various contexts and within the first sustainability pillar: social justice. Throughout the rest of this course, you will explore two more pillarsbusiness and environmental qualityand will incorporate your knowledge about all three pillars into your project. In this Module Three project draft, you will begin working on your project by examining a scenario and considering sustainable practices related to the scenario. Directions First, consult the Project Guidelines and Rubric to review the scope of the project and the provided scenarios. Next, choose a scenario. To do this, review the Scenario Profiles document, which provides information related to the scenarios, including the organization profile and related case study. Choose a scenario for this Module Three assignment carefully, because you will use the same scenario for the project. Then, with your chosen scenario in mind, address the assignment prompts below by completing the corresponding sections in the Project Template. Note: You can find the Project Guidelines and Rubric and the Scenario Profiles document in the assignment information section of this course. Specifically, you must address the following: Sustainable Practices You will look at the interconnectedness of environmental issues and human behavior as it relates to your chosen scenario. To do this, you will look at both how the environmental systems in use impact the community as well as how the community use impacts the environmental systems in place. You will also look at the groups overall bias in addressing sustainability in your community. Describe how environmental systems in use in your chosen scenario impact human behavior. Consider ecosystems, cultural systems, and organizational systems in your response. Describe the impact of the current resource use on the environment. What resources does the group in your scenario use? What is the impact on the environment? Describe how human ideology impacts behavior regarding environmental systems. What policies or vision impact the environmental systems in use within your chosen group? Think about your chosen group. What behaviors do they practice regarding the environmental systems? Explain the role of cultural bias in your chosen groups approach to global sustainability. What are some of the biases within the group that impact the use of the resources discussed in the scenario? What to Submit To complete this assignment, you must submit the following: Submit your Project Template for grading. Note: You will submit the same Project Template for Module Three Project Draft One, for Module Five Project Draft Two, and for the project. For this assignment, the Module Three Project Draft One, you will complete only Part One of the Project Template. You do not need to complete Part Two and Part Three of the template for this assignment. No sources are required. However, if you choose to use sources, they should be cited according to APA style. Although Brightspace allows the addition of video notes in assignment submissions, you may not use the Video Note tool to complete this assignment. Supporting Materials The following resources will support your work on this assignment: Scenario Profiles This resource contains profiles for each scenario of the project. Project Guidelines and Rubric This resource provides an overview of the project, along with specific criteria you must address. Module Three Project Draft One Rubric Criteria Meets Expectations (100%) Partially Meets Expectations (75%) Does Not Meet Expectations (0%) Value Sustainable Practices: Environmental Systems Describes how environmental systems in use in the chosen scenario impact human behavior Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include a more detailed description of the environmental systems or clearer description of the impact on human behavior Does not attempt criterion 22.5 Sustainable Practices: Impact Describes the impact of the current resource use on the environment Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include a more detailed description of the impact on the environment or more details on the current resource use of the chosen group Does not attempt criterion 22.5 Sustainable Practices: Behavior Describes how human ideology impacts behavior regarding the environmental systems in place at the chosen group Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include a clearer or more thorough description of the impact or more information about human ideology or environmental systems Does not attempt criterion 22.5 Sustainable Practices: Role of Cultural Bias Explains the role of cultural bias in the chosen groups sustainable global environmental use Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include a clearer or more thorough explanation of the role of cultural bias or clearer description of its relation to the chosen groups sustainable global environmental use Does not attempt criterion 22.5 Clear Communication Consistently and effectively communicates in an organized way to a specific audience Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but communication is inconsistent or ineffective in a way that negatively impacts understanding Shows no evidence of consistent, effective, or organized communication 10 Total:

Wk 3 Summative Assessment: There are various perspectives of environmentalism. By examining them, you can better understand the motivations of yourself and others. In this assignment, you will create a narrated presentation to discuss each of the various perspectives, assess yourself with respect to the perspectives, and compare your perspectives to those in your scope of experience. Review Ch. 4, Worldview Arguments for Environmentalism, including section 4a The Land Ethic and Deep Ecology and section 4b Ecofeminism and Social Justice, of Environmental Ethics, which is in the Wk 2 Learning Activities folder. Worldview Arguments (5) – Land Ethic – Deep Ecology – Social Ecology – Ecofeminism – Aesthetics Refer to course textbook… p 48 – Worldview Arguments for Environmentalism Include discussions on all five (5) Worldview Arguments. If you have 0% agreement on any of them. explain your perspectives Create a 15- to 20-slide PowerPoint presentation with vocal narration… or… separate written transcript file (labelled slide 1, 2, etc.) to highlight perspectives of environmentalism, your alignment to the perspectives, and how that compares to people you interact with every day. The discussion content should be clear and concise, and include the following: Discuss the different worldview arguments for environmentalism. Explain each, their similarities and differences, and provide examples. Construct a pie chart (see the links in the Additional Resources section below) that describes your personal alignment to each of the worldview arguments. You can think of this like an ancestry report. Instead of outlining your inheritance in percentages, identity your percentage of alignment to each of the worldview arguments. Worldviews that you align with will have a greater percentage than those you find less appealing. Your unique worldview should add up to 100%, so make sure you select appropriate percentages from each of the worldview arguments. Show your pie chart with Worldview Argument labels and percentages Explain your rationale for how you determined each percentage. Include examples from your experience that link to the worldview arguments. Discuss any of the components that you think might change in the future. Describe your reasoning. Share what the worldviews might look like for people you interact with regularly (e.g., family, friends, colleagues, etc.). Compare and contrast the worldviews of those close to you with your worldview. Discuss points of agreement and disagreement you have regarding the similarities and differences in these. Provide examples and discuss your rationale. Note: When citing information from sections 4a and 4b of the Environmental Ethics textbook, be sure to reference the appropriate author for each section. = = = = = Presentation Design Tips… Use appropriate and relevant slide headings. Use brief bullet points (<=3 lines per bullet) on the slides. Explain the details in your vocal narration or transcript. Be consistent with font styles and sizes throughout the slide presentation. Avoid slide clutter to optimize content delivery. Use extra slides, it necessary. Consider including images – photos, diagrams, etc. – as appropriate and cite sources, as needed. Avoid placing text on top of images (photos, etc.). Use contrasting text and background colors for optimal visibility for audience viewing. Use the course textbook and at least two (2) external resources. Use APA citation and reference formatting, including a References slide. Submit files as… (select an option)… 1) PP format with embedded vocal narration. 2) PP or pdf format with separate vocal narration file. 3) PP or pdf format with separate transcript file = = = = = Note: Submissions without vocal narration or separate transcript file will be penalized, -10% minimum or more (content areas), depending on amount and quality of slide text content. Penalties / point deductions include: <15 slides submitted, incomplete/missing Worldview Arguments, incomplete/missing pie chart, and citations/references incomplete or missing.Contemporary Issues Presentation