Final Project Instructions You are required to do a term paper on an environment

Question

Final Project Instructions

You are required to do a term paper on an environmental problem of your choosing. This assignment is worth 20% of your grade.

It should be creative and interesting, and should be a minimum of 6 pages in length not to exceed 8 pages and you will use APA style formatting. It should be well-organized and demonstrate an orderly flow of information that clearly addresses the subject chosen.

You should incorporate the following elements in the project:

1.     Problem identification: Clearly indicate the issue you will discuss and the influence this problem has on land, air, water resources, plant life, animal life, and human societies. Discuss the long-term effects this problem will continue to create without a comprehensive solution. The problem can be of local, national, or global scope.

2.     Solutions currently implemented: Discuss how the issue has been addressed historically. Determine the courses of action taken in science, technology, political and economic systems, laws and regulations, community-based initiatives, education, and so forth. Review the successes and limitations of these actions.

3.     Recommendations: Explain the actions that you believe need to be developed and implemented to accomplish change. Discuss your solution from multiple perspectives, such as educational, legislative, scientific, technological, economic, and other points of view.

In addition you should cite at least three other credible sources. Put these on your last page as works cited. You are cautioned to check out internet sources. The web abounds with junk science that is totally unreliable. Be sure to cross check your sources.

https://www.google.com/search?q=term+paper+on+an+environmental+problem+of+your+choosing&rlz=1C1CHMO_enUS510US510&oq=term+paper+on+an+environmental+problem+of+your+choosing&aqs=chrome..69i57.1257j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Explanation / Answer

The world today is vastly different from what it was before urbanisation and industrialisation had taken its toll on the world. Since the turn of the new millennium the issue of the environment has suddenly evolved into a widespread issue which is greatly discussed throughout the world. No longer are humans living in a world where the environment is serene or stable but much rather becoming unrecognisable and diminishing before our eyes. The plants, trees and flowers are life forms which God has created for us to enjoy its beauty but it is now solely up to us and many other organisations to protect preserve and respect how fragile our environment really is.
One of the most evident problems associated to the environment is the issue of the logging of trees, mainly in undisturbed places such as the Amazon basin. Trees are considered the lungs of the Earth. They recycle all the polluting carbon in the air and return oxygen back into our atmosphere, creating a stable cycle of carbon in our atmosphere. However, the impeccable rates which trees are being cut down in our forests have grown to ever increasing and alarming rates. Trees that are made way for farming are burnt up releasing deadly amounts of carbon and thus leading to the problem of global warming. As its names suggest the world is slowly warming up and without any notice the environment which God has gave us will be slowly eradicated. The daily lives which humans carry on about every day are also a factor influencing on our environment and global warming. By driving cars that have a thirst for petrol we are releasing carbon dioxide and furthermore impacting on the world?s climate. In Australia environmental impact has always been evident. Land clearing especially in places such as Queensland has caused land to lay dry and lifeless where all forms of life is destroyed. By clearing land we are not only affecting our climate but are also destroying animal habitat and the usage of the land. Senseless actions by commuters in Australia, emitting tons and tons of lethal gases vulnerable to the atmosphere are starting to take its toll on our climate. We are seeing a harsher climate and at the same time less rain. If we want to preserve our world we must take a stance on this issue and take action for what is right, not carrying on the actions that will lead to a desolate, destroyed Earth.
Pope John Paul II once said, It is the task of human beings to care for, preserve and cultivate the treasures of creation.? The Pope is becoming aware of the environmental issues impacting on the world toady and is enforcing that we must do something before God?s creation is all but lost. He tells us that we must show respect for the environment and living our faith in relation with God?s creation. Everyone is affected and everyone is responsible. It is an issue that cannot be ignored and action must be taken to preserve something that is unique to humanity.

Human- Environment Interaction

Human beings are endowed by nature to be reflective and active. Their biological

evolution gives them capacity to forge tools and establish an adaptive relationship

with nature. In the beginning, human life was more biological than cultural and

was somewhat similar to other animals where environmental considerations

dictated the place of human residence. In the process of adaptive relationship man

gradually evolved tools with the help of which the resources of the environment

could be put to use. The tool making ability developed over a very long period of

time as it began with the use of materials locally obtainable.

The relationship between nature and man was redefined with the advent of

agriculture. Till the beginning of agriculture, the sources of food had mostly been

naturally available products and man had no control over their availability. An

important contribution of agriculture has been the cultivation of cereals. The fact

is that the shelf-life of cereals is unlimited whereas fruits and meat had very

limited shelf-life. It has been a very significant factor as this property of cereals

encouraged accumulation, which perhaps was one of the causes for the

introduction and intensification of social stratification.

In the beginning agriculture was a highly unreliable source of food, and transition

from hunter-gatherer to peasant was not very smooth and was a long drawn

process. The development of technology/tools to increase agricultural production

was a continuing process in which development of irrigation technology too

played an important role. Slowly but surely agriculture became the major source

of subsistence and increased productivity contributed towards increase in

population. Initially agriculture was confined to highly favourable locations with

natural irrigation. With the growth in population, however, man was forced to

migrate to less-favourable locations, necessitating irrigation. The development of

irrigation facilities required larger social participation and better management

resulting in a transition towards complex society.

The discovery of metallic ores once again redefined the man-environment

interaction. The major advantage of metal tools over stone was its reusable

character: stone tools once broken could not be used again whereas metal tools

could be remoulded. However, the relative scarcity of mineral ores together with

the limited capabilities of processing, beginning from procurement to

transportation and finally extraction made metal procurement a labour intensive

and expensive proposition. The most important feature of metallurgy was the

highly specialized knowledge required and expertise, which made it a full-time

occupation. The emergence of such professionals could be sustained only with the

availability of agricultural surplus. This led to the emergence of a section of the

population not directly involved with the food production. The parasitic character

of this section of population gradually liberated from direct dependence on nature

and heralded a new era where certain sections of the inhabitants survived solely on

their professional knowledge.

The character of agriculture based societies has been defined in terms of complex

social stratification with specialization of craft. The growing ability of humans to

make use of a variety of environmental resources opened up the possibilities of the

exploitation of natural resources for self-benefit. The larger equity based and open

community now witnessed a transition towards a rudimentary system of sociopolitico-

economic hierarchy. Still, we cannot say that humans were controlling the

environment rather the nature of dependence on environment had changed

drastically.

At this juncture it is necessary to point out that since the ancient past in Europe we

could witness the prevalence of anthropocentric social attitudes. The clearest

manifestation was seen in the concept of cosmology in ancient discourses. The

earth, the abode of humans, was considered at the centre of the universe and was

enveloped by seven strata. All the seven strata were supposed to have emanated

from the earth. The growth of capitalism and the breakdown of the

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