Environmental Sustainability and Global Water Scarcity Paper

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  1. effectively communicate and use scientific evidence regarding human impact on the environment with emphasis on sustainability and global citizenship

You will propose a topic for approval during Week 3 in a special area of our Discussions.

NOTE: Final paper submissions must be formatted as either a Word document (.docx) or in Rich Text Format (.rtf). I cannot open WordPerfect or Works submissions. Your final paper will be submitted mid-week during Week 8 via the Assignments link above. Your graded written assignments will not be returned.

WARNING: I reserve the right to run your submission through the TurnItIn.com web site if I suspect you of plagiarism. A plagiarized paper will be assigned a grade of zero, and you will be reported to the UMUC administration.

You may choose a topic from a provided list or propose a topic for approval. The paper should be typed double-spaced and be about 5-7 pages long excluding references. Please do not exceed the seven-page limit.

You must select a topic that is relevant to environmental sustainability. Your topic must address one of these phrases:

  1. an environmental issue—its causes, current state, and solutions
  2. the role of economics, technology, or industry in your environmental issue
  3. the impact of the environmental issue on ecosystems

Example of past topics:

  1. Disappearing tropical rainforests (Explain what is happening. Why should we be concerned?)
  2. Compare and contrast China’s and India’s efforts at slowing their population growth.
  3. Report on the decline of honeybees. Why should we care? What difference will it make to our lifestyle?
  4. Explain Iceland’s plan to be the first country to run its economy on 100 percent renewable energy.
  5. Carbon trading (What is it? Why has it been established? How will it benefit the Earth?)
  6. Harmful algae blooms (HABs) (What are they? What causes them? Are they harmful to humans?)
  7. Global water scarcity (How bad is it? How is it linked to global crises and conflict?)

Be sure to click the assignment title above to view the detailed grading rubric. Briefly, you will be evaluated on:

  1. content: clear and accurate knowledge of your topic and how your topic relates to human impact on the environment with emphasis on sustainability and global citizenship
  2. references: proper quantity and quality of APA citations
  3. effective writing: grammar, spelling, punctuation
  4. following directions

See attached rubric for grading criteria.