Overview:
Write a paper that identifies and discusses an ecological problem, and provide a sustainable solution (a design, technology, regulation, policy, etc.) that will help solve it.
The problem:
? Can relate to energy use, climate change, pollution, ecosystem services or any other ecological issue. You are not limited to what we discussed in class. You must define your problem as specifically as possible. For example, CO2 emissions is too broad–which energy source (oil, coal, natural gas) are you talking about? Which sector (transportation, buildings, industry) that uses the energy source will you discuss?
? You must identify a root cause of the problem. This root cause must then be addressed by your solution.
? Discuss the negative impact caused by the problem you’ve identified. Why specifically is it bad? Is it degrading an ecosystem service? Which one? Is it threatening human health? How? Provide some quantitative measures of the extent and scope of the problem.
? You must provide scientific evidence to support your analysis of the problem you’ve identified. This means you must conduct some research, and at least one of your research sources must be from a scientific, peer-reviewed publication. See the “Sources” section below for information on finding scientific sources.
The solution
? Can relate to architectural, industrial or other design (e.g. biomimicry, energy efficiency), materials, transportation, urban planning, policy changes, adoption of new technology or nearly anything else that would help solve the problem you identify. It can be original but doesn’t need to be; you may advocate a solution proposed by someone else, or even one that is already in existence but not yet widespread.
? Your solution must be specifically defined. For example, “using solar energy” is not a solution in itself. What specifically do you propose that would make solar more widely adoptable?
? You must demonstrate that your solution contributes to sustainability. To do so, you must provide a definition of sustainability (and cite the source of your definition). Remember that many common concepts of sustainability require addressing each of “three E’s”: ecological/environmental, economic, and (social) equitable.
? You must justify your solution based on benefits and costs (pros and cons).
? What are the benefits of your solution? Does it have ecological co-benefits that affect problems other than the one you’re focusing on? Economic co-benefits?
? What are the downsides? Would it have a negative impact on any particular group(s) of people? Does it have any negative effect on the three E’s? Why is your proposal worth adopting despite the downsides?
Timeline:
? Your outline must be in the form of a brief slideshow presentation (e.g. Powerpoint or Keynote) that you will present to class. There is no requirement on the number of slides, but your in-class presentation should be around two minutes long.
? Your presentation must provide an outline of the main points in your paper, including the requirements specified above.
? Include a bibliography slide that lists at least three of the sources you will use in your final paper, including at least one scientific source.
? Upload your presentation to LMS by noon on Tuesday, Nov. 25. The filename of your presentation should be FirstName_LastName_outline (e.g. Aman_Gill_outline.pptx). The format may be powerpoint (.pptx), keynote (.key) or pdf.
? Must be a 3-4 page typed report (single-spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins). minimum length is over 2 pages spilling onto page 3, max length is 4 full pages).
? Any figures should be included in an appendix following the main body of your paper. These do not count toward your page limit.
? Include a bibliography (see below), which also doesn’t contribute to your page limit.
? Use direct quotations sparingly–all or almost all of your paper should be in your own words. Rather than quoting sources directly, rephrase the information you’re taking from the source into your own words, and then cite the source.
Sources:
? At least one source must be published in a scientific, a peer-reviewed journal, which can be found using a search engine like Google Scholar. You can also refer to a list I’ve compiled, available here. Many journal articles will be too technical for your purpose–search until you find one that is accessible enough to be of use.
? The remainder of your sources don’t need to be peer-reviewed, but they must be legitimate. This means that the author should have some kind of journalistic or professional credential to lend some authority to the work. Your source should be a step up from just something you “found on the internet.”
? Cite sources using endnotes. This means that when you cite a fact or are discussing an idea from a source, you should end the sentence with a number that corresponds to the order in which the source is listed in your bibliography. For example: “Ecology is very important.2“ or “Ecology is very important [2].” In either case, the full citation for this source should be listed as the #2 entry in your bibliography.
? You must also include a bibliography or “Works cited” section that lists full citations for all sources, according to this format. You WILL lose points if you fail to use this format. Simply providing the web address to a source is NOT an acceptable citation format.
The ecology Problem trying to solve is: World fish supplies.The world will run out of seafood by 2048 if steep declines in marine species continue at current rates. The rate of population collapses has accelerated in recent years. As of 1980, just 13.5 percent of fished species had collapsed, even though fishing vessels were pursuing 1,736 fewer species then. Today, the fishing industry harvests 7,784 species commercially.