Download Climate change topics: Persuasive essay

Climate change topics: Persuasive essay
OVERALL EXPECTATIONS
By the end of this course, students will:
D1. analyse some of the effects of climate change
around the world, and assess the effectiveness of
initiatives that attempt to address the issue of
climate change;
D2. investigate various natural and human factors
that influence Earth's climate and climate change;
D3. demonstrate an understanding of natural and
human factors, including the greenhouse effect,
that influence Earth's climate and contribute to
climate change.
The First Annual World View Conference on Global Warming is inviting
countries around the world to sign a new deal to reduce global warming.
The First Annual World View Conference on Global Warming's delegates
have agreed that:
1. Global warming is a reality
2. It is due to the increasing amount of carbon dioxide being released
into the atmosphere
3. Most of this carbon dioxide is being released due to human
activities.
They have further proposed that:
1. a true "cost of carbon" be agreed upon.
2. all countries signing the deal will agree to implement this true cost
onto all activities in their countries that release carbon dioxide (thus a
carbon tax). This will effectively raise the price of any goods whose
manufacture includes a process that releases carbon.
Reasons?
1. If the cost of all goods and services include the true cost of carbon, it will
reduce demand for these goods and services that produce carbon dioxide.
2. Where companies, service providers and governments take in this carbon
tax, it shall be used to promote environmentally-friendly programmes that
help prevent global warming or minimize its effects.
Your job:
The goal is to represent an individual from a country and research to
determine whether your country should sign this deal. You will have to
determine whether the cost to your country of signing this deal is worth the
benefit it would bring from a world reduction in carbon dioxide and
lowering of global warming. You will then write a persuasive paper to
convince your government whether to sign the deal or not.
Submissions must be in the form of persuasive essays that argue whether
global warming is or is not an important enough issue in the country for your
government to sign the deal.
Things to think about in your submission…
 Who are the various stakeholders in the country who would be
affected by the proposed carbon tax?
 What are the main effects of global warming in this country right
now? Think about how each of the various stakeholders would
answer this question…business leaders, government politicians,
environmentalists, academics
 What are the possible or forecasted effects of global warming in the
country?
 What is the potential cost of global warming on this country's future?
 Of course, you will need to give a bit of introductory information that
describes the country and be able to locate it on a map.
What is my thesis or research question?
 Make it specific
 Focused enough to cover the topic in this short paper
 Make sure you can find evidence that supports your view (otherwise
change it as you go)
What are the parts of my paper?
 Introduction (that includes your research question)
 Body paragraphs that organize your evidence and include in-text
citation
 Conclusion
 References List
How do I outline my argument?
 Plan first
What is evidence?
 Expert opinion
 Facts
 Quotations
 Interviews
Don't forget, if you make a claim…you need to support it with evidence.
You may want to consider claims other's may make against your
argument and counter them.
How do you find evidence?
Research using keywords and good quality sources
For opinions, use databases and magazines and organizational
websites you can trust (eg. United Nations)
Remember the ABCD's of evaluating other websites
Author; Bias; Content; Date
For facts use trusted encyclopedias
How do I cite in-text?
(author's last name, year) or embed the citation…
E.g. Milligan stated in his 2008 study on atmospheric gases that…
What is the proper voice and tone?
Using words that are clear and serious enough (since this is a formal
persuasive essay) and get and keep the reader's attention.
Do I use the proper conventions? (Spelling, grammar, punctuation)
Note-making sheets
 Use the coloured sheets in the trays or download them from the library
website to document all of your evidence
References
 Use APA Style
Countries listed below are especially requested to participate.
1. Nigeria
2. Japan
3. China
4. India
5. Saudi Arabia
6. Canada
7. United States
8. Brazil
9. Russia
10.South Africa
11.Australia
12.Sweden
13.Fiji
14.Antarctica
15.Germany
16.Indonesia
17.Barbados
18.Haiti
19.Belize
20.Mexico
21.Kenya
22.Vietnam
23.Cameroon
24.Afghanistan
25.Cuba
26.Comoros
27.Benin
28.Guyana
29.Venezuela
30.Dominican Republic
31.Chad
32.Yemen
33.Zambia
34.
Websites
http://country-profiles.geog.ox.ac.uk/