One of the most important skills to learn while at university is to think critically. A second important skill is to be able to communicate your thoughts and ideas effectively in a written format. The objective of this assignment is to help you develop these skills further.
Many environmental issues humanity is facing today appear unsolvable, yet our collective ability to address them is essential for our world to thrive. In this assignment, you will propose a sustainable solution to an environmental issue and using factual arguments, explain why it would effectively address the issue. The solution you will propose can be ranging from being implemented at large scales and transformative of society as a whole, to addressing the issue by arguing for smaller, incremental changes, with a range of possibilities in-between.
You will explain the significance of the issue, your proposed solution, and then support your proposal by invoking facts, concepts, or ideas, that highlight how your proposed solution can indeed address the issue sustainably.
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Assignment |
You will need to select one of the issues listed below, explain his significance in the Canadian or global context, propose and explain a sustainable solution to it, with facts, ideas, and concepts to support it. Your explanations will need to be supported by factual and reliable information:
1) Canada’s economy depends heavily on the fossil fuels (oil and gas) industry for its growth. How can the Canadian economy be transformed to maintain decent standards of living for all, and particularly workers in the oil and gas industry, while moving from a sector emitting significant amounts of greenhouse gases?
2) What can countries in the Global North, which are large emitters of greenhouse gases, do to assist countries, mostly in the Global South, which are facing the impacts of climate change?
3) Because of its abundant mineral resources, Canada is poised to play an important role in supporting the development and expansion of the global economy towards toward renewable sources of energy. How can Canada achieve this, and become at the same time a leader in the development of equitable and sustainable mining practices?
4) The global economy currently hinges on the massive consumption (mostly in the Global North) of goods, which either do not last or are wrapped in unnecessary packaging that just inundates the municipal waste stream. How can we move away from this throw-away system?
5) As cities are expanding their boundaries, and while agricultural and industrial activities transform the Canadian landscape, what can be done to protect sensitive habitats, rich in biodiversity, such as wetlands?
Your paper must:
· Be 3 – 4 pages in length (including in-text citations)
· Contain an introduction and a conclusion.
· Contain subheadings to clarify the structure of your text and to guide the reader.
· Have the following format: Times News Roman, 12 pt font, double-spaced, 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins. Do not add empty lines for spacing/aesthetic purposes; this is unnecessary and will be penalized.
- Stick to the page limit. Pages beyond the limit will not be read. This will count both as a format mistake and marks will be lost for parts over that limit (e.g.: conclusion)
All the information you will relay must be paraphrased and must be factually correct. To this end you will list in a preliminary outline the sources you intend to use as supporting information.
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Referencing and Sources |
· You must fully reference within the text all information presented using the author, date referencing system (i.e.: APA).
· You must use a minimum of ten sources of information.
· The quality of your sources will impact the content of your paper. While the use of non-scholarly sources and websites (e.g.: Wikipedia) is not usually recommended, the exclusive use of peer-reviewed sources is not required.
· You will include a list of reference list at the end of your paper.
· You cannot use your lecture notes as a source of information; make use of your textbook or the videos included in the course’s Roadmaps instead.
· The list of references does not count towards the page count, and can be single-spaced (Times News Roman, 12 pt font, with normal margins: 2.54 cm).
· Your paper can only contain one direct quote from one of your sources.
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Figures and Tables |
· You are not required to include figures or tables to support your points
· However, you should consider that information can only strengthen the points you are trying to get across.
· If you are going to include figures and tables, only do so if they are relevant and if you are going to discuss them in your text. Otherwise, your paper will lose marks for its poor focus.
· If included, figures should be numbered consecutively (e.g.: Figure 1) and captions should be placed beneath each figure.
· All tables should be numbered consecutively (e.g.: Table 1) and captions should be placed above each table.
· Captions should cite the sources of the tables/figures.
· Figures and tables do not count towards the page count and should be included at the end of your paper.
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Spelling and Grammar |
· Your spelling and grammar impact the effective conveying of your information and will be marked as part of this paper.
· Make sure to spell check your paper before submitting it.
For additional guidelines, you must refer to any clarification made by the teaching staff (i.e.: instructor, teaching assistant) on the Discussion board, on A2L.
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Hints to Writing an Effective Paper |
- First start with an outline, then write a full draft (it doesn’t have to be perfect!). Have one of your friends/colleagues read it and critique it and use their comments to improve the paper.
- Do not write in the first person. This means that you do not use “I”.
- Your paper should be primarily based on facts, concepts, or concrete ideas; not on rhetoric (i.e.: purely argumentative and lacking meaningful support).
- You may discuss the solution by referring to different angles, but these perspectives should themselves ideally be grounded in a recognized field of science, humanities (e.g.: philosophy), or social science (e.g.: politics).
- Begin your paper with an introduction (first paragraph) that states the importance of the problem, the solution (thesis) you will propose, and that will introduce the information supporting that solution.
- In the first body paragraph, expand and explain the significance of the issue you want to address.
- In the subsequent body paragraph, explain the solution you propose.
- Subsequent paragraphs will provide an opportunity to discuss the facts/ideas/concepts highlighting how your solution can address the issue sustainably.
- In these paragraphs, discuss facts, concepts, and ideas that support your solution to the issue.
- Each paragraph should include an introductory sentence to clearly identify the facts, etc., being discussed.
- Subsequent sentences further develop and cite the appropriate information/support. The last sentence re-emphasizes the main point(s) of the paragraph
- In other words, each of these paragraphs must have a logical flow of information, and not simply be an enumeration of disconnected ideas.
- Make sure that the ideas, facts, and concepts cited support your proposed solution.
- Express your ideas clearly: make every word count and eliminate all unnecessary words from your writing. Keep to the essentials.
- Make sure that the statements you use are your own: using slightly modified key passages from your sources is not acceptable.
- Ensure that you have a conclusion, that the conclusion does not introduce new ideas and that it directly relates to your introduction.
- Refer to the Term Paper Rubric as you are writing your paper.
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Originality of the Final Paper |
· Papers will automatically be checked for similarity with Turnitin.
· The maximum similarity allowed on the final submission of the Term Paper will be 10%.
· Any excess above the maximum allowed will be deducted from the Final paper mark.
· For example, a paper that is 40% similar to its sources, will receive a 30% deduction.
· You will be able to repeatedly check the similarity of your paper before the final submission by submitting your drafts in the “Assignments” folder for the Final Term Paper.
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File Format for Submission |
· Your file must be submitted in one of the following formats: MS Word, WordPerfect, PostScript, Acrobat PDF, HTML, RTF, Plain Text. PDF is preferred.
· Assignments submitted in the wrong file format cannot be read by the Avenue system and will automatically be given a mark of zero.
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Write Up Process |
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Term Paper Outline
(2.5% of your grade) |
To get you started on your Term Paper, you will suggest a proposed solution and outline of the key points of your paper. You will have to submit a typed double spaced, Times New Roman 12pt font outline indicating:
· Which one of the available topics you have selected?
· Why have you selected the topic (do not simply state that you thought it would be interesting)? You must state why you thought the topic would be interesting)
· The thesis (i.e.: the solution you propose to the issue) of your paper
· Points (at least 10) you plan to stress in your paper. These can be in point form. Please note that these may be different in the final version of your paper.
· List at minimum 5 sources you plan to use at this stage for your report.
Your outline will be due on in the Term Paper Outline folder on A2L, under the tab “Assessments”, on July 4, 11:30 p.m. EDT. Your TA may provide at this point some feedback on your outline.
Your outline will be evaluated for the following elements (5 marks):
· Does the Term Paper Outline indicate which one of the available topics has been selected?
· Does the Term Paper Outline states why the topic was selected, beyond that it was interesting?
· Does the Term Paper Outline indicate the solution (i.e.: thesis) that will be proposed in the paper?
· Does the Term Paper Outline indicate at last 10 points that will be stressed in the paper?
· Does the Term Paper Outline list a minimum 5 sources that are planned to be used in final paper?
This is my outline for what is should be on: Topic Selected: The global economy’s heavy reliance on excessive consumption and wasteful
practices, particularly in the Global North, has led to environmental problems caused by the
production and disposal of goods. How can we transition away from this throw-away system and
adopt more sustainable consumption and production practices?
Reason for selecting the topic: I chose this topic because I believe it’s important to address the
negative impacts of our current consumption habits on the environment. By exploring
sustainable alternatives and proposing practical solutions, we can work towards a more
responsible and eco-friendly approach to consumerism.
Thesis statement: To move away from the throw-away system, we need to embrace concepts like
the circular economy, promote eco-design and sustainable packaging, improve waste
management, encourage conscious consumer choices, and hold producers accountable for the
environmental impact of their products as well as eliminate single use plastics.
Key Points:
– Main Focus will be on single use plastics
-The environmental consequences of excessive consumption and waste generation:
Highlighting how our current throw-away system leads to resource depletion, pollution,
and climate change.
-Explaining the circular economy: Discussing the principles of a circular economy, which
aims to minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency through recycling, reusing, and
reducing.
-Redesigning products for durability and recyclability: Emphasizing the importance of
product design that focuses on longevity, repairability, and recyclability to reduce waste.
Sustainable packaging alternatives: Discussing the need to reduce excessive packaging,
encourage biodegradable and recyclable materials, and promote responsible packaging
practices.
-Improving waste management: Exploring strategies such as recycling, composting, and
waste reduction initiatives to minimize the amount of waste ending up in landfills.
Encouraging conscious consumer choices: Highlighting the role of consumer awareness,
education, and behavior change in reducing consumption, opting for sustainable options,
and avoiding unnecessary purchases.
-Extended producer responsibility: Discussing the importance of holding producers
accountable for the environmental impact of their products throughout their lifecycle and
the need for regulations and incentives to promote responsible production.
Collaboration and stakeholder engagement: Emphasizing the need for governments,
businesses, and consumers to work together in driving sustainable consumption and
production practices.
-Economic and social benefits: Addressing the potential positive impacts of transitioning
to a sustainable system, such as job creation, resource efficiency, and improved
well-being.
-Showcasing success stories: Providing examples of companies, initiatives, and policies
that have successfully implemented sustainable consumption and production practices.
Potential Sources:
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managing-reducing-waste/reduc
e-plastic-waste/single-use-plastic-overview.html
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/single-use-plastics-101
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/05/energy/single-use-plastics-volume-grows-climate-intl-hnk/inde
x.html
Our Plastic Problem: Impacts of Single-Use Plastics on the Environment
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managing-reducing-waste/reduc
e-plastic-waste/single-use-plastic-technical-guidance.html