Environmental Science

Pick one of the environmental issues that we have discussed in the proceeding class and focus either on a country that you are from or that is of interest to you. Refrain picking the countries that are well-covered by international and national media. Unless you feel that there is something more to add on recent developments or to cover from a different perspective. You can address the topic in multiple ways –

Comprehensive overview of an issue addressing from the scientific, community, social, cultural, historical and political perspective
Write a layman summary of new technical reports published on a specific environmental issue (e.g. check the latest Global Biodiversity Outlook 2020Links to an external site.)
Report an issue that you find it is interesting through talking to concerned people and write a summary of it (talk to individuals from different communities or more people from the same community)

Key points will be considered while grading the assignment

When you make a claim, make sure you substantiate your claim with evidence, supporting arguments and counterarguments.
Avoid personal opinions. Focus on the scientific, political, economic, social, and cultural aspect of the issue. Not necessarily, each article must list all the items but try to give a complete picture
Scientific integrity of the article – make sure you use consistent units, and at the beginning of the article, give the full explanation of units (e.g. microgramme per cubic metre (μg/m3)). Make sure the units remained consistent throughout the article. Use tables, figures and images.
At least 10-15 references of peer-reviewed articles, reports, and government documents. Follow either APA (Griffin, 2000) or numbered style [1]

Style and Format

Total number of words – 800-1000 words (not more)
Include a solid lead, facts and properly attributed quotes.
Use APA style, double space, 1” margins, 12-point font. Include news story format: name, date, page numbers, etc.
Short, simple sentences are always better than long, complicated ones.

Active voice is always preferable to passive voice.
Direct, concrete statements are better than vague, indirect statements.
Write for an educated general audience, not for me or for classmates who have read the material.
Along the same lines, avoid jargon.
Above all, make everything you write lively and interesting!

Check the Rubric for assignment