Current EVENTS: Literature/News Review Format

Once a week, from any reading or broadcast, write a brief discussion.  Please give the basic information about the event first.  

1) Article title (if written, or program if auditory)
2) source
3) date
4) event and organization, state, people involved
5) location of event  

Then consider how this event/information fits into one of the following environmental decision categories:

1) health: maintenance of human health and prevention of sickness or disability (risk management)
2) environmental: protection of natural resources
3) economic: gain or loss of money or jobs
4) scientific: knowledge gained by scientific research
5) educational: accumulation and use of knowledge
6) social/cultural: maintaining human communities and respecting their values and traditions
7) ethical/moral: what is right or wrong
8) aesthetic: what is beautiful or pleasing
9) recreational: providing for human leisure activities.  

Write a brief discussion from the position you chose using information from the article. This is not a summary. This is a focused discussion revolving around one environmental decision. The points you make need to be defended using information from the article.  Consider short term consequences and long term consequences.   

For example, I’ve read an article about increased dead zones in Chesapeake Bay .  I might choose to write from an economic point of view.  The increase in dead zones is causing a reduction of live biomass of shellfish, particularly blue crabs.  A short term consequence could be that this problem will contribute to the struggle of the watermen to make a living and increase the range and the intensity of their harvesting.  This harvesting could lead to further decreases in the population as the surviving population is over harvested.  Lost revenue and lost jobs will result over the long term.

            Or I could look at this article from an environmental point of view.  Increased sediment and organic pollutants are contributing to a loss of submerged aquatic vegetation in shallow areas.  Indirectly, since SAV provides habitat, and directly since the blue crab population requires more dissolved oxygen than is present, the blue crab population is reduced as a short term consequence.  This loss will have long term consequences as the food chain is affected.  SAV, blue crab, and probably rock fish will all decline as this problem of low winds, low rain, and input of organic pollution continues.

If you use an article, be sure to turn in a copy.  If you use an audio source, be sure to include program, time and date presented.  Email your review.