In this assignment, you will prepare for your final project by identifying a topic to begin writing about. The Final Project is due at the end of the course in Week 8.
Related Course Objectives: CO-5
Use AI with caution. The university allows you to use AI for research, stimulating thought, correcting grammar, and a few other areas. See the official policy here. However, if the Turnitin System yields an AI score above 75%, you will need to rewrite the paper on your own OR submit substantial documentation attesting to your authorship of the paper. You cannot see your score unless we send the report to you, but you know if you used it to write your papers. NOTE: For these papers, every reference must have a working URL that takes the instructor to the precise location of the document used. Failure to do this can be seen as plagiarism. If you have a physical book, you may need to take a picture to prove ownership of the work. The same holds for PPTs.
Directions
For this assignment, complete the following steps:
- Review the comments left by your peers in the Week 5 discussion.
- Make adjustments to your proposal and video selection as necessary.
- Ensure that your case study or environmental topic relates to one of our weekly primary authors throughout the course.
- Make sure to incorporate one of our primary authors into your paper/project. Incorporate the reading(s) from one of our primary authors. So far, we have read Holmes Rolston, Rachel Carson, Aldo Leopold, and Arne Naess. You may also look ahead to Week Six, where we cover animal ethics, Peter Singer, and Paul Taylor.
- Survey our Sustainability textbook for any relevant case study/topics or section(s) and include that in your proposal.
- However, you may select a case study or topic in the public domain and include that reference material.
Submission Guidelines
Submit your proposal in a Word document. The proposal does not need to be in MLA or APA format. Be sure to include the following.
- A 250-word narrative.
- A link or embedded short educational video, such as a YouTube or a TED Talk
For my final project, I would like to focus on climate change and its impact on coastal communities, specifically examining how rising sea levels threaten vulnerable populations and ecosystems. This topic interests me because climate change is one of the most significant environmental challenges facing the world today, affecting both human societies and natural systems. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, 2024), rising global temperatures contribute to melting ice sheets, stronger storms, and increased flooding in coastal regions. I believe this topic provides an excellent opportunity to explore the ethical responsibilities humans have toward the environment and future generations.
As a case study, I plan to examine the ongoing effects of sea-level rise in the state of Florida, where coastal flooding and shoreline erosion have become increasingly common. This example highlights the real-world consequences of climate change and raises important questions about sustainability, environmental justice, and long-term planning. To support this topic, I found a short TED-Ed video that provides a clear overview of climate change and its impacts:
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifrHogDujXw
To analyze this issue, I plan to apply the work of Aldo Leopold and his concept of the Land Ethic. Leopold (1949) argued that humans should view themselves as members of a larger ecological community rather than conquerors of nature. His perspective suggests that environmental decisions should consider the well-being of ecosystems as a whole, not just immediate human interests. I believe Leopold’s philosophy provides a strong ethical framework for evaluating climate change policies and our collective responsibility to protect natural resources. Additionally, the sustainability principles discussed by Theis and Tomkin (2015) support the idea that long-term environmental health is essential for maintaining economic and social stability.
I am interested in hearing my classmates’ thoughts on this topic. Do you think governments should prioritize environmental protection even when it may require significant economic sacrifices? Also, are there other environmental ethics perspectives that might offer a different solution to the challenges posed by climate change?
References
Leopold, A. (1949). A sand county almanac and sketches here and there. Oxford University Press.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (2024). The effects of climate change. https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/
TED-Ed. (2017). Climate change: Earth’s giant game of Tetris [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifrHogDujXw
Theis, T., & Tomkin, J. (Eds.). (2015). Sustainability: A comprehensive foundation.