Purpose: This assignment will give you practice in background information and fact-checking with a focus on biodiversity and climate threats. Further, since science cannot tell us what to do, we will form our own opinions based on the information we find.
Write a 500-1000 page paper using APA format (Times New Roman, 12 point font, double-spaced and APA citation style.) Be sure to use the Turnitin Self-Check before submitting your assignment. Submit as a Word document into Canvas.
Review the resources on carbon emissions and climate and read the following:
TIME magazine named Greta Thunberg person of the year 2019 in large part due to the speech she gave at the UN Climate Change Conference held in Madrid, Spain on December 2-13, 2019 (commonly referred to as COP25). For many, this came as a surprise and led to internet research to discover more about Greta and her impact on the COP25. Let’s review Greta’s speech, learn more about the conference, and most importantly, check the facts that are mentioned in the speech.
Background Information. Find and cite a credible sourceLinks to an external site. that provides information on the following. Provide a short answer to questions 1-6 and include the source you used for each question in your answer in APA format. For the purposes of this paper, you may use credible sources such as peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals (example: Nature, Journal of Earth Science & Climatic Change, Journal of Biodiversity Management and Forestry, etc.), but you may also rely on well-established news outlets (i.e. CNN, The Washington Post, The Guardian, etc.)
Who is Greta Thunberg?
What is COP25 and what countries participated?
What is the Paris Agreement and which countries were involved?
What are G20 countries?
What is the IPCC report she references and who are the contributing authors?
What is the current carbon budget? When is it projected to be reached?
Fact Check: For the following statements, include a citation in APA format and indicate if the source corroborates or refutes the statement.
If the carbon budget is exceeded, the global temperature will rise 1.5 degrees Celsius.
People will die as a result of an increase in global temperature.
100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions.
Opinion: Using the information you gleaned during the review of the provided resources, your background and fact investigation, respond to the following and support your position.
Do you agree with Greta that we are living in a climate emergency? Why or why not?
How do you think Greta defines good stewardship? How do you define good stewardship?
Why do you suppose it is so difficult for more economically developed countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
What can an average person do to contribute to carbon budget success?