Global Environmental Politics

A 3200-word essay (ONLY counting the main text and NOT including footnotes,
references, or your abstract) is due by Wednesday, March 23 (11:59pm). You can choose any topic within global environmental politics. You must submit an electronic copy of your essay to Canvas and Turnitin (submission instructions are below).
Possible topics include: climate change; tropical deforestation; plastic marine pollution; chemical pollution (e.g., persistent organic pollutants); freshwater loss in developing countries; nuclear power; natural gas; the oil industry; marine protected areas; fisheries management; gold mining; the coal industry; industrial agriculture; food; waste; cocoa; diamonds; coffee; coltan; recycling; geoengineering; divestment; genetically modified organisms (GMOs); biodiversity; whaling; sealing; the ivory trade; endangered species; health; garbage; uranium; grains; sugar; cotton; air pollution in megacities; soil erosion in developing countries; the timber industry; renewable energy; artificial intelligence. For further ideas, you can browse the Polity Series “Resources”; the journal Global Environmental Politics; and the journal Environmental Politics.

For your essay, try to develop a more intriguing and original argument by weaving in appropriate theories, analytical concepts, or themes from the course (e.g., shadows of consumption; eco-business; compromise of liberal environmentalism; civil society activism; transnational activist networks (TANs); norms and norm diffusion; ecomodernism; individualization of responsibility; environmentalism of the rich; corporatization of activism; eco-consumerism; environmental racism; ecological imperialism; environmental justice; brand-focused activism; slow violence; corporate social responsibility; city governance; the role of technology). You must include a 150-word abstract on the first page: use original wording in the abstract (i.e., do not cut-and-paste from the main text). You must provide a computer word count on your cover sheet. DO NOT include your footnotes, references, or abstract in the overall word count. (All references should be cited at least once; please be sure to fact-check and update all statistics you use in the essay.)

Please ensure that at least ten of your references in your bibliography are to academic books and journal articles (such as articles in the journals Global
Environmental Politics and Environmental Politics and books in the environmental politics series at MIT Press and Polity Press).

Writing the Essay
The main sections of the essay for this course are the abstract; title; introduction; body of the essay; conclusion; footnotes; references.
1. Abstract (maximum of 150 words, not included in your essay word count)
In original wording, this should summarize as succinctly as possible your central question, overarching argument, primary evidence, theoretical framing, methodology, and conclusions.
2. Title
You should provide an accurate, concise, yet interesting title. A good title can require great effort, so please work at it.
3. Introduction
The function of the introduction is to provide your reader with the necessary background for what is to follow. It states what you understand to be the most important aspect of the question and indicates how you are going to answer it. It is often useful to include a statement like “I argue that…” Make sure this statement explains your full argument. DO NOT leave the reader in suspense. Your goal is to convince the reader, so make sure the reader clearly understands from the start what you will argue. Give a clear, concise statement of the problem you are going to investigate; define the limits of the scope of your investigation; and, if you are dealing with terms that are ambiguous, define them clearly and concisely.
4. The Body of the Essay
The body of the essay should develop the argument logically. It is useful to think in terms of subsections. Subsection by subsection, point by point, you build your argument, presenting and assessing the evidence from research in the area. Keep your focus on the problem.
5. Conclusion
The conclusion should be precise and straightforward, tying together the various strands of your argument. Make sure your argument in the body of the essay supports your conclusions.
6. Referencing (not included in your word count) You must use FOOTNOTES in Chicago style (click for examples). In addition, at the end of the essay please include a list of references (in alphabetical order) in Chicago style (click for
examples).
7. Correction
Read over your final draft carefully – at least twice. Reading it out-loud can help pick up errors. Check that your argument is consistent. Correct spelling and grammatical errors meticulously.

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