Objective
The objective of this assignment is to conduct a critical analysis of Bjorn Lomborg’s 2001 article ‘The Truth About the Environment
Download The Truth About the Environment
’ in The Economist. Lomborg argues that the following comments are exaggerated and not supported by data:
“natural resources are running out”,
“the human population is ever growing, leaving less and less to eat”,
“species are becoming extinct…forests are disappearing, and fish stocks are collapsing”, and
“the planet’s air and water are becoming ever more polluted.”.
Your task is to critically review ONE of the following three counter-claims Lomborg makes in his article by finding evidence from credible sources that either support or refute it:
“Energy and other natural resources have become more abundant, not less so” (resources)
“More food is now produced per head of the world’s population than at any time in history; fewer people are starving” (food)
“Pollution is also exaggerated” (pollution)
Note that for this assignment, we do NOT consider the emissions of greenhouse gases as “pollution”. Hence, your discussion of this counter claim should focus on pollution (e.g., water, air, soil) and NOT climate change.
Student Learning Outcomes
Completing this assignment will help you develop the following skills:
Interpret and evaluate specific claims and counter-claims concerning global change;
Locate and employ internet and electronic journal research tools;
Distinguish between fact-based and opinion-based claims;
Discuss about the discriminate among reliable and less reliable information sources—peer reviewed, government, advocacy, popular, etc.;
Expose personal biases and assumptions linked to environmental issues and argumentation.
. Please note that you MUST use the template for the assignment. Familiarize yourself with the template, and add the necessary information on the title page: a) the counter-claim you are examining, b) your name, and c) your student ID.
Find three (3) credible sources with relevant information about your chosen counter-claim that help you understand whether Lomborg’s perspective is correct or not. Focus on academic journal articles or government reports.
Use the Word template to write your paper. Enter the required information under each of the provided subheadings. Use the instructions under each subheading as a guide for what you need to discuss. Do not change any formatting in the template except getting rid of the yellow highlighting and deleting the green text including this instruction page!
Remember to cite your sources correctly and add properly formatted references on the last page of the template under the ‘References’ heading. Use APA citation and reference format. See links in Canvas for additional information on APA reference formatting.
Determine the word count for the text you entered under each subheading and enter the combined word count for all your text sections on the title page of the template. Your paper has to be between 1150 and 1400 words long!
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