Unit 5 Issue Analysis • MHR 539biodiversity, soil erosion, accumulation of
hazardous wastes.
What are the main causes of this problem?
Are they generated from within your
own borders by your own citizens, or
are they the result of activities going on
in other countries? Is the problem due to
overpopulation (too many people
attempting to live on insufficient
resources), overconsumption (use of
excessive resources), or both?
What is the state of your country’s
population in terms of its growth rate and
quality of life for its citizens? Consider
such factors as food availability, average
income, income distribution (is wealth
concentrated by a few individuals or
evenly distributed), average life span,
infant mortality rate, and access to health
care. Is the future population of your
country predicted to grow, stabilize, or
decline?
What measures might solve the problem
or problems identified? Specifically,
examine existing or potential partnerships
with other countries. If you are
representing a less industrialized nation,
what sort of foreign aid might be useful?
Does Canada participate in projects in
your country, perhaps with funding from
the Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA), the International
Development Research Centre (IDRC), or
other bodies? If so, are these projects
successful in improving your country’s
quality of life? If you are representing a
more industrialized nation, does your
nation invest in foreign aid? Does your
country participate jointly with Canada in
any projects? If so, analyze the success of
those projects.2.When doing research on the major
environmental issue facing your country,
address the following points.
What is the science underlying the
environmental issue? Provide data on the
issue’s causes and effects.
Does population density contribute to the
issue? If so, in what way?
Does this particular environmental
problem reduce the carrying capacity of
your country for humans? If so, how?3.Consider the resources available to you. For
example, the Internet is an excellent source
of current information, and many Canadian
organizations (such as Pollution Probe) have
information available on certain topics.
Reports on CIDA and IDRC projects are often
available from libraries or obtained from
these organizations directly.4.As a group, write a detailed report that will
serve as a background document for your
presentation. Each group member should
focus on one of the four questions listed in
step 1, do the research, and write about that
topic. The entire group should discuss each
topic before writing begins and provide
feedback during the writing process.5.Prepare a presentation to summarize
your detailed report. The format of the
presentation can be in the form of a speech,
video, or drama.6.Make your presentation. Be prepared to field
questions from your classmates posing as
representatives from other countries at the
CSD meeting.Evaluate the Results
1.Compare the content of your presentation
with that presented by others. Do the
environmental issues described as being
important for other countries contribute to
the difficulties in your country? Do opinions
differ as to the cause of, or effective solution
for, certain issues? If so, explain the reasons
for these differences.2.Consider the issue of bias in your work, as
well as in the work of other groups. How
many sources of information were used? Did
any of them seem biased?3.Did any of the presentations make you
think about revising your own report or
presentation? Describe the changes you
might make and why you would make them.4.Did your work on this issue analysis help
you understand the information you learned
in this unit? Might you integrate your learning
into your lifestyle? Explain your answers.