Global Warming Investigation A Webquest Pat Riley

Confidential Memo

from; Campaign Director’s Office

to; Issues Desk 

We need a position paper for the candidate on “the greenhouse effect and global warming”. Since she is running for the U.S. Senate, she needs to be well-versed on this issue, which seems to lie at the intersection of energy policy and environmental policy. Where she stands on global warming may well determine where she stands on many crucial energy and environmental policy questions.

As we need answers to a number of specific questions, your group should divide up the different areas of concern, with each person doing the research on one or two sections, depending on the size of the group. After the research has been done, you should work as a group to decide upon a position to recommend to the candidate. You will put together a position paper. She will rely on this paper as she communicates with the voters and makes her decisions on legislative issues. The position paper should be concise (brief, yet comprehensive).

We need research done in the following six areas. Divide them up between you, do the research and answer the questions. Type up your answers in "word" documents, so that they can be pasted into one longer document. Graphs, pictures, diagrams, tables, etc. may be included.
 

General

Energy sources

Evidence

Skeptics

Effects

Future

After completing your research and putting it together into one document, you should get together as a group to discuss what you've learned. You will then decide upon answers to the Position  questions.

The candidate will rely on your research for her facts, and  your answers to these position questions to formulate her stance on this terribly important issue during her campaign, and hopefully during her tenure as a United States Senator. Thank you.

General; 

- What is the greenhouse effect and how does it work?

-Why is the term "greenhouse effect" used? Include a greenhouse effect graphic.
 

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Energy sources;

-Give a brief sketch of current and future reliance on fossil fuels for ourenergy needs.

- What energy sources does this country use for generation of electricity?

-Check trends in greenhouse gas emissions, which nation emits the most, per capita, and categorize the emissions by sectors. 
 

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Evidence;

-Is there evidence that the levels of CO₂ in the atmosphere has beenincreasing in recent years?

-Is there any scientific evidencein graphic form, that implies a link betweenrising levels of CO₂ and increasing   global temperatures?

- Is there any evidence that our local climate is getting warmer?

-What types of things do scientists study to plot climate changes overlong periods of time?

- How does deforestation contribute to the problem of increasing levels ofatmospheric CO₂?

-Give examples of several household items and give the annual amount of fuel used and CO₂ released; its role     in our “carbon diet”
 

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Skeptics;

-Some people don’t think global warming is happening. Please assess thisskeptical website How valid do you    think it is, and should any of this skepticism or doubt be worked into the candidate’s position?

-What does the petroleum industry say on the subject?

-What does the coal industry say on the subject of global warming?
 

Effects;

- Describe the predicted harmful effects of a human-induced increase in global temperatures.

-How vulnerable would Florida, Louisiana, Delaware Bay, and Mass., be topotential sea level rise?

-Have there been any "harbingers" of these predicted harmful consequencesof global warming?
 

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The future;

-Please list and describe the potential of some alternative energy sources. 

-How does nuclear power fit into this debate?

-What can be done about global warming by individuals, nations and governments?
 

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Position;

Is global warming happening? Are we causing it? Is the threat serious enough to worry about?

What type of action should be taken? What are the implications for our lifestyles and our economy? Are we ready to take the necessary steps?

In what direction do you, as a group, think the country should go? Basically, where should the candidate (and soon, hopefully, Senator) stand in the debate on global warming?
 

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Evaluation

The candidate's top advisors will assess your performance. We need a hard-working, diligent, and thoughtful campaign staff. If all goes well, that campaign staff will end up transitioning over to the Senator's Washington office staff. A great position paper for the candidate would be greatly appreciated, and it would look great on your résumé when the time comes. Here is the criteria by which your position paper will be judged.
 

	Tremendous	Useful	Decent	NeedsReworking
Comprehensive approach	All questions answered completely	All questions were answered	Most questions were answered	Seriously lacking
Information	Large amountof clearly presented information	Lots of useful information	Some useful information	Not enough usefulinformation
Written product presentation	Well organized, clear, easy to digest and use	Makes sense,useful	Can be deciphered, makes sense	Difficult tounderstand
Graphics	Many helpful pictures, graphs	Some useful pictures, graphs	A few useful pictures, graphs	No useful pictures, graphs
Original thoughton global warming	Integrated the collected facts, formed a well thought out, coherent, opinion	Got the big picture, came up with a well reasoned opinion	Shows an understanding of the problem	Misses the big picture
Suggested position for candidate on global warming	Well thought out, shows anunderstanding of the complexities of the issues.	Suggests a reasonable stance, looking at 2 sides of the issue	Suggests a simplistic approach to the problem	Doesn't suggest a reasonable position on the complex issue

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Credits;

pic sources;

earth; cnn.net, moving sun;glenburniesummer.com/ ,  greenhouse effect;www.greenhouse.gov.au/fuellabel/ images/greenhouse_effect.gi,drought; www.disasterrelief.org/Disasters/000321springdrought/, skeptics; www.astramate.com/ entrepreneurs.htm, storm surge; www.cnn.com/NATURE/9909/14/ storm.surge.explainer/,windmills;  www.pca.state.mn.us/publications/mnenvironment/winter2002/traffic; www.smarttrek.org/html/video.html, keeling curve; www.ldeo.columbia.edu/dees/ees/ life/lectures/lect05.html, temp graph; www.newscientist.com/.../climate/ img/climatetimeline.gif, scales; www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/ kidspage/scales.gif, eval; www.vw.vccs.edu/DLPoll/ evaluation-criteria1.jpg

Thanks to Don Langenhorst (yes, that's a Dutch name) for all he taught me and my classmates on those wednesday evenings.
 

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Curriculum Alignment;

This academic exercise encourages students to delve deeply into a very complex set of issues, and to use critical, higher-level thinking processes to formulate responses to it. It is intended for high school students. It is in line with many of the current Mass. Dept of Ed. curriculum frameworks  for Science and Technology for grades 9-12, in the Earth and Space Sciences, Life Sciences, Chemistry, and Physics strands.