Essay Assignment 2: Documented Argument in APA

Your argumentative essay will be on an environmental topic from the list of options below. Consider

your audience for this paper to be your peers. The essay should be between 3 1⁄2 and 4 pages (850 to

1,000 words) in length, not including the cover page, abstract, or reference page. It should be double

spaced in Times New Roman 12 point font and must include:

• An introduction, a minimum of 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion

• a clearly articulated thesis that states the claim, position, or stance that your essay will prove in

• the introduction to your paper

• 4 cited sources, at least 2 of these sources should come from the MDC databases

• At least 4 quotes from your sources

• Topic sentences that focus the discussion in the body paragraphs

• Examples, details, and explanations, and other researched evidence in the body paragraphs that

• clearly support the claim of your thesis

• Counterarguments and refutations that show you understand the complexity of your argument

• and can accurately acknowledge the views of the opposition and refute them

• Clear connections between ideas from paragraph to paragraph and within paragraphs

• (coherence)

• Proper APA style format in the cover page, in the abstract, in the in-text citations, and in the

• Reference page (see the template and instructional video for creating the APA format)

• Reference page listing a minimum of four sources

• Standard usage, grammar, and mechanics

• IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

•  You will submit your final draft through the Turn-it-in drop box designated for this purpose

in the course. Please be aware, that although Turn-it-in does allow for similarities for quotations

up to 24% of your paper, any similarity above 24% is considered too high for an original paper

and will be flagged as plagiarism.

•  You can get help with your paper at any of the campus writing centers, and you can also

receive online help via SmartThinking, the online tutoring service provided by the College. This

service is available by clicking on SmartThinking in the left-hand menu bar of the course under

Tools & Resources.

• Choose ONE of the following topics for your paper. Each topic provides an article you can read

to get started on your research.

1. Research alternative energy sources; then make an argument for the three most desirable ones

to introduce in South Florida. Here is a link with a list of renewable energy resources to get you

started: https://www.renewableresourcescoalition.org/alternative-energy-sources/.

2. Research the status of sea level rise in South Florida today and the ways in which it is being

addressed through State processes. Make an argument that the solutions today are or are not

sufficient. Here is a link to a web page that will help you get started with your

research:https://sealevelrise.org/states/florida/.

3. Research the effects of the environment on human health. Does the health of the environment

affect the health of the human beings within it? Make an argument that supports your answer.

Start your research by reading this article: https://orionmagazine.org/article/beyond-the-

patient/.

4. Should access to drinking water be privatized? Start your thinking about this topic by watching

5. this short video: https://storyofstuff.org/movies/the-story-of-water/.

6. Where does recycled plastic end up? What solutions to “plastic pollution” are most feasible?

7. Start your thinking on this topic by watching the videos on this page:

8. https://www.storyofplastic.org/watch.

9. How is biodiversity important to a thriving planet? What are the dangers of the high rate of

10. species extinction that the planet is facing? What are the proposed solutions to this problem

and how effective will they be? Start your research by reading this

article:https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/05/06/one-million-

species-face- extinction-un-panel-says-humans-will-suffer-

result/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.98fc33bfad58.

11. Are electric vehicles better for the environment? Start your research by reading this article

fromForbes magazine: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesellsmoor/2019/05/20/are-electric-

vehicles-really-better-for-the-environment/#5609f23876d2.

12. What are the effects of consumerism on the environment? What must be done to address the

problem? Start your research by reading this article from Science

Daily:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160224132923.htm.

13. The government makes the claim that using public transportation has positive effects on the

environment (See: https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-guidance/environmental-

programs/transit-environmental-sustainability/transit-role); however, in South Florida, efforts

to develop more efficient public transportation has been less than successful.

14. What are the environmental effects of our agricultural practices? What are some solutions to

these problems? Start your research by looking at this web page from the Institute on the

Environment at the University of Minnesota: http://www.environmentreports.com/how-does-

agriculture-change/#section2 and this article about the threat to food

resources:https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/world/climate-change-threatens-the-worlds-

food-supply- united-nations-warns/ar-AAFwd8r.

15. Overpopulation is among the top environmental problems facing the world today. What is the

connection between educating women and supporting family planning and reducing the risks of

overpopulation? Should educating women be a priority on the world stage? Start your research

by reading this editorial: https://www.wired.com/story/to-stop-climate-change-educate-girls-

and-give-them-birth-control/.

16. What are the effects of urban sprawl on the environment? Should the government institute

strong regulations to curb urban sprawl? Start your research by reading the information

here:http://www.everythingconnects.org/urban-sprawl.html.

17. What are the environmental effects of deforestation? What should be done to solve the

problem of deforestation. Start your research by reading this article from National

Geographic:https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation/.

18. How does our overreliance on fossil fuels damage the environment? What are the advantages of

ending our reliance on fossil fuels? Make a capitalist argument against the fossil fuel industry.

Start by reading the following opinion

article:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/16/capitalism-climate-change-

risks- profits-china.

15. Despite the disasters at the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear power plants, some still make the

argument that nuclear power is a more feasible alternative to fossil fuels than other alternative

energies. Make an argument for or against the feasibility of nuclear power. Here are the arguments

made by the World Nuclear Association: http://www.world-nuclear.org/information- library/current-

and-future-generation/the-nuclear-debate.aspx.

Here are some general websites that might provide some useful data for your research:

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Laws and Regulations: https://www.epa.gov/laws-

regulations.

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Data: https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-

materials-waste-and-recycling.

• World Bank Data: https://data.worldbank.org/topic/environment.

• United Nations Environment Program: https://www.unenvironment.org/regions/north-america.

• 350.org: https://350.org/science/.

• NASA on climate change: https://climate.nasa.gov/.

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): https://www.ipcc.ch/about/.