This assignment is based primarily on “Changing Climate” (Science News, April 16, 2016) and Al Gore’s 2016 TED talk about climate (link below). You’re also welcome to reference lecture materials and Gore’s 2007 TED talk for background. Similar to most other homework assignments, this one is a 2-pager (i.e., 500-750 words).
In 2006, Al Gore and others produced the film An Inconvenient Truth. The Science News article looks at several key issues and how they have progressed over the ensuing 10 years. Near the beginning of the article we read “Some of the bold forecasts of the 2006 movie are holding, and others are on an accelerated track.” The article reviews several areas of concern (I’ve modified these a bit): 1) hurricanes; 2) ocean circulation; 3) drought, agriculture and conflict; 4) Arctic ice and Antarctic ice sheet; 5) sea level rise; and 6) extreme temperatures.
Prompt: Discuss any 2 of the above topics with regard to all of the following: a) historical change (up to 2006); b) recent change (2006 to 2016); c) predicted change during the next 50-100 years; and d) local and global actions that could mitigate or lessen impacts to the affected areas. Be sure to make reference to additional information gleaned from Gore’s 2016 TED talk.
(Required) Al Gore: The Case for Optimism on Climate Change (TED, February 2016) https://youtu.be/u7E1v24Dllk
(Background; seen in class on 3/27/19) Al Gore: Averting the Climate Crisis (TED, January 2007) https://youtu.be/rDiGYuQicpA