Participation Expectations For each discussion activity, you are responsible for

WRITE MY ESSAY

Participation Expectations
For each discussion activity, you are responsible for posting at least one substantive initial response to the discussion questions posed, as well, as a reply to at least two other postings made by your classmates.
Your initial substantive posting should be a thoughtful reflection on at least one aspect of the discussion theme or question posed and can either initiate a line of discussion or be in response to someone else’s posting (i.e., adding your own perspective or additional research to it). Keep in mind that quality is better than quantity and “me too” and “I agree” type postings add little to the conversation. Your postings should demonstrate that you have read and thought about the course material. You are encouraged to reference your course textbook in your postings as well as other relevant outside literature.
¨After reading Seymour (2018) and watching the Amanda Gorman and Prof. Katharine Hayhoe Ted Talk videos, write an original post of 250-300 words that conveys your thoughts about the following question:
¨Given everything that you have learned in GEOG*3020DE, what approach would you take if you were speaking with a friend or relative who is skeptical of the science behind climate change and/or feels so overwhelmed that they choose not to read about or acknowledge it?
¨Be sure that your original post indicates which, if any, of the following tactics your approach would reflect: quoting science and social science research that documents climate change and its impacts, appeal to emotion, incorporate irony/satire/irreverence, express empathy and try to find common ground by drawing from your own observations and experiences.
¨Note: There is no single ‘right answer’ and the approach you describe need not reflect all of the tactics! The goal here is to generate discussion and share ideas about how best to engage in challenging conversations about climate change.
¨After you have made your original post, read some of the posts from your classmates and construct one reply post of 100-150 words that responds to one of your group-mate’s original posts. Your reply post should be written such that it does one or more of: identifies something that you find especially interesting or insightful about your classmate’s original post; poses an engaging and relevant question and/or builds on the ideas from your classmate’s original post; raises a real-life experience or observation that you feel would be relevant to illustrate or help further develop an idea or point in your classmate’s original post.
¨Please note that you will need to make an original post before you can read and respond to your peers’ posts
¨write in 310 words. follow proper guidelines as given in beginning. Use AP7 STYLE OWL PURDE. Provide reference.
Write in on own words.
¨Some points to keep in mind:
Be clear and to the point in your postings.
Edit your work. Your posts should be coherent and use proper grammar and spelling.
Keep postings to 250-300 words. Quality is better than quantity.
Contribute your own thoughts about the material you have read.
Support your thoughts by referencing the video and docx provided and other outside literature.
Raise additional questions or points of discussion to stimulate further discussion
If you have questions, show that you have already tried to find a solution.
Respect the viewpoints of your peers. Ask for clarification if you don’t understand a point. Assume good intentions.
Use the proper terminology introduced in the course readings.
When using literature in your postings, make sure to provide references in proper APA Style.
Show respect and sensitivity to peers’ gender, cultural and linguistic background, political, and religious beliefs.
You are strongly encouraged to take the time to review the following documents on writing quality discussion posting and on taking roles in discussions.
PREPARING TO WRITE
1. Read assigned material—critically—and take notes as you read: Who wrote this material (a respected expert? an activist with a specific aim or belief?) Do they have any possible biases? Are studies reliable and valid? (What kind of research was performed?) When was this material written? Are the definitions/conditions/opinions described still accur vant? ate/rele Is an opinion expressed? How might someone disagree? How does this material relate to other concepts and theories you are studying? (Remember, instructors choose readings with a plan in mind—try to imagine why they have assigned this reading) Does the article complement other things you have learned? Is it in opposition? 2. Read and understand the discussion question or topic provided by your instructor • What are you asked to do? (Formulate an opinion? Respond to a question? Explain a concept or theory?) • How are you asked to do this? What kind of information are you expected to include (e.g., supporting quotations or references, examples, etc.) Do you need to bring in outside research? 3. Sort out the finer details • Is there a word maximum? Minimum? (Most posts will be 1‐2 paragraphs maximum). • How many times are you expected to post? (Find out if you are required to post a certain number of times per question, per week, etc.) • How much of your grade is this component worth? Each post? Budget your time accordingly
Are you expected to respond to other students’ posts? What proportion of original posts versus responses are you asked to provide?
INITIAL POSTS – An initial post is a response to the original question presented by the course instructor, or the opening post on a particular topic (i.e., not responding to other students’ posts). Consider each post a “mini‐thesis,” in which you state a position and provide support for it. If you are responding to a question, be sure to 1. Take a position: Provide a clear answer to the question (incorporate some of the wording of the question in your answer if possible). 2. Offer a reasoned argument: Provide an explanation for your point of view, and use evidence from your text, notes, or outside research (where appropriate) to support your point. 3. Stay focused: End with a summary comment to explain the connection between your evidence and the question (how your evidence proves your point). Your post might also introduce a question or idea that others can follow up on. But make sure you have answered the question first!
Discusssion Marking rubric.
A+ Discussion Post A+
Original Initial Post
Original
Post
(8-10 points) Length guidelines met.
writing is clear and engaging; approach clearly described, including tactics it would reflect.
approach connected to/rationalized in terms of at least two ideas or pieces of inspiration from Prof.
Katharine Hayhoe and Amanda Gorman Ted Talk video.
Deliver information that is full of thought, insight, and analysis • make insightful connections to course content • make insightful connections to real-life situations • contain rich and fully developed new ideas, connections, or applications • contain no spelling errors and typos
Resources and link which has to be used thee are two pdf which have to be analsyed 1. watching the Amanda Gorman 2.3.
https://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_gorman_using_your…
4.https://www.ted.com/talks/katharine_hayhoe_the_mos…
TWO PDF NOW 1. Seymour 2018 pdf Pg No1-19
2. Seymour Reading 2018 Pg No 20-30
READING which also has to be used while answer to Given everything that you have learned in GEOG*3020DE, what approach would you take if you were speaking with a friend or relative who is skeptical of the science behind climate change and/or feels so overwhelmed that they choose not to read about or acknowledge it? analyse whole reading first and then answer reading is provided below name as Sustainable Development as a Response and Approach to Global Inequality and Rapid Environmental Change.
Sustainable Development as a Response and Approach to Global Inequality and Rapid Environmental Change
Week 6: Sustainable Development as a Response and Approach to Global Inequality and Rapid Environmental Change
This week focuses on sustainable development and international efforts to motivate, measure, and monitor progress towards improved social and environmental outcomes. Recall from Unit 01 that the international community has agreed to the idea of “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” for decades. How has this lofty goal been operationalized, and what are some strengths and weaknesses in the UN approach?
One common way that sustainable development has been understood and pursued since the late-1990’s is as a global agenda wherein goals are negotiated and ratified through UN processes and architectures and pursued through UN implementation agencies and approaches. A set of goals, called the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), were established in 2000 and pursued through to the end of 2015. A subsequent set of goals, called the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), were established in 2015 and will be under pursuit until 2030. The UN General Assembly formally enshrined the SDGs when it passed a resolution on the 25th of September, 2015. The second item in the Declaration states:
“On behalf of the peoples we serve, we have adopted a historic decision on a comprehensive, far-reaching and people-centred set of universal and transformative Goals and targets. We commit ourselves to working tirelessly for the full implementation of this Agenda by 2030. We recognize that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. We are committed to achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – in a balanced and integrated manner. We will also build upon the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals and seek to address their unfinished business.”If you would like to read the full resolution adopted by the General Assembly on Sept. 25, 2015, it is available on the United Nations website: Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Developmentopens in new window (note: this is an optional reading).
Required Reading
Before proceeding with this week’s content on CourseLink, make sure you have read the following resource(s):
Costanza, R., Hart, M., Kubiszewski, I., Posner, S., & Talberth, J. (2018). Lessons from the History of GDP in the Effort to Create Better Indicators of Prosperity, Well-being, and Happiness. In Routledge handbook of sustainability indicators (pp. 117-123). Routledge. [available on Ares]
A Brief History of the SDGs
Please watch the short video below of a lecture on the history of the SDGs by Dr. Jeffrey Sachs. Dr. Sachs is the Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at Columbia University in New York City and is also the President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. As you watch this video, note key historical moments and multilateral environmental agreements that we have covered in earlier parts of the course. Dr. Sachs concludes with a good suggestion to think about these as an “overarching framework of global cooperation” for sustainable development and to address global environmental change.
Direct Video Link: A Brief History of the SDGs opens a video in a new window (10:59)
The SDGs are Broad and Ambitious
Let’s start to get acquainted with the SDGs. You can browse the 17 Goalsopens in new window on the United Nations website. Once you are on the website, scroll over and click through the different goals, noting the diversity of issues they identify and seek to address. We see everything from poverty to hunger to gender equality to life below water to climate action.
The image below shows a visual of all 17 goals laid out together on the left, and then on the right, what we would see when we click on SDG #15, ‘Life on Land.’ Like all of the SDGs, #15 has specific text that articulates what the signatory country is committing to (i.e., the goal text): protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals with SDG #15, ‘Life on Land,’ highlighted.What to Monitor and Measure?
Setting broad and ambitious goals is important. However, there are two even more important things: i) that an agreed-upon blueprint is in place to inform how countries will monitor and measure progress towards goals, and ii) that countries commit to report systematically on progress within their borders. Targets and indicators are crucial and can be understood as the basic blueprint for global SDG monitoring and measurement.
To continue with our example, the image below shows a visual of all of the targets articulated underneath SDG #15. Do you notice more or less specificity when contrasted with the SDG #15 goal text?
opens PDF in new windowThe targets articulated underneath SDG #15. Click on the above image to access a PDF version of the image.Long DescriptionIndicators
Indicators are measures and/or indices used to draw comparison and inform specific types of conclusions. In the context of SDGs, they are used to know if/when a target has been met and to help keep track of progress towards each of the 17 goals. Each SDG target has one or more indicator that has also been agreed upon by all signatory countries. The image below continues our example by illustrating the indicators for Target 15.1, ‘Conserve and Restore Terrestrial and Freshwater Ecosystems.’
Indicators chosen for Target 15.1, ‘Conserve and Restore Terrestrial Ecosystems.’As the above image shows, there are two indicators for Target 15.1.
15.1.1 – Forest area as a proportion of total land area
15.1.2 – Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas, by ecosystem type
In a Nutshell: Goals, Targets, and Indicators
We have just seen that goals, targets, and indicators are interrelated; at the same time, it is important to note that they are each conceptually unique. The table below provides the key characteristics that you should use to understand and help distinguish between goals, targets, and indicators.
Characterizing Goals versus Targets versus IndicatorsGoalsTargetsIndicators
Coherent, motivational narrativeConsistent with existing international agreements and/or data collection frameworkStraightforward (i.e., simple to compile and interpret)
Widely (ideally, universally) applicableAnchored to a timeline and/or quantitative measure (i.e., action oriented)Possible to replicate from place to place
Relatable to high quality and consistently measured data Underpinned by internationally agreed upon data collection and analysis standards
Activity: SDG Targets and Indicators’ Discussion
According to the UN, there are a total of 169 SDG targets tracked by 232 unique indicators. Take a moment to look through the list: Global indicator framework for the Sustainable Development Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Developmentopens in new window. Then, head over to the Unit 02: SDG Targets and Indicators forum in the Discussions tool to make a post. In your post, answer these two questions:
Which SDG target do you find the most interesting and/or exciting?
Which SDG indicator do you think will be the most difficult for signatory countries to achieve?
Although this discussion activity will not be graded, you are encouraged to scroll through posts from other classmates to see what single target and indicator they have pulled out and start a conversation. To find the Unit 02: SDG Targets and Indicators forum, select Discussions from the Tools dropdown menu on the navbar.
Challenges and Pitfalls — Thinking Through This Week’s Reading
Goals, targets, and indicators are critical to the global sustainable development agenda as pursued through the UN. This week’s required reading, Lessons from the History of GDP in the Effort to Create Better Indicators of Prosperity, Well-being, and Happiness, helps in thinking through some challenges and pitfalls that emerge when trying to set global-scale goals, measure and monitor at the national scale, and in turn, attempt to make decisions based using that highly-structured information.
First, what we choose for targets and indicators matters a lot because these become deeply associated in the media and people’s minds with what progress is/what it looks like. In the case of GDP, there are growing questions and reservations about its narrowness as a target and problem as a stand-alone indicator for individual wealth and societal prosperity. The authors observe:
“Today, GDP in particular, and economic growth in general, is regularly referred to by leading economists, politicians, top-level decision-makers, and the media as though it represents overall progress.”
– Costanza et al., 2018, p. 119Moreover, if not chosen carefully, targets and indicators may give an inaccurate or incomplete picture of progress towards a goal or how outcomes are actually being experienced by people and the environment. On this point, the authors observe some shortcomings of GDP as an indicator:
“Because GDP measures only monetary transactions related to the production of goods and services, it is based on an incomplete picture of the system within which the human economy operates. As a result, GDP not only fails to measure key aspects of quality of life; in many ways, it encourages activities that are counter to long-term community well-being.”
– Costanza et al., 2018, p. 119Finally, it is important to remember that goals, especially at the global scale, will not encompass the outlooks and preferences of all (recall, for example, patterns of global inequality and the dynamics of climate justice covered in Unit 01). With respect to thinking through the GDP example, countries no longer design economic policy with maximizing GDP as the sole goal; it is often one among several.

WRITE MY ESSAY