Tying a Local Environmental Issue to Human Drivers of Environmental Change

We live in a complex world and deal with a variety of environmental problems.  Being able to create concise summary papers on environmental issues is an important skill. Summary papers provide relevant information about environmental issues, how the issues were created, and ramifications of the issues. 

As we have learned, human activity is the driving force behind environmental change today.  

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For this course, you are asked to prepare a summary paper on a local environmental issue, tying it to the human drivers responsible for the underlying environmental changes and ramifications of the issue you summarized.   

 Please write a concise summary paper addressing the following:  

  • Briefly describe the environmental issue and its history (10 points). 
  • Identify two to three major stakeholders, such as local residents and groups interested in the issue, and briefly describe the problem from the perspective of one of the stakeholders (15 points). 
  • Identify major environmental and human health concerns related to this issue (15 points). 
  • Discuss how the issue is tied to each of the human drivers of change we learned about:  

    human population growth and consumption (10 points); 
    energy use (10 points); and 
    land use (10 points). 

  • Briefly discuss the ramifications of not addressing this problem (10 points). 

Each section of your paper should be clearly and concisely written and based on supporting evidence and scientific principles. In addition, you will also be assessed on the following: 

  • Writing style (10 points): Your paper should be written in your own words, with no grammar or spelling errors. You should use of topic sentences for each section and have clear transitions between sections.  
  • References and citation (10 points): You should use reliable sources, include in-text citations where necessary, and create a references list in APA format. 

The summary paper assignment is worth 15 percent of your overall grade

2/25/21,9:17 PMWeek 7: Learning Activities – ENVM 600 9041 Fundamentals of Environmental Systems (2212)

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Week 7: Learning

Ac!vi!es

Group Discussions Here!
Discussion Forum

ENVM 600 904… Kelvin Rodriguez

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33.33 % 1 of 3 topics complete

Please take a look at this document, which explains why we are using

group discussions:

ENVM600-GroupDiscussionExplana!on

You have each been assigned to a group. The members of your group are

the only students who have access to your group discussion area. This is

where you will discuss the weekly topics as a group. If you are the first

person to post each week, please post the discussion topic for that week

to start the discussions off!

Here is how your group discussions will work:

Your instructor will create groups of about five students.

Each student volunteers to summarize the group’s discussion for one week

within the grading period.

The group discussion in the group area should occur between Wednesday

and

Sunday each week. (There can be some flexibility a#er the first four weeks as

you integrate class work with all other aspects of life.)

Comple!ng the group discussion by Sunday allows the student who will be

crea!ng the summary !me to summarize the group’s discussion and post

the

summary in the classroom by the end of the day on Tuesday. Note that in this

first course in the master’s program, we have integrated an Effec!ve Wri!ng

Center tutor into this class to help students write effec!ve summaries. Please

find direc!ons for how best to make use of this tutor in Course Content.

Overview

Bookmarks

3Course Schedule

59Table of Contents

Syllabus

Ask Your Professor

Course Introduc!on

Effec!ve Wri!ng Center

Support

Week 1: Introduc!on to

Environmental Systems

Week 2: Origin of Life

and Evolu!on of the

Earth’s Systems

Week 3:

Anthroposphere:

Humans as Key Drivers

of

Environmental

Change

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Week 7 Discussion
Discussion Topic

Summary Paper Assignment
Assignment

Due March 2 at 11:59 PM

Grading occurs for group discussions at the end of Week 4, Week 8, and

Week 12.

For groups of five, there will be one week in which two students will do

separate summaries for the same discussions. Please take a close look at the

group discussion grading rubric, as each of you will be individually graded

every four weeks.

For more detailed explana!ons on group discussions and the grading

rubric, please see the a$ached document.

A recurring theme throughout this course is the interconnec!on

between the different environmental systems. How is the atmosphere

connected to the hydrosphere? To the lithosphere? Here it is useful to

review the group summaries from the previous two weeks.

Once again, think back to the human drivers of environmental change

you learned about, and consider now how these—human

popula!on

growth and consump!on, energy use, and land use—affect the

atmosphere. Help each other make connec!ons and ask cri!cal

ques!ons. This will help you as you finalize your summary paper.

Summary Paper Assignment: Tying a Local Environmental Issue to

Human Drivers of Environmental Change

We live in a complex world and deal with a variety of

environmental

problems. Being able to create concise summary papers on

environmental issues is an important skill. Summary papers provide

relevant informa!on about environmental issues, how the issues were

created, and ramifica!ons of the issues.

As we have learned, human ac!vity is the driving force behind

environmental change today.

For this course, you are asked to prepare a summary paper on a local

environmental issue, tying it to the human drivers responsible for the

underlying environmental changes and ramifica!ons of the issue you

Week 4: The Biosphere

in the Global Earth

System

Week 5: The

Lithosphere in the

Global Earth System

Week 6: The

Hydrosphere in the

Global Earth System

3Week 7: The

Atmosphere in the

Global Earth System

Week 7: Learning

Resources

2Week 7: Learning

Ac!vi!es

9Week 8: Pollu!on:

Natural and Man-Made

Changes to the Earth

System (Part 1)

7Week 9: Pollu!on:

Natural and Man-Made
Changes to the Earth

System (Part 2)

11Week 10: Global

Changes in the

Anthropocene

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summarized.

Please write a concise summary paper addressing the following:

Briefly describe the environmental issue and its history (10

points).

Iden!fy two to three major stakeholders, such as local residents

and groups interested in the issue, and briefly describe the

problem from the perspec!ve of one of the stakeholders (15

points).

Iden!fy major environmental and human health concerns related

to this issue (15 points).

Discuss how the issue is !ed to each of the human drivers of

change we learned about:

human popula!on growth and consump!on (10 points);

energy use (10 points); and

land use

(10 points).

Briefly discuss the ramifica!ons of not addressing this problem

(10 points).

Each sec!on of your paper should be clearly and concisely wri$en and

based on suppor!ng evidence and scien!fic principles. In addi!on, you

will also be assessed on the following:

Wri!ng style (10 points): Your paper should be wri$en in your

own words, with no grammar or spelling errors. You should use of

topic sentences for each sec!on and have clear transi!ons

between sec!ons.

References and cita!on (10 points): You should use reliable

sources, include in-text cita!ons where necessary, and create a

references list in APA

format.

The summary paper assignment is worth 15 percent of your overall

grade.

Summary Paper Grading Rubric

Criteria

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2

Level 1

Criterion 1 –

Descrip!on

and History of

10 points

8 points

5 points

2 points

15Week 11:

Addressing

Changes with

Environmental

Management Systems,

Pollu!on Preven!on,

and Waste

Management

7Week 12: Conclusion

and Moving Forward

7APA and Other Helpful

Resources

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the
Environmental

Issue

(10 points

possible)

Provides a

clear, concise,

and

accurate

descrip!on of

the
environmental

issue and its

history based

on

evidence.

(8.1-10

points)

Provides a
descrip!on of
the
environmental
issue and its

history that

lacks clarity

and/or

contains a

minor

science/logic

error, and/or

is only partly

based on

evidence.

(5.1-8 points)

Provides a
descrip!on of
the
environmental
issue and its

history

that is

incomplete

and/or

contains

some

science/logic

errors and/or

is weakly

based on

evidence.

(2.1-5 points)

Does not

provide a

descrip!on of
the
environmental
issue and its

history,

and/or

contains m

any

science/logic

errors or is

not based on

evidence.

(0-2 points)

Criterion 2 –

Major

Stakeholders

and Their

Perspec!ves

(15 points

possible)

1

5 points

Iden!fies

two-to-three

major

stakeholders

and

provides

a clear,

concise, and

accurate
descrip!on of

one

stakeholder’s

perspec!ve

based on

evidence.

(12.1-15

points)

12 points

Iden!fies two

major
stakeholders
and provides

a descrip!on

of one

stakeholder’s
perspec!ve

that lacks

clarity, and/or

contains a
minor
science/logic
error, and/or

is par!ally

based on
evidence.

(8.1-12

points)

8 points

Iden!fies one

major

stakeholder

and provides
a descrip!on
of one
stakeholder’s
perspec!ve
that is

incomplete,

and/or
contains some
science/logic

errors, and/or

is weakly
based on
evidence.

(4.1-8 points)

4 points

Does not

iden!fy any

major
stakeholders

and/or does

not describe a

stakeholder’s

perspec!ve,

and/or

contains

several major

science/logic
errors or is
not based on
evidence.

(0-4 points)

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Criterion 3 –

Environmental

and

Human

Health

Concerns

(15 points
possible)
15 points

Provides a
clear, concise,

and accurate

descrip!on of
environmental

and

human

health

concerns

based on
evidence.
(12.1-15
points)
12 points

Provides a
descrip!on of
environmental
and human
health

concerns that

lacks clarity
and/or
contains a
minor
science/logic
error, and/or
is only partly
based on
evidence.
(8.1-12
points)
8 points

Provides a
descrip!on of
environmental
and human
health
concerns that

is incomplete

and/or
contains some
science/logic
errors and/or
is weakly
based on
evidence.
(4.1-8 points)
4 points

Does not
provide a
descrip!on of
environmental
and human
health

concerns,

and/or
contains many
science/logic
errors or is
not based on
evidence.

(0-4 points)

Criterion 4 –

Connec!on to

Human

Popula!on

Growth and

Consump!on

(10 points
possible)

1

0 points

Provides a
clear, concise,
and accurate

connec!on of

the
environmental

issue to

human
popula!on

growth and

consump!on

based on
evidence.
(8.1-10
points)
8 points

Provides a
connec!on of
the
environmental
issue to
human
popula!on
growth and
consump!on
that lacks

clarity and/or

contains a
minor
science/logic
error, and/or
is only partly
based on
5 points

Provides a
connec!on of
the
environmental
issue to
human
popula!on
growth and
consump!on
that is
incomplete
and/or
contains some
science/logic
errors and/or
is weakly
based on
2 points

Does not
provide a

connec!on to

human
popula!on
growth and

consump!on,

and/or
contains many
science/logic
errors or is
not based on
evidence.

(0-2 points)

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evidence.

(5.1-8

points)

evidence.
(2.1-5 points)

Criterion 5 –

Connec!on to

Energy Use

(10 points
possible)
10 points

Provides a
clear, concise,
and accurate
connec!on of
the
environmental
issue to

energy use

based on
evidence.
(8.1-10
points)

8 points

Provides a
connec!on of
the
environmental
issue to
energy use
that lacks
clarity and/or
contains a
minor
science/logic
error, and/or
is only partly
based on
evidence.
(5.1-8
points)
5 points

Provides a
connec!on of
the
environmental
issue to
energy use
that is
incomplete
and/or
contains some
science/logic
errors and/or
is weakly
based on
evidence.
(2.1-5 points)
2 points

Does not
provide a
connec!on to

energy use,

and/or
contains many
science/logic
errors or is
not based on
evidence.
(0-2 points)

Criterion 6 –

Connec!on to

Land Use

(10 points
possible)
10 points

Provides a
clear, concise,
and accurate
connec!on of
the
environmental

issue to land

use based on

evidence.
(8.1-10
8 points

Provides a
connec!on of
the
environmental
issue to land

use that lacks

clarity and/or
contains a
minor
science/logic
error, and/or
5 points

Provides a
connec!on of
the
environmental
issue to land

use that is

incomplete
and/or
contains some
science/logic
errors and/or
2 points

Does not
provide a
connec!on to

land use,

and/or
contains many
science/logic
errors or is
not based on
evidence.

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points)

is only partly
based on
evidence.
(5.1-8
points)
is weakly
based on
evidence.
(2.1-5 points)
(0-2 points)

Criterion 7 –

Ramifica!ons

of Not

Addressing

the Issue

(10 points
possible)
10 points

Provides a
clear, concise,
and accurate

discussion of

the

ramifica!ons

of not

addressing

the problem

based on

evidence and

logic.

(8.1-10
points)

8 points

Provides a
discussion of
the
ramifica!ons
of not
addressing
the problem
that lacks
clarity and/or
contains a
minor
science/logic
error, and/or
is only partly
based on
evidence and
logic.
(5.1-8
points)
5 points

Provides a
discussion of
the
ramifica!ons
of not
addressing
the problem
that is
incomplete
and/or
contains some
science/logic
errors and/or
is weakly
based on
evidence and

logic.

(2.1-5 points)
2 points

Does not
provide a
discussion of
the

ramifica!ons,

and/or
contains many
science/logic
errors or is
not based on
evidence and
logic.
(0-2 points)

Criterion 8 –

Wri!ng Style

(10 points
possible)
10 points

Contains no

gramma!cal

and spelling

errors,

provides clear

topic

sentences and

good

8 points

Contains

minor spelling

and
gramma!cal

errors, lacks

some

transi!ons,

and/or

5 points

Contains

distrac!ng

errors in

grammar and

spelling,

provides

weak topic

sentences

2 points

Contains

mul!ple

distrac!ng

spelling and

gramma!cal
errors, and/or

does not

provide topic

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transi!ons,

and is

wri$en in

student’s own

words with

less

than 10

percent direct

quotes.

(8.1-10
points)

contains more

than 10
percent direct
quotes.
(5.1-8 points)

and/or lacks

transi!ons,

and/or

contains more

than 30

percent direct

quotes.

(2.1-5 points)
sentences and
transi!ons,
and/or
contains more

than 50

percent direct
quotes.
(0-2 points)

Criterion 9 –

References

(10 points
possible)
10 points

Lists all

references at

the end,

includes in-

text

cita!ons,

and uses

correct APA

format.

(7.1-10

points)

7 points

Misses one

reference or

some

in-text

cita!ons,

and/or has

minor

problems with

APA format.

(4.1-7

points)
4 points

Misses

several

references

and/or does

not include

in-text
cita!ons,
and/or has
major
problems with
APA format.

(0.1-4

points)
0 points

Does not cite

any

references.

(0 points)

Overall Score Level 4

85 or more

Level 3

7

0 or more

Level 2

50 or more

Level 1
0 or more

Week 1 Summary

During this week’s group discussion, we reviewed a few pronounced topics from the learning resources, including Anthropocene, global bio-spheric feedback loop, environmental equity, public involvement in environmental management, and applying interdisciplinary studies in the environmental field. We found Anthropocene noteworthy to create a good running dialogue throughout our discussion.

As we start to get involved in our week’s summary, one student mentioned a great example of Anthropocene in New York City’s Hudson River. General Electric polluted the river for 30 years tracing back to 1944 and was one of the most expensive environmental remediation due to an abundance of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) discharge into the river with an estimated discharge of 500K – 1.5M pounds of PCB (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2016). This was considered a significant human impact on the local area and the ecosystems.

Another topic we also discussed in our group was about environmental equity highlighted by another student. We agreed that people of color, developing countries, and low-income communities are experiencing environmental injustice. We came to a conclusion that that most industrialized countries are the ones who emit the majority of greenhouse gases.

Then, students chose to discuss the importance of public involvement because is the most powerful form of exposure to show stakeholders or lawmakers what the community is voicing. However, public involvement often addresses major disasters in environmental issues. The professor charged us to find some examples where public involvement helped address an environmental disaster. We immediately found; Exxon-Valdez, Three Mile Island, UN Istanbul Declaration, and Habitat Agenda to name a few.

Finally, we discussed how applying interdisciplinary studies in the environmental field has many benefits. Having a broader connection with other science background will give scientist a better understanding of various factors that affect the environment.

Reference

US EPA (2016). Hudson River PCBs – Background and Site Information. Retrieved from https://www3.epa.gov/hudson/background.htm.

Week 5 Summary

This week we learnt about the lithosphere and the rocks and mineral which creates essential resources to humans. We also studied the process of the rock cycle, soils and subsurface, and characteristics of minerals. Furthermore, we were all charged with a few questions to link the biogeochemical cycles to the lithosphere and the benefits (indirect and indirect) we obtain from it. In addition to that, Nightowl 3 collaborated and identified the importance of minerals and everyday usage.

One of our classmates, pointed out the importance of minerals, more specifically, ore and identified everyday usage in human lifestyles. This mineral gets mined, transported, crushed, processed, then finally converted to a pure copper state called cathodes (University of Arizona Superfund Research Center, 2020). One student introduced the importance of soil to the discussion and the nutrient cycle for plants and animals. He solidified his feedback by tying the quality of the soil to the benefits of this mineral for basic human fundamental needed to survive by the underlying nutrients like sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Later the professor introduced the five characteristics of minerals to our discussion and asked why some natural resources are not considered as minerals. Our group hinted that rocks are natural resources composed of various minerals and metals formed by natural processes/forces by non-living organisms (UMGC, 2021). Another student said it best, “a mineral that is essential to everyone’s life right now is cobalt because it is highly used in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that powers smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles (Frankel, 2016).”

Reference

Franklel, T. (2016, September 30). This is where your smartphone battery begins.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/congo-cobalt-mining-for-lithium-ion-battery/

University of Arizona Superfund Research Center. (2020, July 24). Copper Mining and Processing: Processing Copper Ores. Superfund Research Center.

https://superfund.arizona.edu/resources/learning-modules-english/copper-mining-and-processing/processing-copper-ores

University of Maryland Global Campus. (2021). Learning Topic 2: Rocks and Mineral Resources. Document posted in UMGC ENVM 600 9041 Online Classroom. Retrieved from

https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/548069/viewContent/21207661/View

Learning

Resources

reintroduced us to many key concepts in Biology, Chemistry,

Physics, and more. This interdisciplinary approach is a hallmark of Environmental Studies because

it is when we move toward systems thinking, we truly start to understand how to manipulate our

surroundings into producing the yields and results we wish to see or obtain. This necessity to

combine fields of study and learn from each other was highlighted by group member Wesley Myrer,

as well as supported in the reading by P. D. Tortell in the Earth 2020 article, which stated that “by

embracing the disruptive power of the creative and performing arts, science can reach new

audiences, engaging both rationally and emotionally to move beyond paralyzing anxiety, bringing

new perspectives to long-standing questions” (Tortell, 2020, p. 8690).

Transcending simply involving various fields of study in the discussion, I chose to highlight

issues surrounding environmental justice and equity, wherein the need is not simply to bring

representatives of privilege from the varying fields into the work, but also the imperative to bring in

historically marginalized peoples and their experience. We can see that when we recognize

indigenous land use practices, as well as the realities of colonialism and disproportionate resource

use, the only sustainable way forward is to look into policies that acknowledge and reflect this

appropriately. The Montreal Protocol, for example, was the success that it was because it

“recognized the unequal burdens of responsibility between industrialized and developing

countries” and through this equitable approach to a shared goal, every nation on Earth ratified it

(Tortell, 2020).

One Student addressed both the US’s history utilizing Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane

(DDT), as well as it’s ongoing efforts at remediating the damage being done by polychlorinated

biphenyls (PCBs), as exemplified in the Hudson River in New York (US EPA, 2016). He wondered

what we saw as defining the “Anthropocene,” to which I purported land use and plastics playing a

major role, as well as quoting Tortell in that “the accumulation of these wastes, on land, in water

and in the sky, is the most visible manifestation of the human impact on planet Earth; it is, perhaps,

the defining geological signature of the Anthropocene” (Tortell, 2020, p. 8689).

Our discussion further included the failures and learning opportunities provided by the

Biosphere 2 project from the early 1990s. Another student introduced us to this attempt to create

a pseudo-Earth completely sustainable within its confines with eight human participants. The

experiment encountered several issues, some such as “irrational antagonism” – which is harder to

solve due to the human aspect – and drops in oxygen levels – which are easier to solve with evolving

scientific innovation (Nelson, 2018). I suggested that since most of the oxygen on Earth is produced

through plankton in the ocean that perhaps this could be something that could be incorporated into

the Biosphere ecosystem for a more successful trial.

Resources

Nelson, M. (2018). Biosphere 2: What Really Happened? Dartmouth Alumni Magazine.

https://dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/articles/biosphere-2-what-really-happened

Tortell, P. D. (2020). Earth 2020: Science, society, and sustainability in the Anthropocene.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(16), 8683–8691.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2001919117

US EPA (2016). Hudson River PCBs | Region 2 | US EPA. Hudson River PCBs.

https://www3.epa.gov/hudson/just_facts_08_04.htm#:%7E:text=For%2030%20years%20

ending%20in,remain%20in%20the%20river%20sediment.

Our group discussion began with laying out the fundamentals of the lithosphere, the

use and consumption of minerals by humans, and the challenges faced by humanity in

preserving the environment, while still meeting our current and projected demand. The

lithosphere is known to contain three types of rock: igneous (e.g., granite), metamorphic

(e.g., marble), and sedimentary (e.g., sandstone) (University of Maryland Global Campus,

2021). Rocks, minerals, and soil resources are important because of their inclusion in

everything from cell phones to airplanes, and as Altaner (2018) states “In 2010, the

average person in the U.S. consumed more than 16,000 pounds of mineral resources.” This

rate of consumption is particularly concerning with the growing world population,

economic growth, and the nonrenewable nature of mineral resources. It was further

clarified that it is not solely the depletion of a mineral that causes a deficit in the supply, but

also the cost prohibitive nature of some of the necessary mining and refining. Striving to

overcome this challenge, however, does propel some scientific innovation, with one such

example being increased data collection on the correlation between varying thicknesses of

the lithosphere and metal deposits (Kwon, 2020).

Spurred deeper into this discussion by Professor, both copper and cobalt

were examined in a much more detailed way. Copper was identified as an affordable

electric conductor found in many household items, e.g., refrigerators, microwaves,

dishwashers, electric kettles, hot water heater liners, and more (Iprima, 2017). When it

comes to processing copper, it “begins with mining of the ore (less than 1% copper) and

ends with sheets of 99.99% pure copper called cathodes” (University of Arizona Superfund

Research Center, 2020). Copper is usually mined utilizing open-pit mining, which can cause

“land degradation, noise, dust, poisonous gases, pollution of water, etc.” (Monjezi et al,

2008). The demand for copper in the market is increasing faster than supply, and this

imbalance is set to create deficits as soon as within this current decade (Woodall, 2020).

Cobalt, on the other hand, was touted for its use in “rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles” (Frankel, 2016). Particularly disturbing

was the environmental justice concerns of 60% of the world’s cobalt being mined in the

Congo, where the product is almost entirely exported, but the environmental damage and

health effects remain local and extreme, e.g., bioaccumulation of toxic metals in the food

supply, increased infant mortality/ severe birth defects, etc. (Frankel, 2016). With up to

roughly twenty pounds of cobalt being used in each new smart car, the Congo will continue

to face increased habitat destruction, species loss, and human health crises related to

cobalt mining.

Broadening the conversation back out, we discussed various ecosystem services

from soil, e.g., flood control, water purification, agricultural production, recreation, etc.

(Greiner et al, 2017). Soil’s function and benefits are both essential and multifunctional,

comprising both organic and inorganic components, wherein “there are more living

individual organisms in a tablespoon of soil than there are people on the earth” (Soil

Science Society of America, 201

3

). We did, however, make sure to clarify that coal and oil

are not classified as minerals due to their organic origin, as well as oil’s liquid state at room

temperature (National Park Service, 2019). This remains scientifically accurate, even if, as

Professor Haedtke pointed out, coal and oil may be included in “mineral rights” when

dealing with legislation.

Our weekly discussion concluded by analyzing the quote from President Franklin D.

Roosevelt that stated ” A nation that destroys its soils, destroys itself ,” wherein the very soil

we walk upon beneath our feet plays a role in holding our society and prosperity together.

This quote was in direct reference to the environmental disaster that was the Dust Bowl of

the 1930s, where such “poor land management and a severe drought, [literally led to] the

topsoil [being] blown away” (Britannica, 2020). A nation’s soil is a resource that needs to

be respected for the services it provides, both known and to be determined. This tenet will

continue to be evident as increased migration occurs from areas or nations where the soil

has been mismanaged or where anthropogenic climate change has altered soil

characteristics in such a way that they are no longer suitable to previous necessary

functions.

References

Altaner, S. (2018). Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation: 7.6 Mineral Resources:

Formation, Mining, Environmental Impact. OpenStax CNX.

https://cnx.org/contents/F0Hv_Zza@45.1:SF-mRhQa@5/Mineral-Resources-Form

ation-Mining-Environmental-Impact

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2020, April 2). Dust Bowl. Encyclopedia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Dust-Bowl

Frankel, T. (2016). This Is Where Your Smartphone Battery Begins . Washington Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/congo-cobalt-mini

ng-for-lithium-ion-battery/

Greiner, L., Keller, A., Grêt-Regamey, A., & Papritz, A. (2017). Soil Function Assessment:

Review Of Methods For Quantifying The Contributions Of Soils To Ecosystem Services.

Land Use Policy, 69, 224–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.06.025

Iprima. (2017, November 2). Important Uses of Copper in Our Every Day Lives . AMS Metal.

https://www.amsmetal.com.my/uses-of-copper-in-our-every-day-lives/

Kwon, K. (2020, October 1). Science Pinpoints Global Metal Deposit Locations. Scientific

American.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/science-pinpoints-global-metal-deposi

t-locations/?error=cookies_not_supported&code=016029c7-b533-4af6-b3c9-54b32

bbfe99c

Monjezi, M., Shahriar, K., Dehghani, H., & Samimi Namin, F. (2008). Environmental impact

assessment of open pit mining in Iran . Environmental Geology, 58(1), 205–216.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1509-4

National Park Service [NPS]. (2019, April 25). Minerals.

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/minerals.htm

Soil Science Society of America. (2013). Why is Soil Important?

https://www.soils.org/files/science-policy/sssa-marketing-2013

University of Arizona Superfund Research Center. (2020, July 24). Copper Mining and

Processing: Processing Copper Ores. Superfund Research Center.

3

https://superfund.arizona.edu/resources/learning-modules-english/copper-mining

-and-processing/processing-copper-ores

University of Maryland Global Campus. (2021). Learning Topic 2: Rocks and Mineral

Resources. Document posted in UMGC ENVM 600 9041 online classroom, archived at

https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/548069/viewContent/21207661/View

Woodall, T. (2020). Copper Supply Faces Struggle To Keep Up With Growing Demand. S&P

Global Market Intelligence.

https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-head

lines/copper-supply-faces-struggle-to-keep-up-with-growing-demand-60471925#:

%7E:text=Fitch%20Solutions%20expects%20the%20copper,to%20510%2C000%

20tonnes%20in%202027 .

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