Learning Goal: I’m working on a environmental science writing question and need the explanation and answer to help me learn.
Critical Thinking Paper #1: The Ecological Footprint
FORMAL PAPER: Worth 160 points (minimum ~1,250 words)
General Instructions: PLEASE read carefully. We will discuss it in class, too.
This assignment is designed to achieve four objectives (CLO 1-4): 1) locating and appropriately citing quality sources of information on environmental topics; 2) correct application of rhetorical or logical arguments using high quality evidence on environmental issues; 3) written synthesis of information from two or more sources, addressing contrary or multiples sides of an argument about an environmental issue; 4) and effectively showing how a main take home point is the logical conclusion for the essay based on evidence presented earlier in the piece in the context of the environment and sustainability.
This paper must be typed, using 10- or 12-point font, using APA citation style. Allowable font styles include Book Antiqua, Courier, Palatino, or Times New Roman. Your paper will be (minimum) 1,250 words in length and submitted via Canvas.
Maintain one-inch margins on the top, bottom, and both sides. Paragraphs will be indented five spaces. Give your paper an appropriate title and provide an extra space between the title and the body of your text. Number the pages. Include your name and the date. Spell-check your work and proof-read your paper after you spell-check to catch any style, syntax, or spelling errors. Canvas will check your paper for plagiarism with Turnitin.com. This essay is to be written in expository style, presenting well-organized facts and expert opinion, and then using that information to support your analysis. Attachment 1 gives an example of how this essay might be organized.
Plagiarism in this paper will result in NO CREDIT.
Specific Instructions
Content. This paper will address the question:
How can we reduce the global ecological footprint and our own contribution to that footprint?
Use information in your textbook, publication Ecological Footprint Accounting for Countries: Updates and Results of National Footprint Accounts, 2012-2018 (download free from , and one article from a peer-reviewed journal to write an essay that addresses these points:
- Define ecological footprint and discuss why this concept is important to sustainable living.
- What components go into the footprint calculation for a nation? Per capita, what is the range of national ecological footprints from the largest to the smallest? According to your research), what is the relationship of the entire human populations footprint to the earths ability to support us?
- Discuss the relative ecological impact of countries worldwide. In other words, which are the top five ranked total ecological footprint of countrys population footprint (global hectares)? Use this website:
- Find an article from the peer-reviewed literature that discusses the ecological footprint of a nation (other than the US) or a region of the world. The article could focus on one part of the footprint such as energy consumption, consumption of goods, or food production/ consumption. Briefly summarize what the author(s) were researching in their paper. How does their work help us understand the differences in peoples ecological footprint around the world? What can this nation/area do to reduce their footprint?
- Use yourself as an example of how someone in the US, a developed nation, could reduce his/her footprint. First, use the Ecological Footprint calculator at to calculate your own ecological footprint. What were your scores in the four categories: food, mobility, shelter, and goods/services? What was your total footprint and how many earths would be needed to support the worlds human population at your lifestyle? At the end of the quiz, click on What you can do: Individuals. What actions could you take to reduce your footprint?
- Based on your knowledge of this subject, which presents the biggest problem to reaching a sustainable human ecological footprint, human population growth in less developed countries or affluence in more developed countries? Can we shrink our ecological footprints while creating environmental benefits? What are examples of sustainable solutions for the future? (See and Explain your view, supporting your perspective with facts or expert opinion. Do not use inflammatory language. Be sure your argument is logical.
Use appropriate facts, data, and terminology in your paper. Be factual and do not give value judgments. Avoid redundancy or vague sentences. Be sure each sentence includes new data or ideas that move the discussion forward.
Avoiding Plagiarism. You must convey the information from the sources you use totally in your own words. This is paraphrasing. Be sure to always cite the source of your paraphrased information using in-text citations. If your paraphrase is close to the exact words used by another author or if, in fact, you use the exact words of an author without citing that author, then you are plagiarizing. Plagiarizing is a form of stealing and is a punishable offense at San Jose State University (included in syllabus). Changing one or a few words from another author is not paraphrasing; it is plagiarizing. Rephrase language that is close to another authors words. If you use an authors exact words you must quote those words and then cite the author.
Style, Construction, and Organization. This paper must exhibit good sentence construction, syntax, and punctuation. If you are unclear on what constitutes correct writing style, please consult the APA style manual, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association,
(see syllabus and lecture notes).
Here are a few important points on sentence construction:
- Every sentence must have a subject and verb. Do not submit incomplete sentences.
- Include only one or two ideas in a sentence. Avoid run-on sentences. If your sentence is too long, divide it into two.
- Each sentence must have a purpose and must advance the discussion.
- Use active verbs that require a subject be named. In other words, avoid the passive tense. An example of a passive sentence is, A pamphlet will be written. State who will do the writing to make this an active sentence, such as, The City Fire Department will write a pamphlet describing safe evacuation procedures. This new sentence also includes valuable explanatory information.
This paper must also exhibit good organization and paragraph construction. Each paragraph must communicate a complete idea with supporting information to clarify or support that idea. Each paragraph must advance the purpose of the paper in a logical fashion, until the title of the paper has been adequately addressed. Here are a few important points on paragraphs:
- Each paragraph must have a topic sentence that introduces the topic to be covered in the paragraph.
- The following sentences must provide data, arguments, or other information that support or elaborate on the paragraphs topic.
- The next paragraph must follow logically from the last and must begin with a transition that moves the reader from the last paragraph into the new one.
- The final paragraph should briefly summarize the material in the paper and smoothly close the topic.
