Multimedia Presentation: The Environment in the 21 st Century By PresenterMedia.comPresenterMedia.com

In this activity, students select an example of environmental change and use it to explore the relationship between environmental change and economic development. Students then present their findings in multimedia presentations. GLE: Identify how changes in the physical environment may reduce the capacity of the environment to support human activity. Explain how technology has expanded people’s capacity to modify the physical environment. Environment

Task: Creating a multimedia presentation on a major environmental change of the past 50 years and its relationship to economic development. Environment Activity Instructions Purpose: To help students appreciate the relationship between economic development and environmental change.

Instructions for Environment Activity 1. I will divide you into small groups and have each group select a subject to research. Examples include pollution of the oceans, global warming, threats to biodiversity, mutations or extinction of animal species, thinning of the ozone layer, and deforestation. 2. Each group will create a presentation that addresses the following: * background on the discovery of the environmental change * a brief discussion on the scientific basis of the change

Instructions Continued: the relationship, or theorized relationship, between the change and some aspect of economic development a description of conflicts between industry, environmental and community groups, national governments, and international bodies over the environmental change and agreements or proposals designed to address it

Instructions Continued 3. Each presentation should be well organized and should include text and images. 4. Once the class has viewed the presentations, we will hold a class discussion on the incentives and the obstacles to addressing environmental change.

Technology Tips 1. The United Nations offers information online about environmental issues, including global warming, and on international conventions, such as the Kyoto Protocol. 2. For links to environmental organizations, use the keyword “environmental conservation organizations.” 3. The World Trade Organization provides reports on recent and ongoing negotiations on global trade and the environment.

Enjoy and be creative!