Summer 2013

ENVIRONMENT

RESEARCH AND REVIEW

Air Pollution | a2bitnickel

1

Research and Review

Before you start each story do some research.
Where should you look? ~
The title helps you find the ideas. In this title we find three (3) words
that will help us.
The url is http://www.globalissues.org/news/2012/09/25/14887
Air Pollution ~ Planet ~ Cool
Now go find some information about air pollution
to answer these three questions
Find some ideas like ~
What are three things that cause air pollution?
1. ___________________________________
2. ___________________________________
3. ___________________________________
Why do they cause pollution?
1. ___________________________________
2. ___________________________________
3. ___________________________________
What solutions can you find to stop air pollution?
1. ___________________________________
2. ___________________________________
3. ___________________________________
Discuss this when you get to class.
~2~

Topic ~ Air Pollution 5x5

Step 1 ~~ Think about 5 different ideas that tell about air pollution.
Look at your research to help you.
1.___Causes ________
2._________________
3._________________
4._________________
5._________________

Step 2 ~~ Make 5 questions about each idea.

There is one example for you.
1.___Causes ________
i)
What is the biggest cause of air pollution?
ii) Which country makes the most air pollution?
iii) Why does it cause air pollution?
iv) Who does air pollution hurt the most?
v)
What time of year is the worst time for air pollution?

~3~

2._________________
i)

_______________________________________________

ii)

_______________________________________________

iii)

_______________________________________________

iv)

_______________________________________________

v)

_______________________________________________

3._________________
i)

_______________________________________________

ii)

_______________________________________________

iii)

_______________________________________________

iv)

_______________________________________________

v)

_______________________________________________

4._________________
i)

_______________________________________________

ii)

_______________________________________________

iii)

_______________________________________________

iv)

_______________________________________________

v)

_______________________________________________

~4~

5._________________
i)

_______________________________________________

ii)

_______________________________________________

iii)

_______________________________________________

iv)

_______________________________________________

v)

_______________________________________________

Step 3 ~~ Make longer one sentence answers for each question.

One example is done for you.
1.___Causes ________
i)

What is the biggest cause of air pollution?

(1) The biggest cause of air pollution is factories which dont clean the air before
putting it back into the environment.
(2)
ii)
Which country makes the most air pollution?
China is the country which produces the most air pollution.
iii)

Why does it cause air pollution?

China causes the most pollution, because there are too many people, the pay is
low, and therefore they dont spend money on making the air clean.

iv)

Who does air pollution cause the most pain in?

Air pollution causes the most pollution in older, the very young, and sick people.

v)

What time of year causes the most air pollution?

The time of year which causes the most air pollution is Spring. This is when the
warm and cold air are changing, which causes the polluted air to stay low.

~5~

2._________________
i)

_______________________________________________

ii)

_______________________________________________

iii)

_______________________________________________

iv)

_______________________________________________

v)

_______________________________________________

3._________________
i)

_______________________________________________

ii)

_______________________________________________

iii)

_______________________________________________

iv)

_______________________________________________

v)

_______________________________________________

4._________________
i)

_______________________________________________

ii)

_______________________________________________

iii)

_______________________________________________

iv)

_______________________________________________

v)

_______________________________________________

~6~

5._________________
i)

_______________________________________________

ii)

_______________________________________________

iii)

_______________________________________________

iv)

_______________________________________________

v)

_______________________________________________

Read the story

Easing Air Pollution Would Cool the Planet

by Stephen Leahy (uxbridge, canada) Tuesday, September 25, 2012 Inter Press Service

UXBRIDGE, Canada, Sep 25 (IPS) - The planet can be cooled a whopping 0.5 degrees C
with fast action to reduce air pollution from coal-fired power plants, gas fracking, diesel
trucks and biomass burning, recent studies show.

All it would take is a few regulations and a few tens of millions of dollars, over the next
twenty years, to bring dramatic reductions in emissions of short-lived planet-heating
pollutants like methane, black carbon or soot and smog.

These are dangerous air pollutants and reductions could save millions of lives, according
to studies by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological
Organization. This process is being driven by warmer air temperatures, a drop in snowfall
and the fact that much of the ice is no longer white but covered with black soot particles,
he said.

Those soot particles come from burning diesel and biomass thousands of kilometres away,
in Europe, Asia and North America. Snow and ice reflect much of the sun's heat energy,
but the combination of the black soot and melt-water ponds, more of that heat is absorbed
by the ice, leading to increased melting.

A package of 16 measures to reduce emissions of black carbon and methane have been
identified and countries are now working together to find ways to act on those measures.
Last week, the countries met in Ghana to work together with African nations to identify

~7~

ways to reduce emissions of short-lived climate and air pollutants from the African
continent. Reducing emissions of methane, black carbon and tropospheric ozone would
have "substantial and immediate health, crop yield and other environmental benefits for
Africa", in addition to reducing warming, the countries reported.

High-efficiency cook stoves are a simple, low-cost technology to reduce emissions of

soot. In the transport sector, cleaner-burning diesel engines, black carbon filters and lowsulphur fuels can be used. Preventing oil and gas flaring, in the fossil fuel sector, as well
as the reduction of methane.

Inter Press Service (2012)

Vocabulary check
Find the colored words and look them up in the dictionary. There
are ten (10) of them.
__________
1. ______________________________________________________
__________
2. ______________________________________________________
__________
3. ______________________________________________________
__________
4. ______________________________________________________
__________
5. ______________________________________________________
__________
6. ______________________________________________________
~8~

__________
7. ______________________________________________________
__________
8. ______________________________________________________
__________
9. ______________________________________________________
___________
10. ______________________________________________________

Step 4 is to put all the answers into paragraphs. Each of the five (5)
in section one (1) is a paragraph. You will have a 5
paragraph essay now. There is one example for you. You
make yours.
1. Causes
The biggest cause of air pollution is factories which dont clean the air before putting it back into
the environment. China is the country which produces the most air pollution. China causes the
most pollution, because there are too many people, the pay is low, and therefore they dont spend
money on making the air clean. Air pollution causes the most pollution in older, the very young,
and sick people. The time of year which causes the most air pollution is Spring. This is when the
warm and cold air are changing, which causes the polluted air to stay low.

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
~9~

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

2.______________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

3.______________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
~ 10 ~

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
4.______________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
5.______________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

~ 11 ~

Step 5 is to add an introduction and a conclusion. Do this for your

essay homework.

The introduction uses all five of the major words you made in
the beginning.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

The conclusion gives five basic things you said about the points.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

~ 12 ~

Graphic Organization ~
Main topic = 5 Paragraph Topics

paragraph 1
____________
____________
____________
____________
paragraph 5
____________
____________
____________
____________

Main
topic

paragraph 4
____________
____________
____________
____________

paragraph 2
____________
____________
____________
____________

paragraph 3
____________
____________
____________
____________

~ 13 ~

Discussion Graphic ~ Is air pollution an easy problem to fix? Why or why not?

Answer ~ I think air pollution is (is not) an easy problem to fix because

Problem /
Air Pollution

Factories should be required

to fund social programs which
help those hurt by air
polllution they produce.

Respond

Respond

Air pollution is needed to keep

the price down. Government
can take care of the helath
problems.

Respond

Respond

~ 14 ~

Planting trees is enough to clean

the air pollution. Let's plant
more trees.

Respond

Respond

graphic ~ choose one statement from the

list above.

Write it here _________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________
To make your argument you should understand that they are connected.
In the next two charts (1) list your argument facts and ideas, (2) show how your argument
connects to both the center point and the other points.

Facts
For

Against

~ 15 ~

graphic ~ choose one statement from the

list above.

If this -- then

If this -- then

Write your statement position here.

____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
If this -- then

____________________________________

If this -- then

______

If this -- then

Now start the

As a team choose which points they will speak about.

Each person will listen for the opposite point and create a new
response to what the other person has said.
A: point 1
B: responds to the point and give a new point.
C: responds to B and give a new point.
After all persons have spoken each person can respond to any point given by the
opposite team, or add more points from their team which will need responding to from
the opposite team.

~ 16 ~

In this box put the (+) points ~~

In this box put the (-) points ~~

(1)
________________________________________
________________________________________
______________________________________

(1)
________________________________________
________________________________________
______________________________________

(2)
________________________________________
________________________________________
______________________________________

(2)
________________________________________
________________________________________
______________________________________

(3)
________________________________________
________________________________________
______________________________________

(3)
________________________________________
________________________________________
______________________________________

(4)
________________________________________
________________________________________
______________________________________

(4)
________________________________________
________________________________________
______________________________________

(5)
________________________________________
________________________________________
______________________________________

(5)
________________________________________
________________________________________
______________________________________

In this box write your own opinions from your research related to air pollution ~~~
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

~ 17 ~

What next?
Organize all the ideas into similar arguments.
Organize all the solutions into importance.
Give each student a research task for one argument or
solution.
After the research separate the students into debate teams.
Have the students develop their team arguments.
Set a statement to debate. Choose one from the articles
studied.
Moderate the debate.

Enjoy the new ideas you have formed, discussed and

debated.

Dr. Paul R. Friesen

~ 18 ~