Reflect on the numerous environmental threats facing the Everglades or South Florida in general from what we have touched upon in class. Choose one current environmental challenge and address the following questions in your 300+ word response:
Describe the environmental threat. What caused it, and what are the major negative implications?
How is this environmental threat impacting us as human residents of South Florida? How may it continue to affect us in the future?
What are some things we can do to overcome this threat? Imagine you are an environmental manager and it is your job to come up with some solution to the problem. There is no wrong answer here so use your imagination! Consider how both human residents and the environment will be affected by your solution. What are some of the major pros and cons?
Sample Solution
The environmental threat that I have chosen to focus on is the destruction of the Everglades, which can be attributed to a variety of causes such as urban development and agricultural activities. As these activities continue to encroach upon and disrupt the wetlands’ fragile ecosystem, they result in increased water pollution through fertilizer runoff and habitat destruction for both plants and animals. This has had major negative implications on the environment: disrupting nutrient cycles, altering plant composition, increasing erosion rates, reducing biodiversity levels, etc.
Sample Solution
The environmental threat that I have chosen to focus on is the destruction of the Everglades, which can be attributed to a variety of causes such as urban development and agricultural activities. As these activities continue to encroach upon and disrupt the wetlands’ fragile ecosystem, they result in increased water pollution through fertilizer runoff and habitat destruction for both plants and animals. This has had major negative implications on the environment: disrupting nutrient cycles, altering plant composition, increasing erosion rates, reducing biodiversity levels, etc.
