Essential+Questions

1. What are the major expressed and embedded theories (also principles, laws) that apply to your standard? The major expressed and embedded theories are that the environmental laws and regulations are used to protect and maintain the environment such as through the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

2. What is the research that has led to the understandings in #1? Sources such as the websites of organizations such as the EPA helped to gain knowledge about these laws such as why that are established and what the regulations they create protect and maintain.

3. How is your standard, and the research behind your standard (Questions 1 and 2) related to the major theories that have been discussed this year, specifically evolution and energetics. As species evolved, new laws and revisements need to be created to protect these species.

4. What are the major environmental problems associated with your standard? Rank order these with data/ empiricism (and citations where necessary) to support your position. The major environmental problems associated with our standards are laws to maintain the environment such as the Clean Air Act to protect the air and the environment from pollution and the Endangered Species Act to protect species from extinction and maintain the life cycle in the environment. Some of the environmental problems associated with environmental laws are that most of them have both a positive and negative side, and although the positives may outweigh the negatives, there are still negatives.

5. What are the major social, political and economic oppositions to the scientific community's position on problems associated with your standard? There are not many problems associated with our standard, because this standard deals with protecting and maintaining the environment. There are not many oppositions to this standard as a result of its content, but one may be as discussed in the previous question the negatives along with the positives to many laws.

6. What are the major government, scientific, private, and institutional organizations/agencies/commissions/groups that are particularly interested and involved with your standard? There are many organizations that are involved with this standard including the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Geogical Survey.

7.What are the current best scientific recommendations for solutions to problems associated with your standard? Support your position with data/empiricism and citations where necessary. The recommendations for solutions to problems associated with our standard are made into provisions of regulations/laws, or a new law/regulation is made to serve as a solution to a problem.

8. What would be the features of a personal action plan specific to the problems associated with your standard? Do things on your own time such as recylcing and walking instead of driving to limit pollution.