Assignment 2: Environmental Policy

Due Week 10 and worth 120 points

There
are several environmental laws, regulations, and policies that
currently influence your life, and they include the following:

• NEPA
• The Clean Air Act
• The Clean Water Act
• The Endangered Species Act
• The Superfund
• CITES
• The Montreal Protocol
• The Basel Convention

Choose
one (1) of these environmental regulations, or another policy that
interests you; then, research your chosen regulation or policy’s
requirements and environmental and economic impacts.

Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:

1. Describe
   three (3) key elements of the regulation or policy you chose.
   Specifically, discuss who is affected and what actions they are required
   to undertake, including federal and state agencies and specific
   industries, and how these requirements are enforced.
2. Assess
   three (3) effects this regulation or policy had on our environment.
   Next, quantify its effects, if possible, to analyze whether or not the
   regulation had the desired effect on the environment.
3. Discuss
   three (3) economic effects of your chosen policy or regulation. Next,
   describe the direct costs of implementation, as well as the effect the
   regulation has had on economic growth. If possible, find a benefits/cost
   analysis that will provide you with objective analyses of this
   regulation’s economic impact.
4. Speculate whether or not you
   believe that this policy or regulation has been successful overall.
   Next, debate whether or not your chosen policy or regulation has
   promoted environmental benefits or outweighed its economic costs.
   Lastly, determine whether you would recommend renewing this policy or
   regulation when it comes to its expiration date, or whether you should
   let the policy or regulation expire. Justify your response.
5. Use
   at least three (3) quality resources / references in this assignment,
   in addition to the course text. Note: Wikipedia and personal blogs do
   not qualify as quality resources.
6. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• • Be
    typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with
    one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA
    format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
  • Include
    a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, your
    professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the
    reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Assess
  the various methods used to understand natural phenomena and the human
  impact on it, and analyze the steps taken to protect the environment.
• Analyze factors influencing the use and conservation of environmental resources.
• Analyze
  the effect of human populations on various ecosystems, including
  agriculture, urbanization, waste management, and pollution.
• Critically evaluate sources of information about environmental science and communicate them effectively.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in environmental science.
• Write clearly and concisely about environmental science using proper writing mechanics.