Week 5 – Discussion
Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.
  
Impact of Global   Warming on Local Communities
Global warming is a social issue that is widely discussed in the U.S. and across the world today.  The impacts of this social problem on local communities are far-reaching. In this discussion you will examine how global warming is expected to impact your local community, as well as discuss how different social groups are affected in different ways.

 
For in-depth information on what global warming is and how it impacts (or is expected to impact) coastal cities in the United States review the following resources:

Climate Change: Causes  (Links to      an external site.)
Sea Level      Rise (Links to an external site.)
Global Warming      101 (Links to an external site.)

To investigate how global warming is expected to impact the region where you live visit the 2014 National Climate Assessment (Links to an external site.) website.  Be sure to click on the “Explore Regions” link for a list of all the regions in the United States.  You can also review the Surging Seas Risk Zone Map (Links to an external site.) if you happen to live in a coastal city.  

 
 As climate change intensifies, experts note the increasing incidence and growing severity of natural disasters.  To learn more about how issues of race and class are related to disaster response review the following articles:

Where Black Lives      Matter Began  (Links to an external site.)
Examining Race,      Class, and Katrina (Links to an external site.)

After reviewing all of the resources above, address each of the following:

How does human activity impact      global warming?  What are two environmental problems related to      global warming that experts expect to occur in coming decades?
According to the National      Climate Assessment website, what are the main environmental issues that      the region where you live (or if you cannot find your particular region,      the region where you grew up or have some connection to) will face due to      global warming?  What can you do to help?
What role did race and class      play in the response to hurricane Katrina?  How did the history of      structural race relations and inequalities in New Orleans impact how the      hurricane affected different racial and class groups?  How did the      government’s response vary by the race and class of the residents?

Your initial post should be at least 500 words in length. Support your claims with examples from required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.