Category · 38 questions
Nature
Climate change, conservation, factory farms, our place on the planet.
In this section
38 entriesAre Greta Thunberg and her movement spontaneous?
Greta Thunberg and Friday for Future got enormous popularity: teenage student that protested in front of Swedish Parliament got world-wide attention. Is this spontaneous or nurtured by media coverage and external social marketing?
Are humans responsible for climate change?
Climate change isn't just global warming, it's also a change in regional or global weather patterns. There are many other factors though that cause these world wide changes. People have been questioning whether humans are at fault for climate change or if the fears surrounding it are real at all.
Are plants conscious?
Can plants feel pain or think? There are studies suggesting there is a form of plant consciousness which operates as an underground network. Such mysterious theories have their proponents and critics.
Can nature heal itself?
Humans and their industry have created a huge amount of damage to nature, the environment, and the planet. Mass extinction, climate change, and more. But if humans step back can nature heal itself, or do humans need to engage to fix things?
Can plastic products be replaced with eco friendly options?
Plastic was invented in 1907 and since has become one of the most useful and versatile substances known to man. However, plastic has since contributed to the 269,000 tons currently in the ocean. As useful as it is, is there anything that can take its place as being versatile but also eco friendly?
Does recycling work?
Recycling is increasingly encouraged by environmentalists and society as a whole. It helps people throw away less trash and reduces waste in the environment. However, not all items can be recycled and still end up in landfills for decades. Does this mean that recycling works or is it blown out of proportion? What are the benefits of recycling?
Has the world started to take climate change fight seriously?
Is the world finally treating the fight against climate change with the seriousness it demands? This entry sets out the two positions on the question — that the world has started to take climate change seriously, and that it has not.
How complex is animal communication?
Animals signal to one another constantly, but how much structure those signals carry is contested. This entry maps the two positions — that animal communication is very complex, approaching the properties of language, and that it is not.
How fast should fossil fuels be phased out?
Fossil fuels will inevitably become a thing of the past, but it is difficult to say when that time will be. Should countries and industries begin this process immediately to avoid further long-term damage to the climate or is it better to implement a slower transition over a longer period of time with similar results?
Is algae the new cotton?
Could algae become a sustainable alternative to cotton and other textiles? This entry sets out the two positions on the question — that algae is the new cotton, and that it is not.
Is animal milk healthy?
Milk is a staple of the mammal diet, humans included. However recent studies and debate suggest that drinking milk past childhood is not healthy, and an array of plant-based alternatives have risen in popularity. Is milk healthy?
Is animal testing ethical?
The ethics of animal experimentation is a topic of hot debate in academia. Animal rights groups consider animal testing unethical due to the harm inflicted on animals. The other side of the debate justifies the harm because animal testing will bring greater benefits to the world.
Is climate change real?
It is the topic of our times, with changing weather around the world. Is the climate actually changing or are these global warming signals misunderstood and misattributed to natural cycles. Can we know if climate change real? Or is climate change a conspiracy of the left?
Is eating dog meat immoral?
The consumption of dog meat is legal in most countries and is notably part of Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Swiss, and Nigerian cuisine. However, dog meat is heavily tabooed in Europe and the Americas. In recent years, animal activist groups have fought for the practice to be banned on moral grounds.
Is human destruction of nature responsible for COVID-19?
As coronavirus infects more and more people globally, the question becomes why now? Why has the pandemic began now? Could it be that increasing levels of climate change and continued destruction of the environment are to blame?
Is poor management of forests to blame for deadly fires in the United States?
Are poorly managed forests behind America's deadly wildfires? This entry sets out the positions on the question — that forest mismanagement is to blame, that it is not, and that it is partly responsible alongside other factors.
Is there life on Venus?
Could the clouds of Venus harbour life? This entry maps the positions on the question — that there is life on Venus, that there is not, and that the evidence remains too uncertain to say either way.
Should bullfighting be banned?
Bullfighting has been a Spanish sport and beloved tradition since the 8th century. But in modern times, the sport has come under scrutiny as animal rights activists claim that it is unethical. People are beginning to wonder: Should bullfighting be banned?
Should people switch to electric cars for the environment?
The environment has been breaking down over the years and only recently have we tried to stop it. One of the biggest problems is the waning ozone layer. The ozone layer keeps the earth at a safe temperature and provides it with the perfect atmosphere for life. One of the substances that breaks down the ozone layer is carbon monoxide, which usually come from cars. Electric cars are presented as a possible solution to this. But are electric cars the first step to an improved environment? Or are they an inflated idea with more problems than solutions?
Should we ban bottled water?
The consumption of bottled water is on the rise. Each year, approximately 200 billion plastic water bottles are used worldwide. With concerns about cost, effects on the environment, and the actual quality of the water, companies are brainstorming and seeking out healthier, eco-friendly alternatives.
Should we phase out fossil fuels?
Fossil fuels are used to generate power in various facilities, providing energy for our homes, appliances, and devices. This energy has become critical to our daily lives, in turn making the use of fossil fuels essential. Despite this, debates have sprouted forth, contesting the use of fossil fuels to generate power. The questions posed by these debates are: Should the use of fossil fuels be discontinued due to their effects on climate? Or should we continue to use them for fear of economic setbacks?
Should we stop eating meat for the environment?
Several forms of pollution - e.g. deforestation, eutrophication of water, leaching of nitrates, antibacterial resistance, release of ammonia, nitrous oxides and methane in the atmosphere - are associated to livestock production. Should we stop eating meat to prevent major environmental pollution?
What are the conspiracy theories about climate change?
According to NASA, 97% of actively publishing climate scientists agree that climate change is caused by humans. However, there are groups of people who believe that climate change is a myth, a hoax by scientists and/or governments.
What are the positions on achieving net-zero carbon?
The term ‘net-zero carbon’ refers to a standard proposed by policymakers, climate scientists, and activists where emissions would be reduced to a sustainable level, preventing catastrophic climate change. Some countries have already set targets- yet the issue is one of global contention.
What are the positions on Canada's controversial oil sands project?
This entry maps the debate over Canada's controversial oil sands, setting out the opposing positions that the development should not expand, and that it should — weighing economic gain against environmental cost.
What are the positions on the Eagle Spirit Pipleine?
This entry maps the debate over the proposed Eagle Spirit Pipeline, an Indigenous-led oil project in western Canada, setting out the competing positions that the pipeline is good and that it is bad.
What are the pros and cons of The Green New Deal?
To address the gravity of the climate crisis in the United States, some politicians created a plan called the Green New Deal. The goal of this plan, broadly speaking, is to create a healthy environment for future generations to call home. However, there are numerous positions on the Green New Deal.
What does the response to COVID-19 tell us about our ability to cope with climate change?
The global shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic have tested every part of our society, from healthcare, to employment, finance, supply chains, global trade, nationalism, governance, emergency response, and so on. How our governments have responded to the pandemic is revealing a lot about how the world works, and makes us ask what it reveals about potential responses to future disasters, such as the climate change crisis. Is the COVID-19 pandemic a stress test for future climate shock? How prepared are we?
What is the debate about rising ocean levels on the Torres Strait Islanders homeland?
This entry maps the debate over rising sea levels threatening the homeland of the Torres Strait Islanders, setting out positions that frame it as a matter of government policy, of discrimination, and of climate change.
What is the impact of invasive species?
Invasive plant and animal species live in virtually all areas of the globe. The reason for their unnatural presence is because humans have accidentally or deliberately introduced them to new ecosystems. Because they have been introduced to new habitats they are not initially meant to be in, invasive species have negatively impacted their new homes. How extensive is their damage and are all invasive species harmful?
What should we do about climate change?
We are in a climate crisis. People and natural systems around the world are feeling the impacts of a warming globe, from more intense heat waves, more intense storms, heavier rainfall, melting sea ice and retreating glaciers, etc, etc. No part of our world is left untouched, and given the current rate of warming, things will only get worse. So what can we do to mitigate global warming?
Why are Alaska's salmon getting smaller?
Why are Alaska's salmon shrinking in size? This entry maps the explanations — that climate change is reshaping the fish, and that competition from vast numbers of hatchery-raised salmon is to blame.
Why are Australian wildfires so bad?
Australia's fire seasons have become severe enough to prompt an argument about what is driving them. This entry maps the two explanations set against each other here — a warming, drying climate, and the land-management and policy choices made in response.
Why are environmental activists being killed?
Why are environmental activists being killed in record numbers? This entry maps the explanations — that violence follows the global economy's push into remote lands, and that it thrives where law and order are weak.
Why are there so many mice in London?
Mice are a big part of life in London. And London's poor waste management, rodenticide resistance, old buildings or lack of predators may all play a role in London's mouse problem.
Will Donald Trump or Joe Biden be better for the environment?
Climate change poses an existential threat to the world. The 2020 United States Presidential candidates are in a position to make or break the future of this planet. Each candidate takes a starkly different stance on the environment and its intersection with the economy, trade, and scientific fact.
Will polar bears become extinct in the future?
Polar bears live in Antarctica and artic regions. Their fur coats keep them warm in these frigid areas. This means they can only function in those areas. But their habitat is threatened by global warming. Global warming is melting the glaciers and ice plains, minimizing the amount of territory polar bears and their prey’s territory. At this rate, will polar bears be extinct in the future?
Will there be enough water in 2050?
Will the world have enough fresh water by 2050? This entry sets out the two positions on the question — that there will be enough water in 2050, and that there will not — amid rising demand and mounting climate pressures.