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Environmental
Decision-Making
Program
Area
This activity
is designed for the Grade 9 Self and Society program and the Canadian
History program. It has been designed to fit into the Change and
Systems Thinking components of the Self and Society program. It
could also be used in the Citizenship unit of the Canadian History
course. The activity deals with students evaluating their own
values and beliefs in making a decision related to complicated
interactions among social, economic and environmental problems.
Students will make these decisions in relation to situations and
decisions encountered by other individuals in the same circumstances.
Learning
Outcomes
Teaching,
learning and evaluation will focus on the student's ability to:
- Actively
participate in group problem solving and decision-making to
discuss and resolve environmental dilemmas;
- Appreciate
how the needs of different peoples have affected their responses
to the fragility of the environment;
- Predict
and evaluate possible futures based on supportable decisions.
Classroom
Development
- Divide
the class into 5 groups and assign each group an environmental
dilemma.
- Each
group completes its Group Environmental Decision-Making Organizer
Sheet and prepares to present its findings to the class.
- Each
group reads the dilemma aloud to the class and presents its
responses with supporting arguments.
- Facilitate
a class discussion of each dilemma and its results.
- Based
on a class discussion, develop a class consensus for each dilemma.
N.B. Questions
useful for facilitating discussion:
- What
factors influenced their decision?
- Would
they have made the same decision if they were personally involved?
- Can
they defend their decisions?
- What
factors made it difficult to reach a decision?
Background
Information
These dilemmas
were chosen from the Canadian Red Cross Society's, The Dilemma
Book. This book provides numerous examples of similar situation
in social and development issues, as well as providing an approach
to analyzing and discussing sensitive issues. The book Earthrights,
contains background information on environment and development
issues and methods of resolving conflicts.
Timing
One to
two periods (50 min each) are required to resolve and discuss
the dilemmas, depending on the amount of time allocated to resolve
the issues before class discussion. Expect 20-30 min to read,
discuss and resolve the dilemmas in groups and 5-10 min to present
and discuss each group's responses. The remaining class time can
be devoted to the teacher facilitated class discussion/debriefing.
Resources
Canadian
Red Cross Society. The Dilemma Book. Saint John: The Canadian
Red Cross Society, 1989.
Greig, Sue,
Graham Pike and David Selby. Earthrights: Education As If The
Planet Really Mattered. London: Kogan Page/World Wildlife
Fund, 1989. Cross-curricular Links This activity integrates reading,
writing, listening and speaking skill inherent in the Languages
program.
Dilemma
1
A Canadian
mining company Multinational Mines Inc., has closed down, putting
2500 people out of work and destroying the economy of the town
which depended on the mine, the miners and their families. The
company says new government anti-pollution laws make it impossible
to make a reasonable margin of profit and, as a result, it is
putting everything into the operation in Central America where
government interference is not a problem.
Dilemma
2
Jane is
a pig farmer who has been farming for fifty years in Durning County.
Recently a subdivision was built near her farm to house people
wanting to live in a country setting but close to the city where
they work. The neighbours say the runoff from the farmer's barn
is polluting their wells and the smell from the pigs is making
life miserable for the three hundred residents. Jane claims the
pigs are her livelihood and she was there first. The neighbours
take her to court and the court rules in favour of her neighbours.
Dilemma
3
John is
hired to work as a clerk typist at the nuclear power plant in
his area. As a condition of employment, he must sign an oath of
secrecy. John has been following a current debate in the press
about the dangers of nuclear plants. One day he sees confidential
files that indicate there have been five incidents at the plant
in the last four years that posed a serious threat to the community,
but were never made public. John's supervisor says the public
was never in danger and assures him that everything is under control.
John leaks the documents to the press.
Dilemma
4
Anne is
an investigative journalist who learns that the source of pollution
affecting the drinking water in the town of Merryville, and making
people sick, is caused by the local refinery. The same company
that owns the refinery owns the paper where Anne works. Although
her facts are well documented, the editor refuses to print the
story, saying she doesn't have enough proof. Anne believes her
job will be in jeopardy if she persists, and drops the story.
Dilemma
5
Jennifer
graduates from a business program at her local high school and
sends out resumes to forty businesses. After several interviews,
she is offered employment by two companies.
Company
A is a small Canadian company which manufactures quality leather
boots, but their sales are only fair. Company B is a wealthy and
secure international corporation that grows and markets coffee
all over the world. But it is widely known that the company is
a polluter and pays poverty wages to the peasant coffee growers.
Children begin working at six years of age, working an eleven
hour day at two cents an hour. The company offers Jennifer a 20%
higher salary than Company A and good prospects for advancement.
Jennifer
accepts the job with Company B.
Group
Organizer Sheet
Dilemma
Number:
- What
are the facts and issues in the dilemma?
- Do you
agree or disagree with the decision taken? Provide a supporting
argument for your choice.
- What
factors must influenced your decision?
- What
trade-offs did you have to make in arriving at your decision?
- What
are some alternative solutions to this dilemma?
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