In a recent opinion piece for the New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/opinion/climate-change-facebook-glasgow.html), Greg Bensinger asks an
... [Show More] important question: 'Facebook, YouTube and other companies have shown they have the power to amplify facts and suppress lies –– will they use that to help protect Earth from its most fire threat?' Drawing from at least three essays from the syllabus, write an essay that engages with the role that social media companies have played in exacerbating climate change or mitigating the effects of climate change. Further, with the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, and its resultant deal which some have termed 'a death sentence' (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/16/indigenous-climate-activists-cop26-endangers-native-communities)for Indigenous communities, what role can (or should) social media hold moving forward in fighting climate change and the project of international cooperation?
Here are some sources to get you started (you are not required to use these):
“Social Media Is Polluted With Climate Denialism” New York Times, November 11, 2021.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/opinion/climate-change-facebook-glasgow.html (Links to an external site.)
“‘A death sentence’: Indigenous climate activists denounce Cop26 deal” The Guardian, November 16, 2021.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/16/indigenous-climate-activists-cop26-endangers-native-communities (Links to an external site.)
“In the Name of Saving the Climate, They Will Uberise the Farmlands: The Forty-Sixth Newsletter (2021)” by Vijay Prashad. November 18, 2021
https://thetricontinental.org/newsletterissue/agricultural-technology/ (Links to an external site.)
“Green alert: How indigenous people are experiencing climate change in the Amazon”, May 27, 2020.
https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/green-alert-how-indigenous-have-been- (Links to an external site.)experiencing-climate-change-in-the-amazon/
Note: Use concepts from the course materials (lectures, essays and videos) to respond to the prompt. YOU MUST refer to at least three essays you have read from the syllabus. I am not asking you to summarize the essays or answer all the questions above. I am not asking for your unsupported opinions. I am asking you to make your own coherent and well-supported argument about the topic. Cite specific concepts, short quotes, and examples from the course materials as evidence to support your own argument.
Your paper should be approximately 1,200 words or about 4 pages. Please pay careful attention to spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Remember that citations are required for both paraphrasing and direct quotes from the texts, videos or lectures. Feel free to cite other books and articles as needed. Include a full list of works
cited at the back (not included in the word count). [Show Less]