English 101
Write a few sentences (about 100 words) integrating a quote from any of the articles that you will be using in your paper. Be sure to connect your quote to the rest of your sentences. You can do this via signal phrases (“Smith argues” OR “According to Smith,” etc) or by integrating your quote as it grammatically fits into your sentence. Document your quote by using the APA in-text citation guidelines you have studied in this lesson.
When you are done posting your response, reply to at least one classmate in no fewer than 75 words. Comment on how effectively they have integrated a quote.
Your discussion post will be graded according to the following criteria:
80% – Thoughtful original post that properly integrates a quote from one of your sources in at least 100 words
The essay is attached.
ANSWER
Discussion: The Impact of the Environment on Health
Discussion: The Impact of the Environment on Health
One factual claim about the impact of the environment on human health was made by Myers et al. (2013) as follows:
With the human population now exceeding 7 billion people and rapid growth in per capita consumption of goods and services, humanity’s growing ecological footprint is altering the planet’s land cover, rivers and oceans, climate system, biogeochemical cycles, and the functioning of its ecosystems. There is widespread debate about the ability of an altered global environment to meet the needs of a growing and prospering human population (p.18754)
It is noteworthy that good health is among the critical needs of the growing human population. However, based on Myers et al.’s (2013) assertions, it is arguable that any progress towards better population health is less likely to be sustained. This argument is supported by the fact that the environment on which humanity relies is continually degraded. Landrigan et al. (2016) emphasize that the goods and services obtained from nature are the basics of health and life overall. The value of the natural environment comes in different forms. It is a source of nutrition, medicines, and fresh air (Landrigan et al., 2016). The environment also purifies water and offers protection from natural hazards. Yet, the reduced attention to the sustainable exploitation of the natural environment implies that humanity is destroying the very foundations of life and health.
A question that hangs over this line of argument is whether there is hope for the restoration of the natural environment. Sadly, the current efforts at ensuring environmental protection are not aggressive enough. This is to say that unless a more rigorous effort is directed at environmental preservation, the ecosystem’s posterity is not guaranteed.
References
Landrigan, P. J., Sly, J. L., Ruchirawat, M., Silva, E. R., Huo, X., Diaz-Barriga, F., … & Ahanchian, H. (2016). Health consequences of environmental exposures: Changing global patterns of exposure and disease. Annals of global health, 82(1), 10-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aogh.2016.01.005
Myers, S. S., Gaffikin, L., Golden, C. D., Ostfeld, R. S., Redford, K. H., Ricketts, T. H., … & Osofsky, S. A. (2013). Human health impacts of ecosystem alteration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(47), 18753-18760. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1218656110
