Overview -

Public statements in townhall style meetings or summits are a regular part of the decision-making process. Often this includes testimony from invited experts and/or from the public, in which the speaker reads aloud a well prepared statement of their perspective on the issue at hand.  In this online class, you will "speak out" in a virtual townhall meeting on a controversial environmental topic.

Assignment

In this Part 1 of the Townhall Summit, each Canvas discussion group will be divided into 5 topic groups, each of which will conduct a public (public within your discussion group) forum about a controversial topic via stakeholder presentations. Each topic group will be provided a place and venue to set the scene for the summit, and will be provided a key question that all comments in their townhall summit will address.

Each student has been assigned the role of a particular stakeholder in a specific controversy (see Stakeholder Assignments spreadsheet). You must write a script of an oral statement that a) summarizes the controversy, b) addresses the assigned question from the perspective of your stakeholder role, and c) is based on evidence from cited research. However, this is not a public speaking exercise - you do not actually have to present this out loud - you will submit the script of what your stakeholder wouldsay at this townhall meeting.  Do make sure you read your statement aloud to yourself to make sure it is grammatically and logically coherent before posting.

Stakeholder Role

US public health official

Should Lakshadweep, India ban the use of DDT?

In 2015, almost half a million people died of malaria, a disease carried by mosquitoes. In many tropical developing nations, the spread of malaria can be greatly reduced by spraying insecticides inside homes to kill disease vector insects, like mosquitoes, that make it into the home, but minimize contamination of ecosystems and damage to non-target organisms. DDT is an organochlorine pesticide that is very inexpensive and very effective for this purpose. DDT has been banned in much of the developed world (including the US) because of the environmental damage it can cause - it is a persistent organic pollutant, meaning in stays active in soil for a long time, and it bio-accumulates in fatty tissues of organisms. DDT was responsible for the near-extinction of the bald eagle and the brown pelican, among other birds. It is also an endocrine disruptor in human bodies, and a possible carcinogen. However, alternative mosquito control methods are more expensive to implement, and not all as effective as indoor spraying of DDT. You have been assigned a stakeholder position in the discussion of whether the Lakshadweep region of India should continue the use of DDT for malaria control, or ban it. Your assignment is to make a convincing, evidence-based argument to ban or not to ban, from your assigned stakeholder's perspective.

Attachment:- Assignment File.rar