A BRAVE NEW WORLD

(The Reincarnation of Planet Earth)

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Fifty thousand years have passed on Planet Earth since the present day. During those fifty thousand years, the planet has undergone some drastic changes. Plate tectonics and continental drift have caused the continents to change. Sea levels have risen dramatically so that the only land forms above the water's surface are islands. These islands are scattered throughout the Earth's hemispheres. The kinds and types of organisms that are found on these islands are much the same as the ones that existed in the 20th century. Human populations have also survived, but numbers are greatly reduced and are spread throughout the islands of the planet.

As inhabitants of one of these islands, your group must be able to utilize your island and it's resources in order to support the human population. However, since the island's ecosystems must be sustained in order to keep the level of resources at an optimum, the impact that the human population makes on the island is critical in terms of survival for all inhabitants, including you.

Your group will conduct an investigation of the natural aspects of your island in order to develop a plan for human use and impact that promotes sustainability. The investigation and study results will be presented both visually and in the written form.

In order to assist your group in its investigation, the physical features, ecosystems and natural resources of your island will mirror a 20th century country. The rest of the characteristics of your island will change to mirror what your group decides is best in order to reach a sustainable system. Your group will be assigned one of the following countries:

DIRECTIONS

Using a foam base board and a three-panel display board, complete the following:

PART I - THE MAP

Create a large scale map of your island, as you wish it to appear, on a piece of foam board that fits inside the base of your display board. Your map must provide visual representations of:

a. major physical features/relief (these must reflect the true nature of the original but can be located differently)

b. major ecosystems (these must be representative of the original island)

Your map must include:

a. a key for the physical features relief

b. a color key for ecosystems

c. the title/name of your island country

d. a scale

e. a compass direction

f. use of color

PART II - THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

On the left panel of your display board, provide the following:

a. visual representations of your island's

i. water cycle

ii. nitrogen cycle (*these cycles should reflect your island's

iii. carbon cycle natural state)

b. key flora and fauna within each of the ecosystems of your island

(e.g. a species list, visuals, etc.)

PART III - RESOURCES FOR SUSTAINABILITY

On the right panel of your display board, provide the following:

a. a map which indicates the natural resources available to sustain your islands population. These resources should accurately reflect the resources natural to the original island. Remember to provide a color key, a title, a scale, a compass directions, and color.

b. provide visual illustrations of the natural resources available on your island.

PART IV - THE CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT

On the center portion of your display board provide the following:

a. the name of your island country and its flag (these can reflect your own creativity - they do not have to be the originals)

b. a map which includes the following:

i. natural resource use

ii. the following aspects of the island's infrastructure

-major industries

-power sources

-water sources

-transportation links (e.g. ports, railways, pipelines, etc.)

iii. human settlements (population centers)

c. a representation which explains how your island answers the three basic economic questions:

-what to produce

-how to produce

-for whom to produce

d. a demonstration of your island's chosen economic system

(choose one of the following: traditional, free-market, planned, or mixed)

e. a demonstration of you island's chosen political system (choose between autocracy, oligarchy, and democracy)

PART V - THE HUMAN IMPACT EXPLANATIONS

In order to achieve a sustainable society on your island, you must write the following written explanations of human impact on your island. These must have titles and be attached to the back of your display boards as follows:

TITLE: The Political System

This section should be one typed page and must include:

i. the reasons for selecting your chosen political system

ii. how your government will maintain social order

iii. what public services your government will provide

iv. how your government will provide for national security

v. how your government will make economic decisions (government regulation, taxation, etc.)

TITLE: The Economic System

This section should be one typed page and must include:

i. the reasons for selecting your chosen economic system

ii. an explanation for why you answered the three economic questions as you did

iii. provide at least one opportunity cost for each of the economic questions you answered.

TITLE: The Natural System

This section should be one typed page and must include:

i. how the use of your natural resources will impact the ecosystems of your island in terms of species of flora and fauna.

ii. how the use of your natural resources will impact the ecosystems of your island in terms of the 3 nutrient cycles.

TITLE: The Sustainable System

This section should be two typed pages and must include the policies your government will enact in order to keep the following aspects of your island sustainable:

i. the resources

ii. the human population

iii. the population of other species

iv. the nutrient cycles

v. the ecosystems themselves