DoctorPorcupinePerson545
COM 101/111 Summary…
COM 101/111 Summary Test: Name:
Total: /20
Write a paragraph summary of the text “Canada Must Put the Planet’s Interests First” by MarC Garneau in the space below. Your summary should be between 8-10 sentences and accurately reflect the purpose, main idea, and supporting ideas of the article.
Remember that you write summaries for readers who haven’t read the original text so be sure that every sentence you write contains information. Do not over-generalize!
Be sure that your summary:
1. acknowledges the source
2. states the writer’s purpose and main idea
3. includes important supporting points
4. is written in proper paragraph form including a title
5. is written in your own words
Criteria 5 4 3 2 1 0
Acknowledges the source
States the writer’s purpose
Accurately presents the main idea
Includes relevant supporting details
The summary is logically organized and is free of major grammatical errors.
The summary is written in proper paragraph format and does not plagiarize the source.
Total: /20
Areas to work on for your good copy:
document:”Canada must put the planet’s interests first”
Marc Garneau, 2007
One of the consequences of going to space is that it changes the way you view our planet. It’s unavoidable. Once you see Earth from space, you can never again think of it in the same way. It’s one thing to view small bits and pieces of it from below over time. It’s another to gaze on it from above as you go around it once every 90 minutes, 16 times a day.
The Earth from that perspective strikes you as rather small and fragile as more than six and a half billion of us scramble below, trying to live our lives as best we can. One look at its atmosphere, that thin layer of air that makes life possible, and you are struck by the thought that our existence on Earth is more tenuous than we realize.
It’s no longer an abstract notion to speak of global environmental change, to speak of large-scale human engineering gone wrong, of deforestation, of desertification, of soil erosion, of glaciers melting. It smacks you in the face.
The consequences of global warming affect every single country in the world. There are no exceptions. It is the single most important issue facing humanity.
To be sure, it’s a breathtakingly beautiful planet, a warm and inviting oasis of life, particularly when viewed against the stark and infinite backdrop of space.
But it is also in the process of being damaged by both visible and invisible forces, often as a result of well-intentioned decisions. Those invisible forces are, of course, the greenhouse gases that we collectively emit into the atmosphere. We all need to know that the course of history is already set for decades to come, no matter what.
What should a country like Canada do? Should it encourage all countries to take action? Yes, absolutely. Should it act by itself even if others refuse? Absolutely. In fact, Canada needs to do something that has never been done before by any country: It needs to put the planet’s interests before its own. Let me explain.
Canada, the second-largest country in the world, is blessed with huge resources, an abundance of fresh water and vast open spaces. It has a great deal going for it, and its successful future is assured. It is the most fortunate country on this planet. It can and should take a position of leadership on the issue of the environment. It is the right thing to do. The world would like to see Canada assume that leadership, and Canada can afford to assume it.
That’s a radical approach when you know that countries always put their own interests first and only then those of others. We can easily summon excuses to avoid action: Our contribution to the world’s total greenhouse gases is only 2 per cent, we are an important energy-producing country and, besides, what good we do will be swamped by the bad that others do. That’s the traditional approach, but is it the right one for a truly global issue such as environmental change? No, it is not.
Can Canada afford to do this without crippling its economy? It certainly can. To make the point, Canada’s most recently available total figure of 747 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (for 2005) is 187 megatons over its Kyoto target of 560 megatons (6 per cent below the 1990 total). At a high cost of $30 per ton on one of the climate exchanges (carbon trading), that would represent about $5.6-billion, which equates roughly to a cut of 1 per cent in the GST.
Of course, this is not the way that Canada should deal with its surplus emissions, but it is certainly proof that the country would not fall apart economically or be put at a significant disadvantage.
The course of action for Canada is obviously to reduce its emissions and, in the process, actually generate new wealth, particularly if it follows the example of certain European countries with a deliberate strategy to profit from the development of environmentally sustainable technologies. There is an irony at work here. Canada can put the planet first and, in the process, serve its own self-interest if it aggressively joins the emerging industrial revolution focused on environmental sustainability.
Most important, we as Canadians can begin to think in a whole new way, an enlightened approach to global challenges, not the current “I’ll get serious if you get serious.” Rather: I will put the planet first because it is the right thing to do, because it demonstrates leadership and, ultimately, because it will serve the country’s interests as well.
I know the great majority of Canadians are willing to sign on to such an approach.
