Visit the Worldwatch site to decide if an “Issue Alert” will influence global policy makers.

http://www.worldwatch.org/alerts/index.html

Worldwatch is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a global society in which human needs are met without disrupting the planet's environment. The organization believes that informing the public on issues such as climate change, depletion of the ozone layer and population growth will eventually lead to international policy changes that benefit future generations. One of the ways that Worldwatch enlightens the public on these topics is by releasing an “Issue Alert". The alerts, usually written by the organization's chairman Lester Brown, concentrate on a specific environmental problem affecting our planet today.

Do you feel Worldwatch's approach of informing the public with an “Issue Alert" will achieve its ultimate goal of changing global policies in order to safeguard the environment? Do they motivate you to be more environmentally friendly? Explore some of the alerts and decide whether this method can or cannot influence change.

But if we look at the Amnesty International Web site, the distinction between good guys and bad guys becomes less clear. Take a moment, either by yourself or in a small group of your class members and make a list of ten countries that you consider “good guys” in the international system and ten countries that you consider “bad guys.” Also, list at least one reason why you and your peers think a particular country goes on one list or the other. You may have the same country on both lists, if that's what you have decided in your small group discussion. After completing your list, enter the information in the form below.

1 Which “Issue Alert" interests you the most? Does it motivate you to be more environmentally friendly? Why or why not?

2 According to the alert, "Mixed Progress in Reaching Millennium Goals" (09/07/05), on which development goals is the world lagging behind? Which regions of the world are having the most difficulty?

3 The alert from June 15, 2005, makes the claim that global warming is contributing to a rising number of environmental refugees. Explain why global warming might cause people to leave their homes/countries.

4 Do you feel Worldwatch's approach of informing the public with an “Issue Alert” will achieve its ultimate goal of altering global policies in order to protect the environment? Explain why or why not.