Name: Ezekiel Belbot

MODEL CONGRESS BILL PROJECT

Issue Identification and Analysis

OVERVIEW
At the root of governing and political actions are important issues that are complex. Many are problems that are challenging to resolve
or topics that elicit strong opinions from stakeholders. As part of our Model Congress simulation, you will choose an issue you care
about, conduct research about that issue, and then write a bill that you will introduce in our class legislature.

For this Issue Analysis task you will:

● Identify and describe an important issue related to your bill project.
● Select and evaluate reliable resources to learn more about the issue from multiple perspectives (a minimum of THREE
sources on the content of your bill is required; more are recommended).
● Provide a detailed description of the problem including the causes, effects, and significance of this issue based on your
research.

I. PRELIMINARY IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF AN ISSUE

Describe in as much detail as you can, the problem/issue, its causes and effects, and importance.
In 2018 the US produced 35.7 million tons of plastic that year alone. Today, the US produces 38 million
tons of plastic every year. It has been 3 years and now the amount of plastic has increased by 2.3 million
more. All that shows is that the production in plastic has not been slowing down but has been increasing
by a lot. As we all know mankind has made an unstoppable monster that can’t be destroyed. As we know
70% of our world is made of water, so since plastic can’t be destroyed, it ends up in the ocean. There are
currently 5.25 million tiny and big micro plastics swimming around the ocean. It takes only one straw or
plastic ring to kill a turtle or a fish. If we can reduce plastic 51%, we can cut the plastic production in
half. As we speak, multiple companies are trying their hardest to get the plastic out of the ocean. You can
help too, by stop buying plastic stuff or correctly putting plastic in a different bag from your trash, or
putting it in the recycling bin. If we all do this, by 2030 we can get half the plastic in the ocean out of it.

II. RESOURCE ANALYSIS AND INFORMATION GATHERING

After searching for sources, select three that provide information and analysis about the problem you have identified as your focus
issue and complete a summary sheet for each resource. Based on your evaluation, these sources should be reliable and
purposefully selected to give you multiple perspectives on your topic. List the three sources below:

● Source #1 https://tappwater.co/en/organizations-fighting-plastic-pollution-and-waste/

● Source #2 https://www.unep.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/

● Source #3
https://clinmedjournals.org/articles/ijtra/international-journal-of-toxicology-and-risk-assessment-ijtra-5-021.php?jid=ijtra
 SOURCE #1: RESOURCE ANALYSIS AND INFORMATION GATHERING SHEET

A) Source Information

Source Name: Source Location:

8 Organisations fighting to Reduce Plastic Canary Islands
Pollution

Author(s): Publication Date:

Margaret Atwood and Richard Ford 2009

B) Source Format: Choose from the list below

Digital Sources Print Sources Other Sources

X General website (try to find author) ___ Chapter/Page in a book ___ Survey results
___ Chapter/section of a book X Article – magazine/newspaper ___ Public opinion poll
___ Article – from a database or journal ___ Film or Movie ___ Personal Interview
___ Article – from a magazine/news media ___ Sound Recording __ _________________
___ Article - from a Non Profit Association ___ Visual Artwork, Photo or Cartoon
__ _________________
___ Artwork, Cartoon, Map or Chart
___ Multimedia – Video Clip, Radio/TV,
Sound Recording

C) Source Evaluation: Consider issues of bias, legitimacy or authority of this source. How did you decide to use this source for
your research? Summarize your evaluation in the space below.

I chose this source for research because we need more information going out to the public because we need to stop the
constant flow of plastic into our ocean. Another reason is because it has multiple sources backing up each other so all of it
is not false.

D) Source Summary: Use the space below to summarize the key facts and conclusions from your source. Do not copy information
word-for-word unless it is a direct quote. (Can be bulleted)

We know we are helping the ocean, but it’s not enough. They did “more than 3000 actions” and “collected almost
4000 tonnes of waste from beaches, oceans and forests.” And this is only from 2015; But if we can get
more information to the public we may get a chance to get rid of all plastic in the ocean.
 SOURCE #2: RESOURCE ANALYSIS AND INFORMATION GATHERING SHEET

A) Source Information

Source Name: Source Location:

UN
Our planet is drowning in plastic
pollution—it's time for change!

Author(s): Publication Date:

Christian Schmidt, Tobias Krauth, and Stephan 2018
Wagner

B) Source Format: Choose from the list below

Digital Sources Print Sources Other Sources

___ General website (try to find author) ___ Chapter/Page in a book ___ Survey results
___ Chapter/section of a book X Article – magazine/newspaper ___ Public opinion poll
X Article – from a database or journal ___ Film or Movie ___ Personal Interview
___ Article – from a magazine/news media ___ Sound Recording __ _________________
___ Article - from a Non Profit Association ___ Visual Artwork, Photo or Cartoon
__ _________________
___ Artwork, Cartoon, Map or Chart
___ Multimedia – Video Clip, Radio/TV,
Sound Recording

C) Source Evaluation: Consider issues of bias, legitimacy or authority of this source. How did you decide to use this source for
your research? Summarize your evaluation in the space below.

I think this website oslo teaches the viewer that we need to our ways of plastic because plastic was a undefeatable monster
ever since it was created. The reason is because in the article it says “ Only 9% of all plastic waste ever produced has
been recycled. About 12% has been incinerated, while the remaining 79% has accumulated in landfills, dumps or
the natural environments.” That is a big problem.

D) Source Summary: Use the space below to summarize the key facts and conclusions from your source. Do not copy information
word-for-word unless it is a direct quote. (Can be bulleted)
As we all know scientists, engineers, and volunteers try their best to clean up, find a way to destroy, or safely put away
plastic without any long term damage. Sadly, there are very few options because in the article it says “ Plastic waste,
whether in a river, an ocean, or on land can persist in the environment for centuries.” So if we don’t step up our
game, “If current trends continue, our oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050.”

SOURCE #3: RESOURCE ANALYSIS AND INFORMATION GATHERING SHEET

A) Source Information

Source Name: Source Location:

Toxicology and Risk Assessment ClinMed, International Library
Author(s): Publication Date:
Doesn’t say April 12, 2019

B) Source Format: Choose from the list below

Digital Sources Print Sources Other Sources

___ General website (try to find author) ___ Chapter/Page in a book ___ Survey results
___ Chapter/section of a book X Article – magazine/newspaper ___ Public opinion poll
X Article – from a database or journal ___ Film or Movie ___ Personal Interview
___ Article – from a magazine/news media ___ Sound Recording __ _________________
___ Article - from a Non Profit Association ___ Visual Artwork, Photo or Cartoon
___ Artwork, Cartoon, Map or Chart
__ _________________
___ Multimedia – Video Clip, Radio/TV,
Sound Recording

C) Source Evaluation: Consider issues of bias, legitimacy or authority of this source. How did you decide to use this source for
your research? Summarize your evaluation in the space below.

Lastly, I think this article can be used for research because it talks about plastic pollution and its health risk deeply. Here is
an example: “The hazardous chemical constituents, prevailing disposal methods and the detrimental effects of these
constituents to air, water, soil, organisms and human health viz-a-viz the different disposal methods.” It talks about
how the plastic we bury affects everything around it.
D) Source Summary: Use the space below to summarize the key facts and conclusions from your source. Do not copy information
word-for-word unless it is a direct quote. (Can be bulleted)

The summary of this website is that plastic comes with a huge risk for everyone on Earth. Plus, here is an example: “Food
supplies for human consumption can be adversely affected if animals are poisoned by toxic constituents from
wastes of plastics and plastic products.” So that means that plastic shouldn’t be used for our food or other things we
store in it.