Current Environmental Issues

Current Environmental Issues (CEI) - High School

The North Carolina Envirothon, through its Current Environmental Issues component, provides middle and high school students the opportunity to explore the most urgent and controversial issues facing North Carolinian's today. Many of these issues are the same issues being studied and publicly debated across the country and the world.

To improve issue awareness, analysis and critical thinking skills, Envirothon students are assigned a variety of articles and editorials written by individuals, academia, environmental organizations, business and industry, conservation agencies, the Internet, and the general media from various subject areas:

• • Earth’s Natural Resources - soil, water, air, plants and animals

  • Issues At Home and the World Over - global climate change, biodiversity, endangered species, exotic species, habitat

  • Our Global Family –people, population growth, resource consumption

  • Annual Issue - as selected by the International National Conservation Foundation  Envirothon host state each year

The purpose of these readings is twofold: 1) to introduce students to the science behind the issues and their social, economic, political and ecological implications; and 2) to expose them to opposing viewpoints to stimulate thinking and to help them better understand the public debate on a variety of North Carolina and global issues.

While students are tested on their reading comprehension of each article’s content, they are encouraged to draw their own conclusions and form their own informed opinions with sound justification. The NC Envirothon State Committee strives to provide a balance of perspectives. 

The opinions presented are not necessarily those of the NC Envirothon State Committee, the NC Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts, or our Sponsors.

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