Lab Report

Complete this Lab Report and save it with your course materials.

Lesson 3.3 Preparing a Scientific Argument

***You will submit this Lab Report as part of Project 1. It is worth a possible 20 points. See
Project 1 for further instructions.

1. Follow the directions in your textbook for MiniLab 3.2 in Section 3.3. Prepare a comparison table
and list your pros and cons for draining the pond and building the road.

PROS CONS
1. It will provide an easier access
1. It will increase air pollution because more
because it will open up transport in the cars will be on the road.
area.
2. It will increase the economy of that 2. It may kill wildlife and ruin nearby ecosystems.
town because it will open up trade and
allow more traders to reach the area.
3. It can decrease diseases like malaria
3. It may contribute to global warming after
because draining the wet lands would removing the pond and destroying the natural
mean destroying the breading area of habitat of some species.
mosquitoes.

2. Choose one course of action and design a plan to support that choice. Remember, your choice
could include compromises or alternatives. List the steps you would take to achieve your goal.

I would actually support the commissioners’ proposal of building the road but not
necessarily through the local pond and wetlands. I would suggest a better way of doing
things by investigating other areas for possible location of the proposal. There can be other
areas where we can build the road without destroying the natural ecosystem. However, in the
event that the only choice we have to build the road is through the local ponds and wetlands,
then there should be viable options on achieving the goal with the least negative effects on
the environment by considering the following:

i. Examine alternative sites and project designs that avoid and reduce
impacts to wetlands;

Lab Report 3.3 1 SCIH 025

 ii. Develop plans to create or improve wetlands or wetland functions to
compensate for unavoidable impacts to wetlands;

iii. Demonstrate overriding economic and social needs for your project that outweigh
the environmental costs of impacts on the wetlands

3. Explain why you think decisions involving the environment are difficult to make and why they often
generate strong feelings in those on every side of the issue.

People are divided into different thoughts and the way they look at things in life. Others are
pro-environment while others are pro-development. However, both sides have adverse effect
either on the environment or in the societal development. This makes it difficult to decide and
most often than not generate strong feelings in those on every side of the issue.
Whenever we want development in the community especially on the infrastructure side,
environment is sometimes at stake. The environment will be at risk of being modified or
destroyed to achieve the goal of developing the area. And we all know that environment is
very important to us. This is our habitat, a haven where we live. This is why it’s really difficult
to decide because doing the other might harm the other and vice versa.

Lab Report 3.3 2 SCIH 025