Project Proposal B E

1. What societal problem or problems have you identified while researching your topic?

  • A large portion of society (mostly politicians and mining companies) is willing to give up the health of the beautiful landscape Minnesota has in order to make money.

2. What are the causes of this problem? Was it intentional? Are there extenuating circumstances?

  • People do not respect the environment now the way it should be respected. I do not believe this is intentional - it is merely easier to ignore the environment for the sake of making a profit. The ignorance these companies have towards the environment makes citizens oblivious to the environmental damage mining causes because they preach that they will not pollute.

3. What can we do about it? Is there any action that can be taken to change this? What action has been already attempted to address this problem? Why wasn't it successful?

  • We need to establish more thorough laws and regulations controlling mining. Minnesota has several policies in place already to try and regulate mining and how pollution, but it is not enforced as strong as it should be.

Possible Thesis:

Exploration and exploitation of land in northeastern Minnesota for sulfide mining will produce significant environmental damage without impacting the economy majorly if allowed to continue.


1. In what ways is this thesis and topic challenging (p.108)?

  • This topic is challenging because there are so many factors to consider when analyzing the economics and the environmental impact of sulfide mining.

2. How is this thesis and topic compelling (p.108)?

  • This topic is compelling because it is something we can change. Sulfide mining is not set in stone yet or needed in Minnesota - we still have a chance to stop future damage to our ecosystems.

3. In what ways is this thesis and topic debatable or controversial (p. 109)?

  • This is a debatable topic because there are so many differing opinions and standpoints on the subject. Many politicians and companies choose to be oblivious to environmental harm mining causes, while other organizations and citizens in Minnesota recognize the risks.
Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License