The document outlines an assignment related to the documentary 'The Age of Consequences,' focusing on the impact of climate change on security and migration. It emphasizes the importance of understanding climate-related displacements and poses ethical questions about our responsibility to assist those affected. Additionally, it provides guidelines for composing argument responses in a discussion forum, stressing the structure of arguments and the necessity of clear conclusions.

1. Be sure to read Making Arguments I before completing this
discussion and watch the documentary, The Age of
Consequences, at the address below; do set of viewing
questions. Click here (The Age of Consequences, Viewing Set)
to download a set of those questions. Remember: Conclusions
must be typed in blue font and appear at the very END of your
argument all semester long (two sentence length or less only)!
Your discussion forum response is a reply to the question
below. Do NOT post your responses to the viewing set
questions here.
Documentary, The Age of Consequences (Links to an external
site.)
The consensus of the American security experts interviewed for
the documentary is that climate changes are occurring and that a
certain amount of change is already built in and will continue to
occur over the course of our lifetimes.
Many places in the documentary describe large-scale
displacements of people due to changing climate factors where
millions and tens of millions of people have been forced to re-
locate to secure food and water. The experts unanimously point
out the de-stabilizing effects of these mass migrations for the
countries who receive them.
Do we have an ethical obligation to assist people caught up in
these large-scale movements of people to help them secure the
basic necessities of food, water, and a secure way of life. Why
or why not?
Click on and read Making Arguments, Conclusions before
completing this week's discussion assignment.
Your assignment will be graded according to the grading rubric.
Week 1 begins with 100:
Composition:

2. Do the postings show consistent attention to rules of grammar,
spelling and proper citation?
Argument (reply to forum question):
Did the main argument give reasons that were connected to one
another and then did these reasons have a connection to the
conclusion? Did the main argument show good development?
Conclusion:
Was the conclusion written according to week 1 directions with
font made blue and restricted to two sentences or less?
The Age of Consequences, Viewing Set
“We must contemplate some extremely unpleasant possibilities
simply because we want to avoid them.”
Conflict
1. What climate factor and what crop created local support for
the Taliban in Afghanistan?
2. What climate factor frames the civil war in Syria? When did
the climate event begin? How
many people were displaced by it? How much did Syrian cities
grow in that period? Was the
drought in the region due to climate change?
3. What did ISIS promise to those who were displaced in the
Syrian region? What resource fear

3. drives ISIS strategy?
Instability
4. What climate factors caused the conflict in Somalia in the
early 90s?
5. Around 2000 who began to recognize the connection between
climate change and national
security? What was the name of the 2003 Pentagon study that
announced the policy change?
6. What group composed of Generals from all five services has
changed the government’s
conversations on climate change? When did they release their
initial study? Do they continue to
support this policy direction?
7. What is the Quadrennial Defense Review? What has it
concluded about climate change?
Unrest
8. In 2010 what happened to the wheat crop in Russia, Ukraine
and China? What were the
consequence of the climate event?

4. 9. What effect did Russian cut off of wheat exports have on
Egypt? Did the consequences of this
situation factor into the Arab Spring uprisings?
Capacity
10. Does the National Security Strategy include climate change
among the top eight threats to
national security? What climate event provides an example of
the collapse of US infrastructure?
11. What does Norfolk VA house? What climate factor
seriously threatens it? How often does the
US military receive a request for help due to climate change?
12. What happened to state structures during the 2005 Katrina
aftermath?
Poverty
13. On what assumption is society built?
14. What has been happening in Darfur Sudan since 2003?
What has happened to Lake Chad? How
many people depend on it? What group has taken advantage of
the region’s climate-related
instability?

5. 15. What are countries like China doing to secure arable land in
West Africa?
Migration
16. How many people do UN agencies estimate have been
displaced by climate factors?
17. What region is experiencing a migration crisis caused by
instability in Syria and the Middle East?
18. Is there a status called climate refugee under international
law? Is this omission deliberate?
Collapse
19. What does sea level rise mean for Bangladesh? How many
people will be displaced by a one
meter sea level rise there? What has India done to Bangladesh?
Why has it taken this action?
Dependency
20. What does the US spend a lot of time projecting power to
protect? Why?

6. 21. How much natural gas and oil reserves are the Arctic
Circle?
22. What does the US capacity for military projection entirely
depend on?
23. What is the Department of Defense currently investing in?
Adapation
24. Define energy independence?
Making
Arguments,
Part
I
CONCLUSIONS

7. Goal:
To
think
about
the
simple
structure
of
an
argument.
Many
people
have
shared
with
me
over
the
years
that
philosophy
is
about
expressing
opinions.
That’s
not
at
all
accurate.

8. Philosophy
is
about
making
arguments
and
arguments
aim
to
convince
and/or
arrive
at
the
truth
about
something.
Thinking
about
the
structure
of
arguments
helps
to
make
better
ones.
Arguments
give

9. reasons
that
support,
or
fail
to
support,
a
conclusion.
Conclusions
generally
appear
at
the
end
of
the
argument
after
all
the
reasons
have
been
given.
Example:
If
I
see
a

10. friend
and
she
has
on
a
pretty
lavender
shirt
I
might
say,
“That
color
looks
great
on
you!”
I
have
given
her
my
opinion.
Neither
of
us
need
say

11. anything
more
(though
she
might
say,
thanks!)
On
the
other
hand:
I
might
say
to
my
girlfriend,
“Women
should
only
wear
dresses.”
She
would
(trust
me!)
disagree
and
I

12. would
then
(if
I
am
really
out
of
my
mind)
try
to
convince
her
that,
‘yes,
they
should
only
wear
dresses.’
Now
I
have
stated
something
that
requires
an
argument.

13. I
might
support
my
first
statement
with
the
following:
“Women
look
better
in
dresses.”
“They
are
easier
to
make
than
slacks.”
“They
are
cooler
in
a
tropical
climate.”
“Therefore
women
should

14. only
wear
dresses.”
(Conclusion)
The
reasons
for
this
conclusion
may
all
be
lame
and
even
wrong.
However,
I
give
them
here
to
support
my
conclusion
to
convince
her
I
am
right.

15. Again:
In
arguments
reasons
are
given
that
support,
or
fail
to
support,
a
conclusion.
Conclusions
come
at
the
end
of
arguments.
They
are
often

16. introduced
by
key
words
and
phrases
like
the
following:
Thus….
Therefore….
We
can
conclude…
It
can
be
inferred…
Hence…
As
a
result…
So…

17. Then….
Accordingly….
FOR
OUR
FIRST
DISCUSSION
FORUM,
I
want
you
to
identify
the
conclusion
of
the
argument
you
make
in
response
to
the
forum
question.
VERY

18. IMPORTANT,
type
your
conclusion
in
blue
font
and
place
it
at
the
END
of
your
argument.
In
this
conclusion
use
one
of
these
key
words
above.
Your
conclusion
must
be
a
one

19. or
two
sentence
statement
only!