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Ideas, Suggestions, and Potential Projects

You may select any global issue.

Numerous global issues are impacting human life and natural systems now and into the future. Clearly summarize the issue you have chosen and why it is important. Then present your solution and the problem it addresses.

Ideas from agricultural and natural resources

Issue: Food Production

Issue: Increasing human populations will need more food.

Why it's important: As the global population increases, food production must expand to meet the increased population demands.

Challenges: Existing crops must be improved, new crops developed, better nutrient management employed, and pest and disease management strategies improved to create sustainable production.

Identify one specific challenge and design a solution or invention that addresses that challenge while also potentially increasing food production overall.

 

Issue: Energy production

Issue: Energy needs to come from cleaner, sustainable sources. 

Why it's important: The demand for energy continues to rise. Conventional energy production (oil, coal) contributes to climate change, thus there are calls for energy production from cleaner and renewable sources.

Challenges: Innovation is needed for more energy production and management, as well as more energy-efficient electrical systems. Switching existing energy infrastructure to support new energy production is extremely costly.

Identify one specific challenge and design a solution or invention that addresses that challenge in order to develop cleaner, sustainable energy use.

 

Issue: Habitat Loss

Issue: Changes in climate is stressing natural ecosystems.

Why it's important: The quality of natural habitats is being reduced because of air pollution, drought, increasing temperatures, and increasingly changing weather patterns. Natural lands (aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, and tundra) need a diversity of habitats and species, adaptability, connectivity, and functional redundancy.

Identify one specific challenge and design a solution or invention that addresses that challenge while also potentially conserving natural resources overall.