CURRENT EVENTS

Understanding current events is an important part of social studies.

Current events range from local all the way to international. Today, you
will be investigating 1 current event from around the world. You will
pick 1 news article and identify the 5 Ws of Journalism.
Who - Is the article talking about?
What - Is the article talking about?
Where - Is this taking place?
When - Is this taking place?
Why - Is this important?

Title of your article: ______________________________

Who: __________________________________________
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What: _________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Where: ________________________________________
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When: _________________________________________
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Why: __________________________________________
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Plastic pollution in the ocean

affects even the tiniest of
creatures
By Adam Vaughan, The
Guardian,

Scientists are worried

about what small pieces of
plastics, called
microplastics, are doing to
the oceans tiniest
creatures, zooplankton.
They will travel across the
Atlantic Ocean to study the
problem.
Zooplankton, small oceanic animals, are important for the sea's food web. They feed fish who
feed other fish, right up to the fish we eat. Without them, these fish would starve.
Still, scientists are not sure how bad the pollution has become in the wild. A group of scientists
will leave England on Tuesday. They will travel around the Atlantic Ocean to see how common
it is to find microplastics in wild zooplankton.

Microplastics Are Bad For Zooplankton

Madeleine Steer is a scientist at Plymouth University in England who will be part of the voyage.
She described the side effects zooplankton suffer after eating microplastics. They die earlier
and have trouble reproducing. Sometimes, they might even change how they act and become
easier to kill. "Basically its not good for them, theyre going to die, she said.

She added that people have not studied how microplastics affect zooplankton in the wild. She
said there have been studies on what microplastics do to some sea creatures, but not the
bottom of the food chain.
Steer will wake up at four in the morning. She will spend 12 hours putting down nets to catch
as much zooplankton as possible. Steer has to start early because more zooplankton come to
the surface when it is dark. At night, they are less likely to be eaten by predators.

Microbeads Have Been Banned

In the Atlantic Ocean, the currents meet and circle around in the center in the north and south.
Plastic is caught in the currents and gets stuck in these circles. Speer noted that because of
the countries on either side of the ocean, it was already quite polluted."
More and more people are concerned about microplastics. The government in the United
Kingdom followed the American government earlier this month when it said it would not let
people use microbeads, a kind of microplastic. These are found in household products like
face scrubs.
Steer says the United Kingdom is off to a good start. However, stopping the use of microbeads
would not address bigger problems of plastic pollution at sea. They have not done anything
about microfibers in clothing, for example. Steer says these are more common than
microplastics in the ocean.
Scientists will travel up to 600 miles a day on the British Antarctic Survey boat.

Native Americans fight oil pipeline project near

reservations
By Los Angeles Times,

ALONG THE CANNONBALL

RIVER, N.D. Hundreds of
years ago, Native Americans
built homes here. They were
called the Mandan people.
Now, Native Americans from
different tribes are living there
again. They sleep in teepees
and tents. They ride horses
and drive pickup trucks. They
have been coming from all
over United States. Some have brought their children. They are gathering to protest an oil
pipeline. It is called the Dakota Access pipeline. It could carry more than 400,000 barrels of oil
a day. The pipeline will run from North Dakota to Iowa. It will be 1,100 miles long and cost
about $3.7 billion.

Construction Is Halfway Finished

The pipeline is halfway finished. A sheriff has stopped construction. The construction stopped
just north of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier said the protesters
are creating safety problems. Nearly 30 protesters have been arrested in the last few weeks.
The protest started this spring. A small group of Native Americans started a prayer camp.
Since then, environmental groups have gotten involved. Even some Hollywood actors have
joined them. One of them is Shailene Woodley.

Hurts Water Supply On Native Lands

The Standing Rock Sioux have asked a judge to stop the pipeline. They claim the government
should not have allowed it. The tribe said the pipeline would hurt their ancient places. Also,
their water supply could be in danger.

The government told a judge last week that it followed all the rules. Energy Transfer Partners is
building the pipeline. It said a pipeline is safer than trains for moving oil.

Others Are Upset, Too

Others are upset about the pipeline as well. Farmers in Iowa say it will damage their soil.
Some people worry the government will take their land. The government will use it for the
pipeline.

Taking The Protest To Washington, D.C.

Jasilyn Charger is 20 years old. She ran with other young Native Americans all the way from
North Dakota to Washington. They were protesting the pipeline. She remembers the early days
of the protest.
When they started, people thought they were crazy, she said. "Look at where we are today."