Issue Map: Causes, Impacts, Solutions
A topic is a label. An issue is a system. Your infographic needs one focused issue, not a list of everything wrong with the planet.
Success criteria
- I can turn a broad topic into one focused sustainability issue.
- I can explain at least two causes, two impacts, and two solutions.
- I can identify the people and groups affected by the issue.
- I can write research questions that will lead to evidence, not opinions.
From topic to issue
| Too broad | Focused issue | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| The environment | Food waste in Australian school lunches | Specific setting, audience, and action. |
| Climate change | How one local council is cutting transport emissions | Narrow enough to research and design. |
| Fast fashion | The environmental cost of disposing of cheap clothing | Focuses on one part of a large system. |
| Plastic | Why soft plastics contaminate kerbside recycling | Explains a problem and points to a solution. |
Your assessment asks for one focus point of sustainability linked to the documentary you studied. A focused issue can still show a whole system: causes, impacts, solutions, and the people involved.
The four-part issue map
Causes
What produces or maintains the problem? Look for individual choices, infrastructure, economics, policy, and culture. Avoid stopping at "people are lazy".
Impacts
What happens because of it? Include environmental, social, and economic effects. Separate local impacts from global ones.
Solutions
What could reduce the cause or the impact? Include everyday actions, community projects, business changes, and government policy.
Stakeholders
Who is affected, who has power, and who is missing from the conversation? This helps you choose an audience and a call to action.
Worked example: food waste
This example is a planning model, not a set of statistics to copy.
| Part | Example entries |
|---|---|
| Causes | Buying more than a household needs; large portion sizes; date-label confusion; schools and shops throwing away unsold food; packaging that hides spoilage. |
| Impacts | Wasted water, land, energy, and labour; methane from food rotting in landfill; higher household bills; food insecurity for people who cannot afford enough. |
| Solutions | Meal planning and shopping lists; smaller portions; sharing surplus food; school composting or worm farms; clearer date labels; council food-waste collection. |
| Stakeholders | Students, families, supermarkets, cafes, farmers, councils, food charities, packaging designers, policymakers. |
Think beyond the bin. "Recycle more" is a solution, but it does not address why so much waste is produced. A strong infographic usually combines a behaviour solution with a system solution.
Build your map
Choose one issue from the documentary or the class topic. Fill the table with short phrases, then circle the two causes and two solutions you can actually verify.
| Prompt | Your notes |
|---|---|
| My focused issue is... | |
| It matters locally because... | |
| Cause 1 | |
| Cause 2 | |
| Impact 1 (environment) | |
| Impact 2 (people or economy) | |
| Solution 1 (individual or community) | |
| Solution 2 (business or policy) | |
| Most affected stakeholder | |
| Stakeholder with power to change it |
Turn the map into research questions
- What is causing ... in [place or system]?
- How does ... affect [people, place, or ecosystem]?
- Which solution has the strongest evidence of working?
- What does [source] say about the scale of the problem?
- Whose voice is missing from this issue?
Sentence frames for your planning booklet
Common mistakes
- Choosing a topic instead of an issue. "Water" is a topic. "Household water use during drought" is an issue.
- Blaming only individuals. Individual choices matter, but infrastructure and policy shape those choices.
- Listing solutions without causes. If the solution does not answer a cause, it is probably decoration.
- Using a statistic without a source. A number is not evidence until the reader knows where it came from.
- Copying an infographic from the internet. The assessment is your design and your explanation.
Exit ticket
In three sentences, explain your issue, its most important cause, and one solution you will research. Underline the stakeholder who needs to act.
Keep this map. It becomes the content backbone of your infographic and the evidence for your planning booklet.