Research Final Draft – Pure Power: Clean power needs clean delivery

While new sources of energy are often the focus of environmental discussions, little thought is given to the logistical infrastructure that is needed and how improving this system will bring about benefits just as much as a new power source. Some of the new challenges caused by alternative energy sources such as solar power that only produce power in daylight, can also be overcome with improved infrastructure for power grids. The electric grid of today is outdated and in desperate need of an upgrade (FitzPatrick, 2012). Old grids of simple wires and transformers designed to move power short distances will not be able to keep up with alternative energy sources. Storage needs to be a part of any truly efficient electrical network; today’s electrical supply has no storage. If companies and consumers can handle the upfront costs of rebuilding the grid; all parties will benefit greatly in the long run. Although new alternative sources of energy need to be found for the United States, the infrastructure that will handle and use that power must be upgraded as well because of old power grids, little storage capacity and economic benefit for all.

The electrical infrastructure today is a massive technical marvel of immense proportions. The problem of controlling the massive amount of power and complexity of “the grid” falls to groups called Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs). These organizations are the current system of large scale movement of energy between companies. RTOs are nonprofit organizations that are responsible for connecting the individual networks of utility companies (Greenfield, 2011). These RTOs allow for electricity to be moved to where it is needed. When it is needed, this committee is finite and can only act on the limited information available today. The current power system doesn’t inform the supplier where the power is going. The only way to receive minimal information is by using smaller grids that don’t allow for long distance power transmission. So how can this information be gathered and how can it be used? What needs to happen is the grid needs to “smarten” up. A two-way system of electricity and data returns equals better usage of our resources. The so called “smart” grid adds a new dimension to the traditional one way system currently in place. Instead of blindly pumping power through the transmission lines and not knowing the use or waste of that power, the smart grid can inform the producers of who needs power and how much (Bushby, 2011). By using constant monitoring technology power companies can know what every user is using instantly. This allows for a computerized grid to react in real time. Power can be directed to where it would be most effective, and surpluses and shortages can be corrected. This will give RTOs a better chance of making good decisions regarding power production. Another possible solution is called “A day-ahead energy market simulation framework.” This network uses past data and future predictions to tell how much energy should be produced by a power plant (Palma-Behnke, 2012). These predictions will become more important as smaller, more decentralized generators come online. If everyone puts a solar panel on their roof, suddenly there is a varying amount of power being put in the grid that the power company can’t control. Knowing what will happen a day in advance will allow power companies to maximize profits and minimize waste. Besides prediction, a Smart grid allows for instantaneous transfers of power across states and countries. If the wind picks up in Utah and the grid realizes that there is a surplus, it can send that power to Oregon, where the solar plants are under cloud cover. This shuffling of resources saves a coal plant in Oregon from turning on to cover and saves the wind companies from losing money on power plants with no customers.

The solar radiation power plants and wind power plants offer great sources of renewable energy but the sun is not always shining when it is needed and the wind doesn’t blow consistently. The addition of storage to a wind or solar system can also make these technologies competitive with conventional technologies. The ability to control when power is produced greatly affects the ability to make profit (Sioshansi, 2011). For example, if a solar plant has no storage, it pours energy out during the middle of the day when energy is cheap and this makes the price fall more. When the sun goes down, people go home and start using power but the solar plant has no supply to meet the demand. By adding storage, plant managers can release power when it will create the most profit, making this alternative source more desirable for the capitalist market. There are many new options to store energy besides just hooking a lot of AAs together. While standard batteries are a good option, they break down, are inefficient, and are expensive. Some simple materials can be used in unusual ways.  Systems that use compressed air can be used exclusively for storage or for storage as well as production. A plain tank of compressed air has energy that can be put through a turbine and converted to electricity. Air that is compressed by the waves of the ocean not only creates clean, renewable energy but also storable energy. Waves are used to compress a chamber on the shoreline and the air in this chamber is pressurized then converted to power when needed. The technology to store air is available and well tested. High levels of efficiency, up to 85%, are possible with compressed air power systems (Garvey, 2012). Another simple solution is a tank of water stored underground. By heating the water with solar energy then storing it underground, its heat is preserved until it is needed to heat a building (Yumrutaş, 2012). While this is not a solution for mass energy storage, every house that uses this system does not need power from elsewhere for heating. Many complex systems can also be used with even greater success. Latent heat energy systems which use the energy storage potential of phase change (such as ice becoming water) to store up to 14 times more heat than non-phase based storage methods. Instead of heating water up and storing it as warm water, a material that has a low evaporation temperature is heated past its boiling point then stored. This technology utilizes the idea of latent heat which is that materials absorb much more energy when changing state. By exploiting the natural phenomena of latent heat, energy can be stored in quantities never thought possible before. Raising the temperature of water from 99 degrees Celsius to 100 degrees takes 500% more heat energy then heating water from 0 to 99 degrees. Using special materials that are selected for this purpose allows this method to do more than water and ice could ever do. Materials can be selected that have higher latent heat demands than water. The more energy a material needs to heat up the more heat it will release as it cools. By using chemicals such as lauric acid, large amounts of heat energy can be stored for many uses (Desgrosseilliers, 2011). Special artificial paraffin capsules have also shown promise as a material that holds heat to extreme temperature yet does not degrade after hundreds of recharging cycles (Su, 2012). The problem of storage can be countered by using chemical reactions to store the energy until needed. Instead of directly making electricity, solar heat is used to split water or drive other processes. Water can easily be broken down to hydrogen and oxygen, which can be used to create power with zero pollution. By coating electrodes in exotic metals, researchers have created solar power systems that can take sunlight and use it to break water into its base components. When power is needed and the sun is not shining the hydrogen and oxygen are reintroduced back into the water and this releases electricity on demand. (Myers, 2011) This new technology allows for clean, alternative energy that can supply electricity whether the sun is shining or not. The only byproducts are oxygen, which all life needs to live, and hydrogen, a fuel that burns perfectly cleanly. A motor running on hydrogen puts off water vapor as exhaust. Any technology that produces all good byproducts should be invested in heavily. One of the biggest advantages of breaking apart water or some other compound is that no insulation is needed. While a tank of superheated water or sodium will eventually cool, hydrogen and oxygen will keep their energy potential until they are remixed. Instead of using heat that naturally dissipates, the chemical bonds are what the energy is stored in. By not needing to be kept hot, chemical solutions allow for infinite storage times. The insane amounts of heat easily available from solar reactors, up to 2000K, make these chemical reactions possible and economical (Heintz, 2012). Two thousand degrees Kelvin is enough heat to easily melt steel and break down many chemical compounds, not just water. Every chemical bond that is broken takes energy and when the compounds recombine that energy is released. Flywheel Energy Storage Systems are another solution for storing energy to be released later. A spinning wheel contains energy that can be used later to turn a generator. While simple flywheels run on metal bearings and can lose energy to friction, new versions run on magnetic bearings inside a vacuum. With no mechanical resistance or air resistance, these wheels can hold energy for longer periods of time with minimal loss (Prodromidis, 2012). Massive banks of flywheels can wind up and store a huge amount of power for later use. By using storage to get the most out of our resources, the environment would benefit from reduced emissions while companies would benefit from maximized profits.

However, upgrading the United States utility grid to a smart grid and adding storage would not be easy. The large initial expenses lead companies to drag their feet.  The costs of upgrading are passed down to consumers who don’t like paying more; this causes public opinion to turn against this needed technology. Even though studies have shown that over a twenty year period the smart grid and storage will pay for itself, (Fox-Penner, 2011) no customer wants a higher bill and no company wants to lose profit. What people need to realize is the overall gains far outweigh the temporary costs. The smaller utility companies have a much harder time fronting the cash needed to upgrade their systems to a smart grid due to less capital and fewer customers (Chun, 2011). This problem can be solved with closer cooperation between large and small companies to share resources and increase profits even faster. By working together, everyone would benefit. Planning these new systems would be difficult, but humans don’t need to do it all. Bacteria can plan our power system better than we can; a method of planning networking reconstruction is to use a “bacterial foraging optimization algorithm” (Sathish Kumer, 2012). This equation is based on bacterial growth models and can find the network setup that loses the least energy. By studying the natural organization of bacteria foraging, scientists developed a mathematical formula that can create the optimal design for power distribution. Evolutionary algorithms are designed to solve non-linear problems that computers are not very good at solving. When single celled organisms can create better solutions then humankind, things need to change.

Between new storage technology and better designed transmission systems, there are many ways the problem of an aging energy infrastructure can be addressed. If millions of dollars are being poured into new ways of creating energy, it only makes sense to improve the support system equally; otherwise all the work goes to waste. These ideas need to be used. Power companies need to research ways to upgrade and modernize their systems. When they do look closely at green solutions they will find that the company will benefit both environmentally and economically by upgrading their networks. The companies that first embrace this new technology will lead the way for the industry. When the industry begins to adapt the vital infrastructure needed, the ultimate winner will be the environment and therefore people everywhere.

References

Bushby, S. T. (2011). Information Model Standard for Integrating Facilities with Smart Grid. ASHRAE Journal, 53(11), B18-B22.

Chun, S., Sandoval, R., Arens, Y., Sarfi, R. J., Tao, M. K., & Gemoets, L. (2011). Making the smart grid work for community energy delivery. Information Polity: The International Journal Of Government & Democracy In The Information Age, 16(3), 267-281.

Desgrosseilliers, L., Safatli, A., Osbourne, N., Marin, G., White, M., Murray, R., & … Groulx, D. (2011). Phase change material selection in the design of a latent heat energy storage system coupled with a domestic hot water solar thermal system. ASHRAE Transactions, 117(2), 183-190.

FitzPatrick, K. (2012, January 23). Upgrading the electric grid. Retrieved from http://sites.duke.edu/sjpp/2012/upgrading-the-electric-grid/

Fox-Penner, P., Faruqui, A., & Grasso, D. (2011). Moving to the smart grid. Issues In Science & Technology, 27(4), 12-16.

Garvey, S. D. (2012). The dynamics of integrated compressed air renewable energy systems. Renewable Energy: An International Journal, 39(1), 271-292. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2011.08.019

Greenfield, D., & Kwoka, J. (2011). The Cost Structure of Regional Transmission Organizations. Energy Journal, 32(4), 159-181. doi:10.5547/ISSN0195-6574-EJ-Vo132-No4-7

Heintz, A. (2012). Solar energy combined with chemical reactive systems for the production and storage of sustainable energy. A review of thermodynamic principles. Journal Of Chemical Thermodynamics, 4699-108. doi:10.1016/j.jct.2011.08.023

Myers, A. (2011, June 20). Stanford team devises a better solar-powered water splitter. Retrieved from http://news.stanford.edu/news/2011/june/solar-water-splitter-062011.html

Palma-Behnke, R., Jiménez-Estévez, G., Vargas, L. S., Handschin, E., Uphaus, F., & Hauptmeier, E. (2012). A day-ahead energy market simulation framework for assessing the impact of decentralized generators on step-down transformer power flows. International Journal Of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, 35(1), 10-20. doi:10.1016/j.ijepes.2011.08.009

Prodromidis, G. N., & Coutelieris, F. A. (2012). Simulations of economical and technical feasibility of battery and flywheel hybrid energy storage systems in autonomous projects. Renewable Energy: An International Journal, 39(1), 149-153. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2011.07.041

Sathish Kumar, K. K., & Jayabarathi, T. T. (2012). Power system reconfiguration and loss minimization for an distribution systems using bacterial foraging optimization algorithm. International Journal Of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, 36(1), 13-17. doi:10.1016/j.ijepes.2011.10.016

Sioshansi, R. (2011). Increasing the value of wind with energy storage. Energy Journal, 32(2), 1-29.

Su, J., Wang, X., Wang, S., Zhao, Y., & Huang, Z. (2012). Fabrication and properties of microencapsulated-paraffin/gypsum-matrix building materials for thermal energy storage. Energy Conversion & Management, 55101-107. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2011.10.015

Yumrutaş, R., & Ünsal, M. (2012). Energy analysis and modeling of a solar assisted house heating system with a heat pump and an underground energy storage tank. Solar Energy, 86(3), 983-993. doi:10.1016/j.solener.2012.01.008

Essay 1 Revision – Nuclear Power: Is It Really All That Bad?

On March 11^th 2011, a massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan. The first reports focused on the waves’ damage to city after city and town after town. Then all reports focused on one place, Fukushima. What was special about this town? Did many people live there? No, it was a coastal town with the same damage as every other fishing community. The only difference was that a couple of water pumps were damaged. The problem was that these pumps cooled a nuclear power plant. The lack of cooling started a chain of events resulting in explosions and spreading radiation. These events caused considerable discussion and questioning of the safety of nuclear power. This questioning is not going to help the environment. The problems facing the world today are numerous: humans are running out of oil sources, greenhouse gases are changing our climate and there are few ready alternative sources of power available. Humankind, for the most part, has done nothing to curb the effects of global warming. We are waiting for an easy way out while burning coal and oil to power our homes. Of course we can’t just stop making electricity and wait for a perfect energy source. We don’t have the time. However, there is a technology that is developed and ready to be used, that can produce massive amounts of power and no uncontrolled pollution. The human race cannot stand around waiting for a new energy solution to appear, we must use the nuclear technology available now to create clean energy today. Although nuclear power is often viewed as dangerous, it causes more good than harm because of its efficiency, cleanliness and safety.

Efficiency is the key to any good power source and nuclear energy has considerable advantages over other power sources. Every year the United States burns 1 billion tons of coal to make electricity.  Sixty-thousand tons of Uranium would create the same amount of energy; a small fifty gram Uranium pellet puts off the same amount of energy as 1780 pounds of coal (Klimas, Anderson & Azadian, 2006). Instead of using a solid chunk of coal the size of a refrigerator, two pieces of uranium the size of a pair of dice can be used. The ease at which this can be dug up and transported can make a huge difference in efficiency of the fuel. Only one truck is needed to drive the fuel to the power plant instead of a mile-long train. The less fuel used lowers the amount of work and energy going into getting the fuel. Although Uranium is more expensive than coal, the plant needs much less; each kilowatt-hour created by nuclear power (1.76 cents/per kilowatt-hour) is cheaper than coal (2.21 cents/per kilowatt-hour) (Klimas, Anderson & Azadian, 2006). The fuel supply is a huge factor to consider when selecting a power plant. Oil and coal are running out. Uranium is still easily mined and will continue to be for years after oil and coal mines have dried up. Also, some reactors are set up to recycle used nuclear fuel and create more fuel (Yangco, 1996). Let’s see a coal plant do that: burn 50 tons of coal and end up with 60 tons. This process is not science fiction and can stretch the use of the fuel many times. This efficiency is a solid advantage nuclear power has over other forms of alternative energy. Unlike solar or wind, a nuclear plant can provide vast amounts of constant, reliable energy. They are also exempt from many kinds of fuel shortages. Uranium is evenly distributed around the globe so a conflict in the Middle East will not affect energy prices here (Yangco, 1996).

The biggest advantage for the environment over conventional energy plants is that a nuclear power plant puts out no pollution during operation (Clyde, Schleier-Smith & Tseng, 1996). No air pollution equals no gases released into atmosphere equals no contributing to global warming. This is much different from the smoke belching coal plants that produce 40% of the CO² released by the US, and that cause endless health problems (Godin, 2011). The massive amounts of dangerous gases released are uncontrollable and deadly. Air pollutants can never be controlled while radioactive waste can be put in containers and stored. Coal plant air pollution kills 1,000,000 people every year. The nuclear plant radiation from Chernobyl is expected to cause early death in about 4,000 people, (Godin, 2011) but that was an accident, not routine operation. The accident in Japan was a small release that had nowhere near the potential for killing compared to Chernobyl. The only time people are hurt by nuclear power is when something goes wrong. Coal pollution kills when everything goes right.

Nuclear power has a different kind of pollution: radiation. The disaster in Japan and the past disasters of 3 Mile Island and Chernobyl created massive amounts of fear in the general public. Anything that can silently penetrate walls and produce cancer, radiation sickness, and death is scary. Nuclear waste will continue to give off radiation for thousands of years. However, radiation is not understood well by the general public. Radiation is normal. Two of the three disasters mentioned really didn’t cause much human damage. At 3 Mile Island some people received 0.3% more radiation than normal (Yangco, 1996). The Japanese incident is still too recent to see health trends and Chernobyl was not actually a meltdown, it was an explosion and fire caused by the mishandling of chemicals and steam, not run away nuclear reactions. Even after releasing huge amounts of radiation Chernobyl did not kill many people when compared to the ongoing deaths from coal. Something that is not widely known is that radiation is everywhere, from bricks to fire. Everyday objects give off small amounts of reaction, while fires release natural radiation from those same materials. Taking a plane trip gives your body a dose of radiation from outer space. These are all normal and non-dangerous exposures to radiation. More radiation is released burning coal then from a nuclear power plant, even one with a leak (Klimas, Anderson & Azadian, 2006)!

I can only hope that nuclear power production does not get stifled by the fears. This form of clean energy has to be utilized if we as humans want to keep our way of life. The path humanity is on — one of dwindling of fossil fuels and a planet that is inhospitable — is unacceptable and dramatic action needs to be taken soon. Nuclear power may not be the final answer to our problems, but it can fill in and power the world until better technology is discovered. A look at the efficiency, cleanliness, and safety of nuclear power reveals a power source that has too much positive potential for the environment and our future for us to ignore.

References

Clyde, J., Schleier-Smith, J., & Tseng, G. (1996, October 28). Nuclear energy. Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/3471/nuclear_energy_body.html

Godin, S. (2011, March 13). Deaths per twh by energy source. Retrieved from http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/03/deaths-per-twh-by-energy-source.html

Klimas, R., Anderson, D., & Azadian, N. (2006, December 13). Nuclear power pros and cons. Retrieved from http://www.eng.fsu.edu/~azadini/group/website/

Yangco, R. (1996, June 06). The pros and cons of nuclear energy. Retrieved from http://members.tripod.com/funk_phenomenon/nuclear/procon.htm

Essay 1 Revision

The third longest river in the world is also the longest river in Asia. The ancient Yangtze River begins its life high upon the Tibetan Plateau in Western China. The spark of its life is derived from glacial runoff. This runoff is joined by small streams and creeks as it descends from its lofty Tibetan perch. The river gains volume and ferocity as it tumbles and roils towards China’s east coast. As the river nears the coast, it splinters apart to form the capillaries of the Yangtze River Delta. For centuries, this unrelenting river etched its pathway unmolested across China, splitting the country in two. However, in 2006 the completion of the Three Gorges Dam forever changed the ecology, environment, and destiny of the river. The Yangtze is not alone. According to an article by David Biello (2009) called “Dam Building Boom: Path to Clean Energy,” the world has as many as 48,000 hydroelectric dams. These dams provide electricity to millions of people. According to Mara Hvistendahl’s article (2008) called “China’s Three Gorges Dam: An Environmental Catastrophe,” the Three Gorges Dam alone will generate 18,000 megawatts of electricity. That is eight times the amount of electricity generated by the America’s Hoover Dam. However, this green source of energy has a dark side. Although hydroelectric dams are believed to provide a relatively clean source of electricity, they cause an increase in greenhouse gases because flooding destroys carbon dioxide filtering vegetation and forests, decomposing organic material releases methane and stored carbon dioxide into the water, and the dam’s turbines release these gasses into the atmosphere.

Dams have a very simple yet extremely functional design. Simply build a wall across a river and effectively stop it in its tracks. Provide a pathway for the water to escape to the other side of the dam. This pathway is called a penstock. The penstock is filled from near the base of the dam thereby pulling water from near the bottom of the reservoir. At the end of the penstock the water enters a large chamber that houses the blades of the turbines. The water spins the blades of the turbines which generates the electricity. Once the water has passed the turbine blades it is spat out the back side of the dam where it is free to continue its journey downstream. When fish enter the turbine system the outcome is nearly always fatal for the fish (Carr 2012, Ferguson 2011, Keefer 2010). The amount of electricity generated depends on how much water is let through the penstock. On days where there is little electricity needed then only a little water is let through. On days where much more electricity is needed then more water can be let through. Dams will also open the penstocks fully to drain large amounts of water to accommodate floodwater during rainy seasons and during spring snow thawing.

However, by placing a dam in the river water begins to build up on the upriver side. Often a large lake will be formed. These lakes are called reservoirs. The reservoir can be massive. This flooding alone often has serious consequences for people. The flooding from the Three Gorges Dam created a lake that was so large it displaced nearly 1.3 million people. Deep beneath this lake rests the skeletal remains of a forest. This forest was once thriving, absorbing carbon dioxide to grow and releasing precious oxygen as a result. The lake that developed behind the Three Gorges Dam covers 468 square miles of land that once grew vegetation and forests. Imagine how much forested land has been destroyed by the flooding behind the world’s 48,000 hydroelectric dams. There are also thousands of acres of forested land that must be cleared to resettle the 1.3 million displaced residents. A dam in the Nile River drainage displaced nearly 50,000 residents (Bosshard 2009). Also, land must be cleared for the electrical transmission lines and other necessary dam projects.

Once the land behind a hydroelectric dam has been flooded, and the forests and vegetation are all dead, the biological material begins to decompose deep below the surface of the lake. The dead biological material such as the trees, plant and animal matter is attacked by microscopic bacteria. Some bacteria called aerobic bacteria need oxygen to live as they begin to break down the plant and animal matter (Demarty 2011). As these bacteria live, they release carbon dioxide. Other bacteria, called anaerobic bacteria, do not need oxygen to live. As these bacteria break down the animal and plant matter, they release a toxic combination of carbon dioxide and methane gas. This gas is released into the surrounding water by the bacteria where it then resides until it can be released into the atmosphere. The flooding caused by the dam is not the only source of this organic material. The dam also works like a net and water filter. Any plant or animal matter that is carried by the river from further upstream is stopped by the dam. Trees, branches, driftwood, and animal matter are all trapped behind the dam. This material sinks to the bottom of the lake where it will also decompose. Therefore, dams create a continual source of decomposing material which will release greenhouse gases. The production of greenhouse gases has been found to increase in dam reservoirs that are located in tropical climates.

Some of the gas is oxidized in the water to form carbon dioxide which is released at the surface of the lake by the gentle agitating motion of the waves and wind (Roland 2010). However, most of the methane gas remains suspended in the deep water. As the dam releases water through the penstock the water becomes highly agitated by the movement. The spinning of the turbines, and eventually the turmoil caused by spilling from the down river side of the dam will cause most of the greenhouse gases to be released. The rest of the greenhouse gases will be released from the water as it continues its journey downstream. According to a report by International Rivers Network (2012) called “Frequently Asked Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Dams,” as much as 104 million metric tons of methane gas will annually be released by the large dams of the world. This release of methane gas is responsible for as much as 4% of humankind’s warming impact on the planet. Methane gas in the atmosphere traps more heat than carbon dioxide. The International Rivers Network (2012) report states that dams are responsible for 23% of the world’s methane gas production. According to International Rivers Network (2012), hydroelectric dams actually are less environmentally-friendly than fossil fuel burning facilities when generating the same amount of electricity:

“Large hydropower reservoirs in the tropics can have a higher global warming impact per kilowatt hour generated than fossil fuels, including coal.” (International River Network 2012)

There are some methods to curb the production of greenhouse gases in dam reservoirs. Prior to the flooding of a proposed dam reservoir area it is possible to log off forested areas to cut down on the volume of organic material that will be covered with water. This is by no means a cure all. It would be impossible to fully remove all material from a proposed flood zone. The sheer volume would be incomprehensible. However, the removal of large timber would cut down on a large proportion of organic material. When the Three Gorges Dam reservoir flooded it covered numerous villages, cities and towns. This flooding added inorganic trash and material to the reservoir’s collection of decomposing sediment. Additional problems arise when dam building is proposed in tropical climates such as Brazil where a large scale dam on the Amazon River is proposed. The dam, named The Bella Monte, would be the third largest hydroelectric dam in the world. The flooding that would ensue from the construction of this dam could flood large portions of pristine Amazon rainforest. This flooding would release a catastrophic volume of methane gas into the atmosphere.

In addition to releasing vast amounts of toxic greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, dams have other effects on the environment (Grahm-Rowe 2005, Marriot 2010, Mourad 2011) around them. Up river flooding can cause serious seasonal flooding of agricultural and natural wetlands. The flooding of agricultural lands not only affects those that depend on agriculture but this flooding also releases toxic pesticides and poisons into the river water. Flooding natural wetland ecosystems with many times the normal amount of water can destroy these delicate ecosystems. Many natural wetlands are destroyed and cannot ever recover from the flooding. Continuious flooding of a seasonally flooded region upsets breeding, spawning, and migratory schedules of numerous species of aquatic wetland indigenous creatures. An unknown number of delicate and endangered species can be wiped out by this flooding (Lopez-Pujol and Ming-Xun 2009). Dams also inhibit migrations of keystone fish species such as salmon. The loss of salmon and salmon habitat can impact hundreds of species of birds, fish and mammals that rely on salmon as a food source (Welch 2008). The Three Gorges Dam also threatens endangered species such as the Yangtze Alligator and the Yangtze Freshwater Dolphin. These species are found nowhere else in the world. Hydroelectric dams also increase the chances of landslides upstream of the dam where the reservoir erodes riverbanks. Large scale land slides into reservoirs have often caused large waves that flood river side villages leaving death and destruction in their wake. Cities that were destroyed by the Three Gorges Dam reservoir, released and unknown amount of human sewage, toxic waste, petroleum products and trash into the water system. These underwater ghost cities will undoubtedly pollute the Yangtze for generations to come.

Although hydroelectric dams were once thought to be the best source of electricity, new studies have proven that hydroelectric dams are no better, and in some cases a worse method of generating electricity. Hydroelectric dams can produce stunning amounts electricity. However, the release of methane and other greenhouse gases from hydroelectric dam reservoirs, especially those in tropical climates can in fact make hydroelectric dams less efficient than fossil fuel electric facilities that produce similar amounts of electricity. Methane production in reservoirs can be cut down by the removal of plant and animal matter from proposed dam reservoir areas prior to flooding however it cannot be eliminated completely. Dam reservoirs will always continue to produce greenhouse gases. As the human race continues to grow and expand into previously untouched wilderness the need for more and more electricity generating facilities will also grow. The damming and building of hydroelectric dams will continue and the subsequent production of greenhouse gases will also increase. Not only do humans increase greenhouse gases by building hydroelectric dams, but humans also inadvertently decrease the planet’s ability to filter carbon dioxide form the atmosphere by killing the vegetation in a proposed reservoir flood area. With today’s technology it is no obvious better or worse method for producing electricity. Each need must be analyzed and examined to determine the best method of electrical production whether it be a fossil fuel burning facility or a hydroelectric dam or a nuclear power plant. It is up to humankind to determine the appropriate method of generating electricity for a certain area. There may never be a single environmentally sound method of electricity generation. Every method of electrical generation has downsides. The safest choice is for every single person to attempt to cut down on unnecessary use of electricity. Every person can lead by example and cut down on unnecessary use of electricity. Turning off lights after leaving a room, unplugging unused electrical appliances when not in use because many appliances contain clocks which are continuously drawing current. It is cutting down on the small uses of electricity that can add up to save large volumes of power. By cutting down on the need for electricity, the need for large scale hydroelectric dams can be cut down. This cutback on electricity is the best method currently available to humans to keep planet Earth green.

References

Biello, David. “The Dam Building Boom: Right Path to Clean Energy” Yale Environment 360. Feb 23, 2009 http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_dam_building_boom_right_path_to_clean_energy/2119/>.

Bosshard, Peter, “China Dams the World” World Policy Institute 26, no 4 (2009) http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/detail?vid=25&hid=14&sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-ba49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=46730738

 

Carr, J.W. and F.G. Whorisky “Migration of Silver American Eels past a Hydroelectric Dam and Through A Coastal Zone” Fisheries Management and Ecology 15, no 5/6 (2008) 393-400. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/detail?vid=25&hid=14&sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-8a49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=34883128

 

Demarty, M and J. Bastien, “GHG Emissions from Hydroelectric Reservoirs in Tropical and Equatorial Regions: Review of 20 Years of CH4 Emission Measurements,” Energy Policy 34, no. 7 (2011): 4197-4206. http://dx.doi.org.proxy.library.uaf.edu/10.1016/j.bbr.2011.03.031

 

Ferguson, John W et al, “Potential Effects of Dams on Migratory Fish in the Mekong River: Lessons from Salmon in the Fraser and Columbia Rivers” Environmental Management 47 (2011) 141-159. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/detail?sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-8a49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&vid=22&hid=14

 

Grahm-Rowe, Duncan. “Hydroelectric Power’s Dirty Secret.” New Scientist. Feb 24, 2005 <httrp://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7046-hydroelectric-powers-dirty-secret-revealed.html>.

 

Hvistendahl, Mara. “China’s Three Gorges Dam : An Environmental Catastrophe.” Scientific American. 3 Feb. 2012. 25 Mar. 2008 International Rivers Network. 3 Feb. 2012. < http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=chinas-three-gorges-dam-disaster&gt;

 

International Rivers Network. 3 Feb. 2012. International Rivers Network. <http://www.internationalrivers.org/files/GlobalResGHGsFAQ.pdf&gt;.

 

Keefer, M. L. et al. “Prespawn Mortality in Adult Spring Chinook Salmon Out Planted above Barrier Dams” The Ecology of Freshwater Fish 19 (2010) 361-372. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-8a49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&vid=22&hid=14

Lopez-Pujol, Jordi and Ming-Xun Ren, “Biodiversity and the Three Gorges Reservoir: A Troubled Marriage” Journal of Natural History 43, no 43-44 (2009) 2765-2786. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-8a49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&vid=20&hid=110

 

Marriot, Joe et al, “Impact of Power Generation Mix on Life Cycle Assessment and Carbon Footprint Greenhouse Gas Results,” Journal of Industrial Ecology 14, no 6 (2010) 917-928. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-8a49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&vid=18&hid=110

 

Mourad, Ben Amor, et al, “Electricity Trade and GHG Emissions: Assessment of Quebec’s Hydropower in the Northeastern American Market (2006-2008),” Energy Policy 39, no 3 (2011) 1711-1721. http://dx.doi.org.proxy.library.uaf.edu/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.01.001

 

Roland, Fabio et al, “Variability of Carbon Dioxide Flux from Tropical (Cerrado)

Hydroelectric Reservoirs,” Aquatic Sciences 72 (2010) 283-293. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/detail?sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-8a49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&vid=19&hid=110

 

Welch, David W. et al, “Survival of Migrating Salmon Smolts in Large Rivers With and Without Dams” PloS Biology 6, no 10 (2008) 2101-2108. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-8a49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&vid=22&hid=14

Research Part 5 Final Draft: The Dark Side of Hydroelectric Dams

The Dark Side of Hydroelectric Dams

The third longest river in the world is also the longest river in Asia. The ancient Yangtze River begins its life high upon the Tibetan Plateau in Western China. The spark of its life is derived from glacial runoff. This runoff is joined by small streams and creeks as it descends from its lofty Tibetan perch. The river gains volume and ferocity as it tumbles and roils towards China’s east coast. As the river nears the coast, it splinters apart to form the capillaries of the Yangtze River Delta. For centuries, this unrelenting river etched its pathway unmolested across China, splitting the country in two. However, in 2006 the completion of the Three Gorges Dam forever changed the ecology, environment, and destiny of the river. The Yangtze is not alone. According to an article by David Biello (2009) called “Dam Building Boom: Path to Clean Energy,” the world has as many as 48,000 hydroelectric dams. These dams provide electricity to millions of people. According to Mara Hvistendahl’s article (2008) called “China’s Three Gorges Dam: An Environmental Catastrophe,” the Three Gorges Dam alone will generate 18,000 megawatts of electricity. That is eight times the amount of electricity generated by the America’s Hoover Dam. However, this green source of energy has a dark side. Although hydroelectric dams are believed to provide a relatively clean source of electricity, they cause an increase in greenhouse gases because flooding destroys carbon dioxide filtering vegetation and forests, decomposing organic material releases methane and stored carbon dioxide into the water, and the dam’s turbines release these gasses into the atmosphere.

Dams have a very simple yet extremely functional design. Simply build a wall across a river and effectively stop it in its tracks. Provide a pathway for the water to escape to the other side of the dam. This pathway is called a penstock. The penstock is filled from near the base of the dam thereby pulling water from near the bottom of the reservoir. At the end of the penstock the water enters a large chamber that houses the blades of the turbines. The water spins the blades of the turbines which generates the electricity. Once the water has passed the turbine blades it is spat out the back side of the dam where it is free to continue its journey downstream. When fish enter the turbine system the outcome is nearly always fatal for the fish (Carr 2012, Ferguson 2011, Keefer 2010). The amount of electricity generated depends on how much water is let through the penstock. On days where there is little electricity needed then only a little water is let through. On days where much more electricity is needed then more water can be let through. Dams will also open the penstocks fully to drain large amounts of water to accommodate floodwater during rainy seasons and during spring snow thawing.

However, by placing a dam in the river water begins to build up on the upriver side. Often a large lake will be formed. These lakes are called reservoirs. The reservoir can be massive. This flooding alone often has serious consequences for people. The flooding from the Three Gorges Dam created a lake that was so large it displaced nearly 1.3 million people. Deep beneath this lake rests the skeletal remains of a forest. This forest was once thriving, absorbing carbon dioxide to grow and releasing precious oxygen as a result. The lake that developed behind the Three Gorges Dam covers 468 square miles of land that once grew vegetation and forests. Imagine how much forested land has been destroyed by the flooding behind the world’s 48,000 hydroelectric dams. There are also thousands of acres of forested land that must be cleared to resettle the 1.3 million displaced residents. A dam in the Nile River drainage displaced nearly 50,000 residents (Bosshard 2009). Also, land must be cleared for the electrical transmission lines and other necessary dam projects.

Once the land behind a hydroelectric dam has been flooded, and the forests and vegetation are all dead, the biological material begins to decompose deep below the surface of the lake. The dead biological material such as the trees, plant and animal matter is attacked by microscopic bacteria. Some bacteria called aerobic bacteria need oxygen to live as they begin to break down the plant and animal matter (Demarty 2011). As these bacteria live, they release carbon dioxide. Other bacteria, called anaerobic bacteria, do not need oxygen to live. As these bacteria break down the animal and plant matter, they release a toxic combination of carbon dioxide and methane gas. This gas is released into the surrounding water by the bacteria where it then resides until it can be released into the atmosphere. The flooding caused by the dam is not the only source of this organic material. The dam also works like a net and water filter. Any plant or animal matter that is carried by the river from further upstream is stopped by the dam. Trees, branches, driftwood, and animal matter are all trapped behind the dam. This material sinks to the bottom of the lake where it will also decompose. Therefore, dams create a continual source of decomposing material which will release greenhouse gases. The production of greenhouse gases has been found to increase in dam reservoirs that are located in tropical climates.

Some of the gas is oxidized in the water to form carbon dioxide which is released at the surface of the lake by the gentle agitating motion of the waves and wind (Roland 2010). However, most of the methane gas remains suspended in the deep water. As the dam releases water through the penstock the water becomes highly agitated by the movement. The spinning of the turbines, and eventually the turmoil caused by spilling from the down river side of the dam will cause most of the greenhouse gases to be released. The rest of the greenhouse gases will be released from the water as it continues its journey downstream. According to a report by International Rivers Network (2012) called “Frequently Asked Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Dams,” as much as 104 million metric tons of methane gas will annually be released by the large dams of the world. This release of methane gas is responsible for as much as 4% of humankind’s warming impact on the planet. Methane gas in the atmosphere traps more heat than carbon dioxide. The International Rivers Network (2012) report states that dams are responsible for 23% of the world’s methane gas production. According to International Rivers Network (2012), hydroelectric dams actually are less environmentally-friendly than fossil fuel burning facilities when generating the same amount of electricity:

“Large hydropower reservoirs in the tropics can have a higher global warming impact per kilowatt hour generated than fossil fuels, including coal.” (International River Network 2012)

There are some methods to curb the production of greenhouse gases in dam reservoirs. Prior to the flooding of a proposed dam reservoir area it is possible to log off forested areas to cut down on the volume of organic material that will be covered with water. This is by no means a cure all. It would be impossible to fully remove all material from a proposed flood zone. The sheer volume would be incomprehensible. However, the removal of large timber would cut down on a large proportion of organic material. When the Three Gorges Dam reservoir flooded it covered numerous villages, cities and towns. This flooding added inorganic trash and material to the reservoir’s collection of decomposing sediment. Additional problems arise when dam building is proposed in tropical climates such as Brazil where a large scale dam on the Amazon River is proposed. The dam, named The Bella Monte, would be the third largest hydroelectric dam in the world. The flooding that would ensue from the construction of this dam could flood large portions of pristine Amazon rainforest. This flooding would release a catastrophic volume of methane gas into the atmosphere.

In addition to releasing vast amounts of toxic greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, dams have other effects on the environment (Grahm-Rowe 2005, Marriot 2010, Mourad 2011) around them. Up river flooding can cause serious seasonal flooding of agricultural and natural wetlands. The flooding of agricultural lands not only affects those that depend on agriculture but this flooding also releases toxic pesticides and poisons into the river water. Flooding natural wetland ecosystems with many times the normal amount of water can destroy these delicate ecosystems. Many natural wetlands are destroyed and cannot ever recover from the flooding. Continuious flooding of a seasonally flooded region upsets breeding, spawning, and migratory schedules of numerous species of aquatic wetland indigenous creatures. An unknown number of delicate and endangered species can be wiped out by this flooding (Lopez-Pujol and Ming-Xun 2009). Dams also inhibit migrations of keystone fish species such as salmon. The loss of salmon and salmon habitat can impact hundreds of species of birds, fish and mammals that rely on salmon as a food source (Welch 2008). The Three Gorges Dam also threatens endangered species such as the Yangtze Alligator and the Yangtze Freshwater Dolphin. These species are found nowhere else in the world. Hydroelectric dams also increase the chances of landslides upstream of the dam where the reservoir erodes riverbanks. Large scale land slides into reservoirs have often caused large waves that flood river side villages leaving death and destruction in their wake. Cities that were destroyed by the Three Gorges Dam reservoir, released and unknown amount of human sewage, toxic waste, petroleum products and trash into the water system. These underwater ghost cities will undoubtedly pollute the Yangtze for generations to come.

Although hydroelectric dams were once thought to be the best source of electricity, new studies have proven that hydroelectric dams are no better, and in some cases a worse method of generating electricity. Hydroelectric dams can produce stunning amounts electricity. However, the release of methane and other greenhouse gases from hydroelectric dam reservoirs, especially those in tropical climates can in fact make hydroelectric dams less efficient than fossil fuel electric facilities that produce similar amounts of electricity. Methane production in reservoirs can be cut down by the removal of plant and animal matter from proposed dam reservoir areas prior to flooding however it cannot be eliminated completely. Dam reservoirs will always continue to produce greenhouse gases. As the human race continues to grow and expand into previously untouched wilderness the need for more and more electricity generating facilities will also grow. The damming and building of hydroelectric dams will continue and the subsequent production of greenhouse gases will also increase. Not only do humans increase greenhouse gases by building hydroelectric dams, but humans also inadvertently decrease the planet’s ability to filter carbon dioxide form the atmosphere by killing the vegetation in a proposed reservoir flood area. With today’s technology it is no obvious better or worse method for producing electricity. Each need must be analyzed and examined to determine the best method of electrical production whether it be a fossil fuel burning facility or a hydroelectric dam or a nuclear power plant. It is up to humankind to determine the appropriate method of generating electricity for a certain area. There may never be a single environmentally sound method of electricity generation. Every method of electrical generation has downsides. The safest choice is for every single person to attempt to cut down on unnecessary use of electricity. Every person can lead by example and cut down on unnecessary use of electricity. Turning off lights after leaving a room, unplugging unused electrical appliances when not in use because many appliances contain clocks which are continuously drawing current. It is cutting down on the small uses of electricity that can add up to save large volumes of power. By cutting down on the need for electricity, the need for large scale hydroelectric dams can be cut down. This cutback on electricity is the best method currently available to humans to keep planet Earth green.

References

Biello, David. “The Dam Building Boom: Right Path to Clean Energy” Yale Environment 360. Feb 23, 2009 http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_dam_building_boom_right_path_to_clean_energy/2119/&gt;.

Bosshard, Peter, “China Dams the World” World Policy Institute 26, no 4 (2009) http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/detail?vid=25&hid=14&sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-ba49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=46730738

 

Carr, J.W. and F.G. Whorisky “Migration of Silver American Eels past a Hydroelectric Dam and Through A Coastal Zone” Fisheries Management and Ecology 15, no 5/6 (2008) 393-400. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/detail?vid=25&hid=14&sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-8a49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=34883128

 

Demarty, M and J. Bastien, “GHG Emissions from Hydroelectric Reservoirs in Tropical and Equatorial Regions: Review of 20 Years of CH4 Emission Measurements,” Energy Policy 34, no. 7 (2011): 4197-4206. http://dx.doi.org.proxy.library.uaf.edu/10.1016/j.bbr.2011.03.031

 

Ferguson, John W et al, “Potential Effects of Dams on Migratory Fish in the Mekong River: Lessons from Salmon in the Fraser and Columbia Rivers” Environmental Management 47 (2011) 141-159. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/detail?sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-8a49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&vid=22&hid=14

 

Grahm-Rowe, Duncan. “Hydroelectric Power’s Dirty Secret.” New Scientist. Feb 24, 2005 <httrp://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7046-hydroelectric-powers-dirty-secret-revealed.html>.

 

Hvistendahl, Mara. “China’s Three Gorges Dam : An Environmental Catastrophe.” Scientific American. 3 Feb. 2012. 25 Mar. 2008 International Rivers Network. 3 Feb. 2012. < http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=chinas-three-gorges-dam-disaster&gt;

 

International Rivers Network. 3 Feb. 2012. International Rivers Network. <http://www.internationalrivers.org/files/GlobalResGHGsFAQ.pdf&gt;.

 

Keefer, M. L. et al. “Prespawn Mortality in Adult Spring Chinook Salmon Out Planted above Barrier Dams” The Ecology of Freshwater Fish 19 (2010) 361-372. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-8a49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&vid=22&hid=14

Lopez-Pujol, Jordi and Ming-Xun Ren, “Biodiversity and the Three Gorges Reservoir: A Troubled Marriage” Journal of Natural History 43, no 43-44 (2009) 2765-2786. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-8a49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&vid=20&hid=110

 

Marriot, Joe et al, “Impact of Power Generation Mix on Life Cycle Assessment and Carbon Footprint Greenhouse Gas Results,” Journal of Industrial Ecology 14, no 6 (2010) 917-928. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-8a49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&vid=18&hid=110

 

Mourad, Ben Amor, et al, “Electricity Trade and GHG Emissions: Assessment of Quebec’s Hydropower in the Northeastern American Market (2006-2008),” Energy Policy 39, no 3 (2011) 1711-1721. http://dx.doi.org.proxy.library.uaf.edu/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.01.001

 

Roland, Fabio et al, “Variability of Carbon Dioxide Flux from Tropical (Cerrado)

Hydroelectric Reservoirs,” Aquatic Sciences 72 (2010) 283-293. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/detail?sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-8a49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&vid=19&hid=110

 

Welch, David W. et al, “Survival of Migrating Salmon Smolts in Large Rivers With and Without Dams” PloS Biology 6, no 10 (2008) 2101-2108. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c23df883-04cf-428f-be65-8a49a40e683b%40sessionmgr15&vid=22&hid=14

Zach Horner Research Draft 2 Workshop

1. A large amount of material is made easy to understand and is very organized.

2. Any concerns?

3. Thesis is great, explains focus well.

4. Thesis correct and bold.

5. Essay has 1,911 words not including references.

6. This is an easy nine. Very interesting topic with many different facets considered in depth.

7. More discussion of ghost cities and the effect on the local people would strengthen your argument and be interesting to the reader.

8. There are no clear solutions presented in the conclusion and no clear call to action.

9. Add some solutions or call to action in the conclusion. Should all dams be returned to original state? No new dams? What is a good alternative?

10. Each paragraph relates well to the thesis.

11. Mostly good, the 5^th paragraph to 6^th needs some work. A quote ends and the new paragraph does not start smoothly at all.

12. Opening is much improved and captures my attention nicely. Maybe move first sentence down into the paragraph more.

13. Conclusion is logical and complete but needs a call to action.

14. Draft contains 13 sources with over 5 being scholarly.

15. Sources are pretty equally used.

16. Citations are done correctly and vary in format (not just (blah, 2012)).

17. No unused sources.

18. Good balance of opinion to quotes.

19. No long quotes.

20. No.

21. The only quote needs commentary after it. This would also help the transition to the next paragraph.

Looks great! A good paper got even better.

 

Responses #11-15

3 Articles

Article 1

1) Who is the audience?

This article, “How Factory Farms Are Killing Seals,” by Tom Philpott, is directed towards the general public and convincing them of the issues of releasing antibiotics into the environment. Most people are not aware of the issues associated with bulk food-animal farms.

2) What is the main point of the article?

This article is focused on alerting the general public to the issue of releasing antibiotics into the environment and the effect it has on oceanic mammals.

3) How is or isn’t the article effective?

This article is effective because it does not drown the reader in a pool of facts and graphs. This article provides just enough information to entice the reader to learn more and study further.

4) What’s the implication for the environment?

If people are not aware of this issue then no one will ever attempt to stop this. There are very dangerous and very real hazards to humans that can arise from this issue. The pandemic outbreak of antibiotic-resistant diseases is a very real possibility.

5) What are the counterarguments?  If there aren’t any addressed, say what they are.

There are not really any counterarguments. The meat farms simply deny the fact that there are any effects. They claim that there are no definite studies to back up the idea that there are hazards to dumping antibiotics into the waterways.

6) If you were to pursue this issue, what would you research next?

I would delve deeper into information regarding the deaths of the sea life, including mammals, fish and invertebrates. On top of that I would research the amount of antibiotics and other chemicals dumped into the waterways and their effects on the wildlife.

Article 2

1) Who is the audience?

A Popular Science article called “Fast Food,” discusses the 2009 completion of a vegetable-based Formula One racecar. This article is directed towards the average person that reads average magazines. It is not directed towards scientists or environmentalists. It is simply directed towards the average reader.

2) What is the main point of the article?

The main point of this article is to alert the average person to the new developments in green engineering. It alerts the average person to the new technology available to allow consumers to be green conscious.

3) How is or isn’t the article effective?

It is an effective article that shows the new technology for green engineering. It is not preachy and does not drown the reader in volumes of facts.

4) What’s the implication for the environment?

The implications are huge. New green vehicle technology can revolutionize the automotive industry and overnight create a competitive market that can produce high quality vehicles that are less harmful to the environment.

5) What are the counterarguments?  If there aren’t any addressed, say what they are.

There are no counterarguments addressed. However, I do foresee difficulties in promoting this technology to aircraft manufacturers and the military.

6) If you were to pursue this issue, what would you research next?

I would be curious what technologies have been developed. I would also be interested in the cost of manufacturing this technology for the average household vehicle.

Article 3

1) Who is the audience?

In the May 2009 issue of The Environmental Magazine, there is an article called “Eating Mercury.” This article is directed to the more healthy-eating population. This article is more likely to be overlooked by the average person.

2) What is the main point of the article?

The main point of this article is to provide the reader with information regarding the consumption of Mercury that is found in corn syrup.

3) How is or isn’t the article effective?

This article is a little dull to read, however, it is an interesting topic. The whole idea of corn syrup being the evil anti-Christ of society is rather overdone. However, Mercury being the culprit in corn syrup is a new take one it.

4) What’s the implication for the environment?

The implications from consuming Mercury are hazardous. Mercury consumption can affect nervous systems, fetal development and other developmental processes.

5) What are the counterarguments?  If there aren’t any addressed, say what they are.

No one argues that the consumption of Mercury is dangerous. However, recent studies have shown that the human body does no differentiate between the consumption of sugar cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup. The body simply understands sugar.

6) If you were to pursue this issue, what would you research next?

I would like to further understand the contamination of corn syrup by Mercury from factory processes. I would like to know exactly how much contamination there has been.

1        Website

1) Who is the audience?

This National Geographic Society website is directed towards the average person. It provides simple methods any person can follow to save electricity, insulate your house and other small scale green ideas that make an impact on a large scale.

2) What is the main point of the website?

The point of the website is to provide environmentally sound ideas for the average person to follow. National Geographic is a trusted website that everyone knows about and has heard of. This website is a good method of conveying green ideas to the general public.

3) How is or isn’t the website effective?

This website is effective because it is not directed to the intense environmentalist. Not everyone wishes to go to a dedicated environmental website. However, by having this important information available to the common person on a well-known and trusted website, it is possible to draw in a new crowd of people that are environmentally conscious and at the same time not eco-nuts.

4) What’s the implication for the environment?

This is an environmentally beneficial method of getting green ideas out to the general public. Aside from National Geographic being a trusted website, there is no pollution from websites. There are no advertisement handouts or flyers to get blown off of telephone poles or news boards. There are zero negative impacts from websites.

5) How does this website propose to fill a niche?

There are plenty of dedicated environmental websites that focus on the eco-junkie and radical environmentalist. However, this website is focused on National Geographic, but it provides a stable and trusted medium to convey this information to the general public.

6) What are the pros and cons that you can see of this purpose?

It promotes environmentally safe practices and methods of going green in the society of today.

 

 

1 Video

The movie Food Inc. discusses the issues with commercially produced foods. The movie covers topics such as bulk produced corn that finds its ways into the food sources of cattle. Since cattle are not genetically designed to consume corn this creates issues such as producing E.coli. The movie also discusses the use of corn in nearly every food product in today’s market. It then covers the problems with genetically modified seeds such as corn and soy.

On top of making the viewer afraid to eat almost everything in today’s world, the movie covers the abusive methods corporations treat the company employees as well as the abuse the animals suffer throughout their lives prior to slaughter. It discusses how animals are genetically modified to produce larger breasts or grow from a newly hatched chick to a fully adult chicken in only 49 days rather than 60 days. It is from these genetically modified animals that a majority of our meat products come.

Finally the movie discusses methods that the average consumer can follow in order to purchase organic foods. It also discusses ways which people can insist on only purchasing and eating organic foods, and once the demand for organic is high enough then corporations will begin to require organics be produced. The power lies with money. Once organic products become the money maker then corporations will begin to produce organic products.

The movie is extremely informative and is very easy to watch. It is produced in an entertaining fashion as to keep the viewer entertained without drowning them in tons of facts. The movie is designed to be watched by the average person and be understood by the average person. Overall it is a very entertaining and terrifying movie.

 

 

 

Works Cited

The Green Guide. National Geographic Magazine. 23 April 2012. http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/green-guide/

 

Food Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Participant Media. 2008.

 

Philpott, Tom. “Factory Farms Are Killing Seals.” Mother Jones.24 February 2012. http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/02/how-factory-farms-are-killing-seals

Gross, Alexandra. “Eating Mercury.” The Environmental Magazine.  1 May 2009. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=97ed8678-525d-4320-8878-4ab83e085e45%40sessionmgr15&vid=2&hid=8

 

Rdsenwald, Mike. “Fast Food.” Popular Science. 1 August 2009. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f9c69530-7b33-4898-a6e2-d93e71d453af%40sessionmgr4&vid=2&hid=8

Response #11-15

Response #11-15

Article #1

The very name of the article, How Factory Farms Are Killing Seals, is thought provoking. How can farms be harming sea creatures? Author Tom Philpott reveals an ugly side to farming that the industry wants covered up. This piece is written for anyone who doesn’t want the sea life of our planet to suffer for our need for cheap food. The focus of the article if the fact those bacterial strains that are easily killed by antibiotics get passed around in factory farms. The livestock are then treated with antibiotics but the bacteria are not all killed, it just moves from one animal to another, gaining immunity to the antibiotics. Eventually a super bug is created that makes its way into the ocean by way of animals feces in the watershed. Now a super strong, highly contagious bacterium is in the ocean food chain and spreads into animals. The animals’ immune systems where never designed to handle human enhanced germs and they suffer greatly. The truly scary part is these diseased animals are found in areas humans swim too. So now the problem has come full circle, and humans have to clean up their own mess. The writing itself is short and to the point, this makes the information effective and easily understood and obsorbed by the reader. The environment is already taking a hit for human messiness. Not only did farmers let the super bugs get into the natural environment, they failed to think of the results of craming millions of animals together and trying to kill every germ. There are no real arguments; the path of these bacteria can be traced from farm to seal. What I want to know is what can be done to stop this cycle before the super germs get into humans and we have no way to stop them. This need to be researched as it is a huge problem that we are creating diseases we can’t treat.

Article #2

While the title Navigating a Critical Juncture for Sustainable Weed Management is not the catchiest phrase ever, this article confronts a growing problem that will affect all members of society. Author David Mortensen highlights a growing problem that could destroy our food supply which would bring all of society crashing to a halt. Currently the common way to control weeds in a field of crops is to make those crops resistant to the herbicide that kills all the weeds. If the crop is genetically engineered to not die while a poison kills everything else growing in the field everything works out right? Wrong! The problem is that weeds are growing immune to the herbicide as well. Stronger and stronger chemicals are created to keep up with the weeds evolution. These chemicals pose a greater danger to the surrounding environment by seeping through the ground and casing pollution and other effects that are not completely understood. The article is pretty effective but uses too much wordy language. Simpler language would make the article more accessible to everybody. Again there is not much that can be argued the weeds are getting stronger and farmers have no permanent solutions. A deeper look at the effects of these stronger chemicals in the wild and a look at possible solutions would be greatly beneficial to the case Mortensen is making. If farmers keep going in the direction they are going now the weeds will outgrow the herbicides and humans will not be able to control them.

Article #3

At first I didn’t know what to make of the title of this article; German blue chip firms throw weight behind North African solar project. What does that even mean? Turns out some big companies in Europe are getting to getter to build giant solar plants in Africa and transmit all that power across the sea to Europe. It is a simple sounding plan but one with huge implications for all parties. Author Kate Connolly explores the many pluses and minuses to such a complex plan. The goal is to help all parties and get clean power to Europe. If this plan works it could be replicated around the world and its progress should be watched by all people who want clean energy. The article is effective in that it covers all sides and considers many views. It makes sure the African nations will profit from this new plan as well as the large European companies fronting the bill. The argument were made and countered that the long transmission of power may not be feasible. New technologies allow power to be sent longer distances for cheap and with little loss. The environment will benefit greatly because if the plan works, Europe will suddenly create no pollution to provide power to the many countries and peoples of the continent. I would like more information on how the power will get from one side of the Mediterranean to the other. There are many technical hurdles that must be met that the article does not fully cover.

Video

The movie Collapse hits the viewer like a slap in the face. Director Chris Smith holds back no punches in this movie built around a riveting interview of a prominent investigative journalist, Michael Ruppert. This film is aimed at all Americans who need to wake up and come to terms with the impending collapse of our civilization. Ruppert says that he is trying to reach out and educate people until he reaches “the hundredth monkey.” This saying is referring to a study conducted of monkeys where once a hundred monkeys learned a skill or new way of doing things the rest of the monkeys followed suit. Ruppert’s main point is to reveal the deep rooted problems America faces and to convince the viewer it is time to at and prepare for what is come; the end of the world as we know it. The movie is very effective in portraying the dark implications of what he is saying. The simple basement or bunker the interview takes place in sets a dark forbidding mood right from the beginning. Throughout Ruppert’s testimony videos and news clips show the evidence backing up what he is saying. The filmmakers also put in long blackouts that allowed the words to sink in to the viewer and emphasized important points. Environmentally this film didn’t talk about pollution or global warming specifically; it mainly was about how the environmental restraints, such as a limited amount of oil, are what will end the global economy. There are many counter arguments that are not addressed specifically. Ruppert at one point says he doesn’t do debates because he is right and the facts are with him. This also brings up the argument that this man is a crazy conspiracy theorist. The next thing to research would be to check if his predictions have come true in the past and where he gets his information. A fact check conducted independently by the viewer would add great weight to the words of this man. This movie does bring up a lot of questions and Mr. Ruppert seems to have all the answers, which is hard to believe.

Website

Trash Trip is a website dedicated to exploring waste that has been spread from coast to coast. There are many posts revealing the many deposits and uses of the trash everywhere. It also serves to highlight the massive quantities of valuable resources that go toward handling our trash. The website is very effective, using a blot style of postings and pictures to not just tell of the mess humans have made but also show it. The amount of pollution humans have put into the natural environment is unacceptable and all humans should be concerned. Our society cannot continue this way, we need to reduce our waste and find new ways to deal with the massive piles of trash that are destroying the world we live in. A counter argument is that this trash is not that big compared to the vastness of nature. This may be true if you just consider a bucket of waste just as a piece of trash. What this site points out is the potential for that waste to get in the water supply and contaminate and harm many forms of life. The website has found its focus and fills the role to show that damage our trash has on the world around us. I see no cons to its existence; all of humanity should see that we need to reduce our waste and clean up our planet. I only wish that more websites could show the damage humans have caused and that more people would pay attention.

Responses #11-15

 Video: Collapse

In this 2009 film, director Chris Smith documents an extensive interview with author Michael Ruppert. It’s relevance is particularly poignant given the timing of the film. After the economic crisis in late 2008, Michael Ruppert says “I told you so”. Ruppert identifies himself as an investigative journalist and advocate for sustainable living, Smith makes sure the audience is aware of claims that he is a conspiracy theorist. The interview highlights Ruppert’s career and his success in connecting the dots between oil industries, other energy options, and the crumbled economy. He claims that the way back down the bell curve for the human population is inevitable, and that it has been and can further be foreseen. From an environmental perspective, the film feels like a trustworthy source of the information it provides, Ruppert explains the human population’s complete drain and dependence on oil, and dissects the problems with all other known sources of alternative energy. The subject is clear to note that he has been targeted by people who did not want the news he carries to be known, and that these people include but are not limited to former vice president Cheney and former Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. Smith, using only style or maybe technique, seems to ask the audience to question Ruppert’s validity. The documentary closes noting that Ruppert’s personal and financial life are dim. If one were to dig into the subject of this piece, it might be interesting to look at who Ruppert’s followers have been, and who his predecessors might be.

Smith, C. (Director). (2009). Collapse [Documentary]. United States: Vitagraph Films

Website: EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency maintains a comprehensive website, and the options within are detailed and informative. While browsing around, one might, within a few clicks find themselves learning about the most responsible ways to dispose of prescription medications. It’s also an option to click on the state where you live, and gain detailed information about where their drinking water comes from and any concerns that might be prudent. Close to Earth Day? Find out about the history and customs surrounding Earth Day easily on this site. One may be concerned about rates of asthma, from a family perspective or from the perspective of someone involved with public health. Learn about indoor air cleanliness or focus on child friendly information. News and announcements about laws, policies, or recent disasters are also available. Or perhaps it’s necessary to calculate total household emissions or to calculate global footprint. If something in one’s community needs to be reported to authorities, if there is frustration about a possible violation of EPA regulations, options to report these can be found on this website. The other side of that coin is that all of the information provided on the site is coming from the government really, so for the environmentalist who has trouble trusting authorities, this website would be problematic. For anyone wanting to stay updated on legislations regarding environmental policy, this site is easy to navigate and extremely helpful. One would imagine this site is regularly visited by environmental activists or legislative lobbyists. The site seems necessary as the government’s environmental voice.

US Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). US Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved April 28, 2012, from http://www.epa.gov

 Article 1: How Factory Farms Are Killing Seals

Mother Jones exposes long range effects of heavy antibiotic use on livestock in this 2012 article. Upon autopsy of more than fifteen hundred seals in the Pacific Northwest over ten years, researchers discovered that more than thirty percent of them were killed by or were carrying infectious disease. Seals were even found to be carrying disease resistant to drug treatment, including E-coli. What the article suggests is that there is evidence leading to the conclusion that these large marine animals are falling victim to strains of infectious disease that absolutely originate with livestock inland. The idea is that through stream systems or rivers, disease is carried from the waste of animals heavily treated with antibiotics for frequent virus and infection, to the ocean where it is affecting the health of marine life. Confinement lots are well known to be hotbeds for infectious disease, and there are also theories that suggest a connection between the meat we eat and antibiotic resistance in humans. Those interested in this article would be anyone concerned about that, this article supports evidence that you can’t pump animals destined for consumption full of medicine and expect the effects to be confined to that particular lot. What is so concerning about the evidence presented in this article is the implication that there are no borders when it comes to these diseases. Pathogens and bacteria can jump species and location easily, making it all the more scary that humans a regularly in the same places that seals are in beach areas. The author makes a point of noting this fact as being pretty gross. There are long reaching effects, and this article creates a curiosity for more information about them.

Philpott, T. (2012, February 24). How Factory Farms Are Killing Seals. Mother Jones, n/a. Retrieved April 27, 2012, from http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/02/how-factory-farms-are-killing-seals

 Article 2: Sperm Whales Bear Testimony to Ocean Pollution

Studies are being reported that produce evidence suggesting that ocean life all over the world are in significant danger because of completely human created pollutants. DDT and PCBs are the most commonly found persistent organic pollutants, or POPs. Crews crossing the world’s oceans sampled sperm whales by carefully obtaining small pieces of their flesh without endangering them. Sperm whales hold a place in the ocean’s food chain make which makes their tissue a good indicator of the ocean’s health and the health of the ocean’s inhabitants, overall. Researchers also found elevated levels of mercury in sperm whales in specific areas of the globe. The implication of some of this research is that chemicals that are known to harm living things are limited very little in their ability to maneuver around the globe and from continent to continent, effecting animals on land and in the sea, large and small. This article is effective but too brief. There isn’t enough meat in the writing to pull out objections or arguments. It would be interesting to have something more extensive to read on the issue.

Ferber, D. (2005). Sperm Whales Bear Testimony to Ocean Pollution. Science Now, 2-3.

 Article 3: Fast Food.

One of the most frightening elements of peak oil as we know it is the degree to which we are all dependent on oil. Oil doesn’t just fuel things but is also the base of many plastics, so in terms of a vehicle there is much more oil involved than just what goes into the engine including the paint, interiors fabrics and plastic moldings. This article reports that in England, someone has created the greenest car ever. The car is actually a race-car, and at the time of the article had hit 135mph, but was projected to be able to reach 160mph with some work. Not only does the vehicle run on left over cooking oil from fish and chips, but the brake pads were created not from iron but from cashew shells. Inside the car, the steering wheel was produced by a hardened vegetable resin. Since this article is three years old, there should be information on what came after this! Have there been more of these? Whether there have or haven’t been more completely green race-cars, it would be prudent to know what the energy input is in producing the vehicle, and how much oil was necessary.

Rdsenwald, M. (2009). FAST FOOD. Popular Science, 275(2), 28.

 

Reading Responses 11-15

Article #1

Nell Greenberg in his article “Captain Charles Moore” talks about a large amount of plastic debris found in the Pacific Ocean known as “Pacific garbage patch”, and the impact plastics have in our oceans and the sea life.  He also talks about the importance of raising awareness and do our part.  This article focus is to invite people to take action whether interested in saving the environment or not, to create conscience so we all do our part.

Greenberg mentions that the small plastic particles that are floating in the sea are polluted since they serve as sponges absorbing anything oily.  Sea creatures are being affected from the tiniest particle to the biggest one.  These contaminated particles are being swallowed by fish, delivering contaminants and creating a catastrophic chain reaction with what I will call consequences bigger than expected.

Greenberg calls for people to do what is necessary to help with this growing issue.  On one of his examples he mentions about toothpicks being individually wrap, creating a lot of waste, that is not the only thing that comes wrap in the same format, and what about plastic plates, utensils, cups, slow cooker liners, disposable baking  pans, etc.  Do we get them just because we are lazy and rather throw away than wash, which will bring us to another dilemma the kind that one may argue, is it safer for the environment to wash dishes delivering dish soap to wherever the wastewater goes or use plastic and throw it away?

Reference

Greenberg, Nell. (2009). Captain Charles Moore. Earth Island Journal, 24(1), 47-50.  Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.uaf.edu/ehost/detail?sid=23f6a9c9-b65d-4c2e-a012-6243d479caa9%40sessionmgr11&vid=1&hid=15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=37332865&anchor=toc

Article #2

Tom Philpott in his article “How Factory Farms Are Killing Seals” explains how the routine use of antibiotics within the meat industry is creating a health problem due to drug resistant bacteria.  According to Philpott this bacteria’s beginning was probably in humans acquiring resistance to antibiotics after migrating into farm animals and once they became stronger this bacteria came back to the first believed host causing skin infections and other problems in farmers.

The use of routine antibiotics is definitely affecting humans but we are not the only ones being affected, as a consequence of our actions, there are other creatures paying for human’s actions too.  As Philpott mentions there are some terrestrial pathogens, to include E. coli that are affecting sea mammals such as seals and otters accounting for about 35 percent of their deaths.  Once the disease agents were identified the researchers reported that these agents were similar and sometimes genetically identical whether the mammals were terrestrial or marine.

Philpott mentions in his article that even though not all the pathogens are factory related they play an important role as we can see in the similarity of the abnormalities in farm animals and marine mammals.  Some of the strains of E. coli and Enterococcus found in these mammals are resistant to different antibiotics.  It is believe that the contamination found in the water is from manure making its way from the factory farms and ending up in streams and oceans.  Sometimes these contaminated waters are the same that are being consumed by humans.

Reference

Philpott, Tom. (2012). How factory farms are killing seals. MotherJones, 24(1).  Retrieved from http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/02/how-factory-farms-are-killing-seals

Article #3

Charles Duhigg in his article “Clean water laws are neglected, at a cost in suffering” describes once again the harm that pollution is doing to our planet.  Duhigg describes how bodies of water are being contaminated by different factors, from untreated human waste to liquefied faces from animal farms.  Duhigg utilizes this article to get people interested in a problem that is hurting human population as well as animals.

Water is the most valuable resource and it is a crucial element to life.  Every living organism depends on water to live that is why plenty of people has been exposed to contaminants in drinking water to include chemicals, toxins and other dangerous contaminants that cause cancer, birth defects, kidney damage, fertility, mental retardation and other problems.  Duhigg in his article shows how people’s teeth have been damaged due to the pollutants in the water.

Duhigg also talks about how the irresponsible behavior of several industries create pollution by disposing of harmful pollutants in the wrong place or the wrong way and authorities or state officials fail to give this violators any significant reprimand or fine.  Duhigg mentions that E.P.A. has also often failed to prosecute polluters or force the states to enforce this issue.

According to Duhigg if there is no tougher control and E.P.A. does not start enforcing its regulations, the use of rivers and lakes as dumping grounds will increase even more.  This problem is not a problem for a few this is an increasing problem for all of us, for our children, for our children’s children and it will affect every single living organism.  The Clean Water Act is for everybody’s best interest and needs to be followed.

Reference

Duhigg, Charles. (2009). Clean water laws are neglected, at a cost in suffering. The New York Times, A1.  Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/us/13water.html?pagewanted=all

Website

The Website Wildlife Conservation Society is a really interesting website that has several interesting links.  Animals are an important and essential part of our ecosystems and they too are being harmed in an increasing rate for human’s irresponsibility, and lack or care.  One of the main factors affecting our ecosystems is climate change, with that comes a domino effect that will affect every species around it.   The idea of this website is to create consciousness in people and make them aware of the conservation efforts around the world to save endangered species.

This website counts with some really interesting links, there are several of them that bring up different endangered species and besides talking about the problem that particular specie is encountering it helps the reader send a pre-narrated letter to the senator or representative that ask about assistance with FY13 funding for this particular projects.  Some other links talk about what someone can do to help with these projects.

In the news & features link of this website it shows the appearance in camera of an Ibis which is a rare bird that is found in Cambodia that I found to be amazing.  There is one more place that is really interesting to visit on this website, the one that shows that you don’t need to give a lot of money and that every little helps, it is as simple as buying stamps and send your letters with some support for endangered species and maybe promote it too.  There is no easiest way to be proactive and help.  Find them by just following the link.

Reference

Wildlife Conservation Society (2012).  Retrieved from http://www.wcs.org/?__utma=1.2017514895.1335593920.1335593920.1335593920.1&__utmb=1.2.10.1335593920&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1335593920.1.1.utmcsr=(direct)|utmccn=(direct)|utmcmd=(none)&__utmv=-&__utmk=247759495

Video

Amanda Zackem and Adolfo Doring in their video Blind Spot talk about the importance of fossil fuels in our lives and how unprepared we are to stop oil production.  Zackem and Doring also talk about how this energy will get to an end.

One question we may ask ourselves as mentioned in this video is why we do not wing ourselves away from oil, is it just convenience?  As mentioned by Heinberg the impact that humans have in the world is enormous.  Heinberg mentions that we will run out of oil by the end of this century.  Bartlett talks about something that is really true about us Americans, usually we are really good to respond to crisis but not to prevent it.

The population is growing at an extremely large great and the production of oil is starting to decline this is affecting prices as we see it.  Fuel prices goes up and everything goes up and when fuel prices come down the rest of the articles may go down some but not where they started.  Other solutions such as carbon affect our atmosphere greatly.

Jensen and Hitt talk about how we rip or blow up mountains to get mines, to get cheap electricity this is changing our lives and what our children will see.  Hitt talks about the possibility to push the planet to its tipping point.  Bartlett talks about how the world is being affected by population growth and our own behavior and no matter how we vote global warming is a reality.

Our planet needs us we need to start making smarter decisions, not just for us but for our future and our world.

Reference

Zackem, Amanda and Doring, Adolfo. (2008). Blind Spot.  Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/video/snag/vi3074949913/

Response #11-15

ARTICLE #1

How Factory Farms Are Killing Seals by Tom Philpott is written for the general public.  The article is intended to inform people of how the use of antibiotics on factory farms does cause adverse effects outside of the factory farm borders.  First, the overuse of antibiotics on factory farms helps create antibiotic-resistant pathogens.  When a pathogen transforms into an antibiotic-resistant form it becomes more dangerous since antibiotics, or at least certain antibiotics, will no longer work for a treatment option against the pathogen.  The article explains that although meat companies claim that the use of antibiotics on factory farms does not pose any harm to people or the environment.  The article discusses the fact that the antibiotic practices do in fact cause harm.  In a study the article addresses, it was found that there have been marina mammals that have died due to similar diseases as land mammals.  In some cases the diseases that have been discovered in marine mammals have been genetically identical to diseases that have been found in land mammals.  According to the article, it is probable that the pathogens made their way to the sea through manure runoff.  The manure runoff leaches into streams which eventually makes it out to the ocean.

The counterargument addressed is one that the author believes meat companies may use; antibiotic-resistant pathogens are contained within the confines of the factory farms.  It is already known that antibiotic resistant pathogens result from the overuse of antibiotics, so that would be a difficult counterargument for meat companies to make, leaving the meat companies with little left to argue.  The information given in the article squashes the possible counterargument because some marine mammals have been found to have genetically identical pathogens to some found in land animals.

The article identifies a counterargument at the beginning and then proceeds from there to explain how the counterargument can be disproved.  Further pursuit of this issue could be to research whether or not specific factory farms have been identified in polluting waters with the antibiotic-resistant strands present at those particular factory farms.  If any factory farms have been identified research could continue into whether or not any actions have been taken by those factory farms to prevent any future occurrences.

ARTICLE #2

Sperm Whales Bear Testimony to Ocean Pollution by Dan Ferber is a brief article with a target audience composed of people interested in scientific findings and perhaps also for people interested in the environment.  The main point of the article is to inform readers that pollutants are present within the oceans, which may have been believed to be clean and free of pollution.  The article provides information about research done on sperm whales in which a small portion of skin and blubber were collected and analyzed.  The study referred to includes samples from 424 whales, which is a significant enough number of specimen samples to start forming evaluations of the problems that exist in the ocean.  The article refers to the fact that the study provides evidence that the ocean is contains pollution.

No counterargument is present in this article.  The intent of this article seems to be an introduction to the idea that ocean waters are becoming polluted.  The article does do well introducing the issue but nothing else since it does not contain enough information or further information on the subject to truly convince people a problem exists and it needs to be addressed.  The implication for the environment is not addressed beyond the fact that evidence suggests the presence of pollutants in ocean waters.

I believe that further research about “CYP1A1, an enzyme that detoxifies pollutants,” would be beneficial if one wanted to pursue this issue.  A better understanding of CYP1A1 could provide a greater insight of the connection of CYP1A1 and pollutants in the ocean waters.  Finding other sources that provide more information about pollution in ocean waters would also be helpful.

ARTICLE #3

“German blue chip firms throw weight behind north African solar project”, written by Kate Connolly, was written with a wide ranging audience in mind.  The main point of the article is found at the end, that sustainable energy needs to be implemented but it needs to happen close to home.  The article opens with the thrilling idea of sustainable energy being a priority for big business, and the fact that it plans are being made to harvest the energy the sun provides, and make it available for Europe.  Yay, that is great!  But, wait, there is more.  The initial costs of this project are high, the energy would run many many miles, and there can be many other problematic factors that may crop up over time as well.  Then to top that off, control of energy still would not be widespread but concentrated still.  The upside is that sustainable energy is possible, but it would be best to find use sources closer to where the energy is actually going to be consumed.  The good thing is that some big business is recognizing the fact that sustainable energy is a necessity for the future.

The environmental implications of the plan to build solar power plants in Africa and transport the energy to Europe should be positive, and despite all the other issues the long distance and social stability of the areas the energy comes from or is transported through may present.

The article does recognize the counterargument of the use of cheaper fossil fuels since the solar power project would be quite costly and therefore not worth pursuing in the long run, especially since there are other problems on top of the cost.  The answer to the cost issue is in the conclusion that sources for sustainable energy should be much closer to where the consumption of the energy will take place.

In pursuing this issue one could research what possible sustainable energy could be harnessed closer to the regions the solar power is meant to supply energy to in Europe.

WEBSITE

The Local Burger website is the website for a restaurant in Lawrence, Kansas.  Although the website may be intended for the residences of the area mentioned, I believe that the audience base could be much broader.  The main point of the website is to advertise the business and express to potential customers that the food at Local Burger is good for them and the environment.  The website provides information about where the food used in the restaurant comes from.  Links are provided so that people can learn more about the ranches and farms that are suppliers for Local Burger and even visit the websites of the 4 out of 5 suppliers that have their own website.

This site is very effective at providing advertisement through its information about the food used in the restaurant, merchandise available, and a link for the restaurant menu.  The information provided about the food and how restaurant waste is handled both demonstrate how the restaurant provides healthy food and promotes a healthy environment.  The effects on the environment are positive.  The restaurant supports organic farming and local farmers, recycles, and composts.

Through the dedication Local Burger has for the health of its customers and for the environment this website is a great example of how other restaurants can be both more environmentally friendly and provide delicious, healthy food for their patrons.  This website offers a fantastic alternative to the foods served at nearly every other fast food restaurant.  The only con I can think of would be the cost of the food, but if the demand for healthier and environmentally friendly food, and food sources, would rise then eventually the cost could level out.

Now I am really wishing we had a Local Burger, yum.

VIDEO

The main point of the video Blind Spot is to inform an audience that there looms an energy crisis in the future and that it will have major and far-reaching impacts on the societies, on the world, as a whole.  As with many videos that are made, I believe that the intended audience is meant to be as many people as it can possibly reach.  In the Blind Spot there are some very well made points that would be good for the general public to hear.  The points I am referring to, in particular, are those that give recognition to the fact that often many times important information and issues are simply ignored, cause too much discomfort for people to want to think about, or that people may believe that other “intelligent” people will take care of any looming problems.  These ways of not dealing with what the future may actually hold, are how the “blind spot” in the realm of energy exists.  I think this video does a very good job at making and audience aware of the path the world is on when it comes to using fossil fuels for energy.  The video also does an excellent job at tying in impact people have on the energy consumption of fossil fuels and how there is a correlation between societies as a whole, the numbers of people and it’s government, and how fossil fuels are used.  The implications to the environment are the depletion of energy sources.  Although the video focuses mainly on fossil fuel consumption, other resources are mentioned as well, along with the resultant pollution.

The counterargument that there is enough fossil fuel, or that there are other energy resources out there is dealt with in the video by providing the information about how heavily people of the world rely on fossil fuels.  The video discusses the alternative of biodiesel fuel, which even I thought to be a great alternative and wondered why it isn’t more widely used.  The video goes into the fact that it takes more energy to make this sort of fuel than it outputs, making it a negative in energy it can provide.  Wow.  Not a good solution after all.

If one were to pursue this issue of fossil fuel consumption, the next step would be to research what kind of alternatives to fossil fuels are available, and whether or not they are viable for use as massively extensive as fossil fuels are.