Download Renewable Energy Change

Renewable Energy Change
Vincent Nguyen
Sub Topics:
• Environmental Damage
• Renewable Source Options
• Public Opinion
Environmental Damage (Background and
Argumentative)
Author: J Kousen teaches high school biology and water analysis in Hobart,
Indiana.
Title: Human Impact On the Natural Environment
Contributions: The source talks about how in the past, human nature often
helped benefit the natural environment through the creation of artificial
environments and soil cultivation. Now, human pressure on natural
environments is greater than before in terms of magnitude and efficiency in
disrupting nature and natural landscapes. It explains how much damage has
been done to the environment and what led to the damage. Then the source
goes on to argue that without any change in current methods of energy
retrieval and also how humans treat pollution/waste, then the rate of
climate change is going to only further increase.
Environmental Damage (Background and
Argumentative)
Author: John P. Houldren PhD. is a professor in the Energy and Resources
Program at California Berkeley.
Title: Human Population and the Global Environment
Contributions: This article argues about how environmental damage is due
to the population size and the population growth over the years. It talks
about how the scale of damage is constantly increasing due to the
population requiring more and more since it keeps on growing. The
environment gets more and more polluted and torn down generation after
generation. Over many generations, the agriculture and hunting has caused
the natural balance to be disrupted. Natural preys and predators are extinct
causing there to be an imbalance. At the end, it explains that the
environment is at the brink of permanent damage so if we act now, then
there is a chance of bringing back what was once a thriving ecosystem.
Environmental Damage/ Renewable Source
Options (Background)
Author: British Broadcasting Corporation
Title: Energy Resources
Contributions: This article explains in detail about each individual nonrenewable energy source such as coal, oil, natural gas, biomass, and wood. It
lists the advantages and disadvantages of each non-renewable source as well
as where it comes from. Statistical data is then shown for the estimated
length of time left for the fossil fuels. Then, it goes and compares the
different types of renewable energy sources of solar, wind, tidal, wave,
geothermal, hydrological, biomass, and wood. It explains the same as the
nonrenewable but also warns that biomass and wood can only be renewable
if trees and crops are replanted. Lastly, the source explains how countries
can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% if they reduce the
demand for energy and increase the supply using renewable sources.
Renewable Source Options (Background and
Argumentative)
Author: Seth Atchue
Title: How Reliable is Solar Power?
Contributions: This article is on the SunWorksUSA website which provides
information about solar energy and how it can benefit customers. This article
talks about how cost efficient solar energy is and how it is plentiful. The
prices of solar power are increasingly dropping allowing the installations of
more panels. It helps me argue for energy renewal change and is part of the
answer to the research question of how efficient are the renewable energy
sources and how it effects the environment. It talks about the downsides of
solar energy due to location such as the UK where the sun may only shine for
less than half of the day and also how the battery to store the energy is still
being improved on. Lastly, it explains that solar panels last typically 25 years
or longer and how it stores its energy generated by the sun.
Renewable Source Options (Background and
Argumentative)
Author: Mike Conley
Title: Let’s Run the Numbers Nuclear vs Wind and Solar
Contributions: It addresses more than one of my research questions by
providing data and different solution options to my topic. It was able to
answer how clean these renewable sources are and how efficient. It
explains what would happen if we do not take action and change our
current methods. In the article, it provides statistical data and tells how
much it would cost to power the entire country using each source of
energy. It provides evidence through citing many credible government
and environmental company websites where it received its statistical
data from.
Renewable Source Options (Background)
Author: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Title: Learning About Renewable Energy
Contributions: This article describes all the current possible options of
renewable energy sources. It goes beyond just the wind, solar, nuclear,
and geothermal. It talks also about how the ocean, biomass, and
hydrogen are able to create energy as well as being renewable. The
article is able to list the pros and cons of each source of energy and
how certain sources are better than others at specific locations. It talks
about how the technology is advancing for each source and how it is
currently being used.
Renewable Source Options (Background)
Author: U.S. Energy Information Administration collects and analyzes energy
information to promote the sound policy making and the public
understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the
environment.
Title: Nonrenewable Energy Explained
Contributions: The article explains what non-renewable energies are and
why they are harmful to the earth. The nonrenewable energy sources come
out of the ground as liquids, gases, and solids. It informs that all fossil fuels
are nonrenewable but not all nonrenewable energy sources are fossil fuels.
Also, the article talks about each nonrenewable energy source and how it is
beneficial and harmful. Using statistical data, the source explains about each
non-renewable energy source and how much is required of each to reach a
certain energy level compared to what it would require a renewable energy.
Public Opinion (Argumentative)
Author: Mark Brandly Ph.D. teaches economics at Patrick Henry College and
is a member of the Board of Scholars of the Virginia Institute of Public Policy.
Title: The Case for Nuclear Power
Contributions: Dr. Brandly makes a case for why nuclear power is the best
source of renewable energy compared to the other available options. He
answered one of my research questions about is there a societal push that is
required to occur in order to change? He talked about how
misunderstandings about nuclear power has made the industry a political
target. He acknowledges the downsides of nuclear power and also provides
evidence for why public opinion on nuclear power plants are so low. Lastly,
he provides statistical data on how efficient nuclear energy is and how little
uranium is needed to power the whole country.
Public Opinion (Argumentative and
Background)
Author: United Nations Environment Programme is the leading global
environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda and
serves as an advocate for the global environment.
Title: Climate Change Mitigation
Contributions: This source provides a lot of background information about
non-renewable energy and renewable energy. It talks about the benefits of
the use of renewable sources of energy being less polluting. Change to
renewable energy needs to occur soon because it is a key element in the
effort to avert climate change. It explains that the public opinion is the first
step to creating a big change to how the US and the world gets its energy.
The public has to agree and help make the conversion possible or else the
current methods are going to stay in place.
Public Opinion (Argumentative and
Background)
Author: Yale
Title: Yale Project on Climate Change Communication
Contributions: This poll has been conducted by Yale on adults in the
United States. It asks about what are the adult’s beliefs, risk perception
about climate change, and policy support. Within those three
categories, questions were asked with the adults answering yes, no, or
maybe. The polls showed an estimated percentage of the adults in each
state and how they view climate change. This helps in many ways
because it shows statistical data for public opinion to help my
argument and also it shows that the public are not too concerned
about the current effects but are in favor for a change in public policy
to combat climate change.
Synthesis
The subtopic of environmental damage was support by “Human Impact on Natural Environment” in which J Kousen explains how in
the past, humans cultivated the land making richer soil and created new environments which benefitted the who ecosystem where as
now a days, we are greatly damaging and destroying our environment through pollution and deforestation. Professor John P.
Houldren argues in “Human Population and the Global Environment” that the damage to the environment is due to the human
population growing at such a rapid pace so the requirement for more and more energy is causing the environment to suffer. This
leads to the article “Energy Resources” in which BBC lists each non-renewable and renewable source to explain their pros and cons
and how countries can reduce their carbon footprints by decreasing the demand for energy and increasing the supply using
renewable sources. My subtopic about renewable energy options was backed up in the source “How Reliable is Solar Power?” Seth
Atchue talks about how solar power has been effective in other countries such as Germany and that it can be used to power the US to
reduce carbon emissions up to 90%. In both “Let’s Run the Numbers Nuclear vs Wind and Solar” and “Learning About Renewable
Energy” by Mike Conley and NREL respectively, they talk about the pros and cons of each source and how much it would cost to
power the entire country. Mike Conley also argues that nuclear power should be used much more due to its relative small size
compared to the power it can generate and that the United States should follow the lead of France in creating more nuclear
generators. “Nonrenewable Energy Explained” by the U.S. Energy Information Administration give background information about
where the nonrenewable sources come from, their pros and cons, and compares how much resources it would require between nonrenewable and renewable energy methods to reach a certain energy level. My argument for why public policy is important for any
change to occur is supported by Professor Mark Brandly in his article “The Case for Nuclear Power” where he argues that the
misunderstanding and the lack of information given to the public about nuclear power has caused the public opinion to be negative
towards building more generators. In the “Climate Change Mitigation” article by the UNEP improves my argument of public opinion
being important by explaining that the first step to any change is by changing the opinion of the general public because without their
support, the change is not going to be possible. Lastly, the “Yale Project on Climate Change Communication” is a poll on the view of
the public in the US which shows statistical data and the percentages of US adults' opinion on different topics surrounding climate
change and environmental damage.