“Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet” by Alex Epstein Essay Example for Free

â€Å"Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet† by Alex Epstein Essay Part 1: Graphical Representation Part 2: Summary of argument In the article â€Å"Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet† (Epstein, 2013), Alex Epstein’s main claim was that fossil fuels should be used without restriction as they provide reliable and affordable energy that improves the lives of mankind. Aiming to convince the reader fossil fuels should be freely used, he first argued that the energy provided by fossil fuels is vital to the health and well-being of mankind. He supported this by stating that processes such as purifying water, mass production of medicine and fresh food, heating and construction are vital in allowing mankind to lead healthy lives and being able to cope in harsh climates. Epstein stressed that none of these things would exist in the modern world without the energy from fossil fuels. Next, he argued that alternatives like renewable energy are not effective. He asserts that renewable energy is unreliable, not cost effective and also unable to be mass-produced. He supported this by saying that even after years of investments from many countries only accounts for less than 0.5% of the planets energy. Finally, Epstein concluded by stating that fossil fuels are not â€Å"dirty energy†. He supported this by saying current technology can reduce waste produced in using fossil fuels to a minimum. He argued that since all processes create some waste, any process can be considered â€Å"dirty† and rejected. Epstein hence contended that mankind should focus on building better lives by reaping the benefits of using fossil fuels rather than worrying about whether processes were â€Å"dirty† or not. Part 3: Evaluation of argument Epstein’s first argument is that the energy provided by fossil fuels is vital to the health and well-being of mankind. The assumption he makes in his argument is that burning fossil fuels is the largest or sole provider of energy to mankind. This is validated by empirical data collected on a  global scale from The World Energy Outlook 2013 (International Energy Agency, 2013) which recorded that 82% of the world’s total energy supply came from fossil fuels in 2011 and will likely only fall to 75% in 2035, remaining the major source of energy for years to come. The argument uses deductive reasoning to prove that the energy provided by fossil fuels is vital to the health and well-being of mankind based on the premise that the energy powers important machines and processes that mankind needs to thrive. Epstein supports this by listing processes such as purifying water, the mass production of medicine and fresh food, heating and construction. He states that these processes provides necessities that are key in keep sickness at bay and allowing mankind to cope with the often harsh climate, leading to what he claims to be the healthiest and cleanest living environment in human history. The evidence Epstein provides shows that the affordable reliable energy from fossil fuels provides important necessities such as clean water and medicine that is vital to the health and well-being of mankind. This is congruent to Dennis Anderson’s points in â€Å"World Energy Assessment: Energy and the Challenge of Sustainability† (United Nations Development Programme, 2000, Chapter 11 p.394) where he reports that the presence of modern sources of energy can improve the standards of living for billions of people across the globe, especially those in developing countries who lack access to basic services and necessities similar to those described by Epstein due to consumption levels of energy being far lower than those in industrialized countries. This shows the state of people who lack access to modern energy and how their lives can be greatly improved if more energy was available to them. Therefore since Epstein’s argument uses deductive reasoning to prove that the energy provided by fossil fuels is vital to the health and well-being of mankind, since the premise is true, the conclusion of the argument is valid. References Anderson, D. United Nations Development Programme, United Nations. World Energy Council. (2000). World Energy Assessment: Energy and the challenge of sustainability. New York, NY: United Nations Development Programme In: Chapter 11 Energy and Economic Prosperity. (P.394-411) Retrieved from http://www.undp.org/ International Energy Agency Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2013). World energy outlook 2013. Paris: OECD/IEA. Retrieved from http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/ Epstein’s second argument is that alternative sources of energy to fossil fuels are not as effective. The argument uses inductive reasoning as Epstein focuses on 2 alternative sources of energy and attempts to convince the reader of his argument based on their observed limitations. The premises offered are that renewable energy such as solar and wind is unreliable, not cost effective and also unable to be mass-produced. He is able to support this with his claim that even after years of investments from many countries renewable energy only accounts for less than 0.5% of the planets energy. He also supports this by quoting examples of some richer countries that have been unsuccessful in making renewable energies usable on a larger scale even after spending large sums of money, resulting in rising youth unemployment rates as high as 50% in Spain and electrical prices doubling in the case of Germany. These cases and facts accurately shows the limitations of renewable energies ment ioned in his premises. This is supported by Professor Barry Brook in his in-depth critique on renewable energy â€Å"Renewable Limits† (Brook, 2009, TCASE 4 7) where he states that input for energy for solar and wind is unreliable and also shows how costly and economically unfeasible it is to make solar and wind plants reliable on a global scale. The report demonstrates this by calculating the large amounts of materials and investment needed to make each renewable energy source reliable on a global scale e.g. 1,250,000 tonnes of concrete and 335,000 tonnes of steel per day from 2010 to 2050 for wind power to be reliable. Therefore, the facts in the premises Epstein offers are true. However, he chooses to purely focus on solar and wind as alternatives to fossil fuels and not on other more promising alternative sources of energy such as hydroelectric power or nuclear. Although he mentions them in his argument, acknowledging them as able to provide more significant and reliable power compared to solar and wind, Epstein fails to go any further in depth than that. The World Energy Outlook 2012 (International Energy Agency, 2012) showed that renewable energy is likely to grow to become the second-largest energy source by 2015, with its share of global power generation rising from 20% in 2010 to 31% by 2035 mostly stemming from hydroelectric power and nuclear power. Although the report states that this depends on continued subsidies, subsidies for renewable energy are also projected to reach $240 billion per year in 2035 from $44 billion in 2010, for 31% of global power. The report suggests that given enough time renewables like hydroelectric power and nuclear could be produced on a wide enough scale to compete with fossil fuels. This shows that the other alternatives not evaluated fully by Epstein are definitely gaining traction and support around the world and are able to produce affordable and reliable energy as well, potentially on a global scale given time. Although he claims to have focused only on solar and wind as environmentalists , opponents of fossil fuels, often only champion solar and wind power over nuclear and hydroelectric power, it is a very weak reason to not go into detail about these alternatives that are clearly gaining much traction and support around the world as shown in the source. Hence, Epstein fails to consider the full scope of alternatives in his argument and seems to focus only on alternatives that have clear limitations to strengthen his argument. Since his argument uses inductive reasoning to prove that alternative sources of energy to fossil fuels are not effective, based on the premises provided not painting a complete picture of the issue at hand, and the fact that the alternatives ignored show more promise than the ones mentioned in the premises, his argument is weak and not convincing. References Brook, B (2009). Renewable Limits | Brave New Climate. Retrieved from http://bravenewclimate.com/renewable-limits/ International Energy Agency Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2012). World energy outlook 2012. Paris: OECD/IEA. Retrieved from http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/

Standardized tests in Illinois Essay example -- Standardized Testing Es

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Standardized tests are administered to allow reliable and valid comparisons to be made among students taking the test. Two major types of standardized tests are currently in use; norm-referenced and criterion-referenced. A norm-referenced test is a test that has been given to representative samples of students such that norms of performance are established. Each student taking the test receives a score that can be compared to the norm or normal or sample of students. The scores are then reported in percentiles. The main purpose of these tests is to rank students along a distribution of performance. Because of this tests are likely to have items that are very difficult for the grade level so students can be ranked. A criterion-referenced test looks like a norm-referenced test but multiple choice items are used and directions are standardized. The reason these tests are administered is based upon the content that all students are expected to learn. Scores are based on the amount learned by the student and a passing score is then given. These scores are not compared to other students. Standardized tests are used to show how a student is doing. They can show if a program is working well and can show if the educators are using effective teaching methods. Schools are graded to see if there overall program is helping the student to achieve their goals. In the next paragraphs I am going to explain to you about the purpose of the American College Testing Program (ACT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Learned helplessness is a phenomenon containing three components: contingency, cognition, and behavior. Contingency addresses the uncontrollability of the situation. Cognition refers to the attributions that people make regarding their situation or surroundings of which they are a part. Behavior allows individuals to decide whether they will give up or proceed with the obstacle set before them† (Peterson, Maier, & Seligman, 1993; Firmin, Hwang, Copella, & Clark, 2004). When a student thinks about college he must take either the ACT or the SAT test to be admitted into the college. Students have a lot of decisions to make that can be stressful. Failure is an aspect that students fear and can determine whether they will succeed in life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ACT was founded in 1959. A l... ...t you are allowed to guess on the ACT and on the SAT if you are unsure you want to leave it blank because getting it wrong will give you a lower score.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you are graduating high school in 2006 and beyond there will be a new SAT test. The test will contain three sections: Math, Critical Reading, and Writing. The math section will have 44 multiple-choice questions and 10 in-grid questions. You will be allowed 70 minutes to complete this section. The critical reading section will have 67 multiple-choice questions and you will be given 70 minutes to complete. The writing section has 49 multiple-choice questions and you are given 60 minutes. You are graded on Grammar, usage, and word choice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The need, as we view it, is to develop a number of different alternative evaluation instruments and strategies that provide hard data but are not in the form of the standard paper-and pencil multiple-choice tests now being used in most testing programs. What we advocate are assessment instruments that support proven methods in the visual arts and also take advantage of all the newer imaging technology† (Medeja, Dom, & Sabol, 2004).

European Colonization of the Americas

In the early 1500s, the Spaniards were sent to colonize the New World, not hesitating in expanding to a much broader spectrum, even establishing a few â€Å"short-lived colonies† far up north in Florida. Since then, Mexico's North and a few states of the United States' South, have displayed differing characteristics from their respective countries. Woodard, an American journalist, and writer well known for American Nations argues that their â€Å"staggeringly remote location from the centers of the Spanish American civilization† triggered a disparity between their countries in terms of culture, resulting to a floating border. On a current note, over 400 years later after the Spanish conquest, said cultural disproportion between Mexico's North and South has been further incited by the immigration flow from Mexico's South to the US since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994. The alienation subsequently created a floating border with hybrid zones and no well-established culture up North, where a mestizo culture established with both â€Å"Mexicanidad† and â€Å"American way of Life†.THE TWO REGIONSThe North. Mexico's North — constituted of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leà ³n, and Tamaulipas — is characteristic to the term ‘floating border' 1 presented by a renowned senior researcher of the Instituto d e Investigaciones Sociales de la UNAM 2, Gilberto Gimà ©nez. As he reported, the Mexican-American border is a situated hybrid zone with no well-established culture, which is most often considered a ‘mestizo' 2 region. As cities from both sides of the frontier seemed to develop in a twin pair scheme — McAllen-Reynosa or Laredo-Nuevo Laredo —, a new culture arises with both Mexican and American traits, subsequently alienating the North even further from the Mexican society. Through research carried out by the UNAM where Southerners were asked to present their view of the North, many of the respondents viewed it with fascination and attraction as it had an ‘American Way of Life' — such mindset being further denominated by researchers as the â€Å"tropism of the North† 3. On the other hand, natives of the Anglo-American communities within the Southern states of the United States often perceive the North as a â€Å"latin reconquest† figuring a true foreign invasion. These conclusions have significant applications in the distinctiveness of the North since the implementation of NAFTA, as they portray the preferability coming from the Mexican Southerners but the hostility of the Americans. The South. Due to the regional disparity in the Mexican labor markets, poverty, and education, the implementation of NAFTA was felt inconsistently through the country. Such effects contributing to an increase of the Mexican immigrant population in the U.S. between 1990 and 2005. (Perreira 2011). The ramifications were mostly present in rural, agricultural areas of the Mexican South where the decrease in wages for poverty-stricken regions incited the migration to the North in search of fair wages and a glimpse of the ‘American Dream'. Various Southern states such as Chiapas, Oaxaca, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Yucatà ¡n, and Guerrero, did not have a favorable outcome within the terms of NAFTA. Correspondingly, Southerners migrated to the Mexican-American border contributing to the hybridization of the North with folklore and traditions of their parting regions.EFFECTS OF NAFTAImmigration ; Migration. During the 1990s, as explained by Mexican Families in North Carolina, an article published by the University of North Carolina and written by Krista M. Perreira, NAFTA strongly influenced the privatization of the Mexican ejido system on agricultural based areas of Southern Mexico. As a result, Southerners migrated towards the North in search of a sustainable lifestyle and supply for their families. Norma Ojeda, Professor of the Sociology Department at the San Diego State University, describes how migration flow subsequently changed the cultures of both their parting and arriving communities as farmers, professionals, technicians, and businessmen migrated up North taking within them Southern traditions and behavior. For instance Americanization. The American culture referenced by Maitane Zuloaga, a graduate student from I.T.E.S.M. University Monterrey, as ‘pop culture' 4, significantly influenced the cultural mindset and cultural industries 5 within the Mexican society. In her paper, Zuloaga argues that Mexico derives from a dual society where the developed communities live side by side with the underdeveloped regions making it difficult to understand the cultural lifestyle of the country. The Mexican culture is characterized by its diverse nature; however, as soon as NAFTA was implemented in the early months of 1994, â€Å"a wave of major cultural industry changes in Mexico were underway† (Zuloaga 2001). The author maintains that the treaty fomented a rise in the demand for American products — T.V shows, radio, clothes, food, music, and movies — as it brought to Mexico numerous U.S. goods with minimal to no supplementary tariffs. Consequently, the demand for cultural products increased, creating a much more competitive ground for national cultural entities. For instance, Mexican conglomerates of television were heavily impacted by Americanization as the Mexican government presented no previous request for a cultural exemption clause which would â€Å"exclude its cultural activities in order to be in a better position to protect† (Zuloaga 2001). By these means, the U.S. had the liberty to incite cultural trends within Mexico with no repercussion. A survey taken from the research of Josà © Carlos Lozano, a recognized Level II member of SNI 6, notices the effect as citizens of Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey favored American films, sports, and soap operas over Mexican items (Lozano 2006). Due to the geographical closeness of the North to the U.S., the Northern states were impacted by a much stronger wave of Americanization than those of the South; nonetheless, major Southern cities like Guadalajara and Mexico City were considerably impacted due to their strong economic development.

Travel Writing As A Genre - 723 Words

At present, travel writing becomes an apparent style of writing to the extent that bookstores designate shelves for travel writing as is the case with fiction, biography, religion, business, and magazines. Within this environment, we already recognize travel writing as a genre without any profound thought or consideration. However, scholars such as Tim Youngs and Peter Hulme agree on the difficulty of defining travel writing as a genre. Thence, it is derived from the complicated and mixed features of travel writing. Although the genre itself is important because it helps categorization, in this essay, I claim that travel writing cannot be defined as a genre while it is a comprehensive term for texts including fiction and nonfiction whose main theme is travel. (quotation) To begin with, I (will) explain why travel writing cannot be recognized as a genre. Since it encompasses various styles of writings, it does not have any distinctive or unique features of any genre. For instance, many conditions under literature such as a format, style of writing, and length makes a typical writing as a genre. However, travel writing rarely has those kinds of conditions and the fact that the main theme is travel is almost the only qualification. Along these lines, it can be easily misunderstood that travel writing do not have any uniqueness. However, it has own distinctive characteristics despite its (ì•  Ã« § ¤Ã« ª ¨Ã­Ëœ ¸Ã­â€¢ ¨ to be defined as a genre.) First, the main theme of the text should be ‘travel.’Show MoreRelatedTravel Writing Of The 21st Century : An Exploration Of Relevance Through William Dalrymple1643 Words   |  7 PagesTravel Writing in the 21st Century: An exploration of Relevance through William Dalrymple. The creation of Google Earth has made the foreign ever more familiar by making the foreign accessible to anyone with access to a computer or internet cafe. 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