2009-30644

DEVC 11. Introduction to Mass Media Writing

Laboratory Exercise 1
Gathering and Retrieving Information
December 9, 2009
Name: Jessel P. Muñoz
Topic: Technological Solutions of Climate Change
Intended Audience: General Public
Objectives: After reading the feature story, the intended audience should be able to:
identify different ways to help contribute to worldwide efforts in reducing harmful
gas emissions and conserving energy.

Type of
Source Paraphrased Notes
Source
• A variety of chemicals affect the
different occurrences in the earth’s
atmosphere, oceans or crust.
Temperature also affects the way we
Schneider, S. & Lander,
determine what the atmosphere is
R. (1984) The
composed of. And distance from the
Primary Coevolution of Climate
sun determines how hot or how cold
and Life. San Francisco:
a planet is.
Sierra Club Books.
• The evolution of climate is due to the
gradual passing of time and to other
external factors such as solar
radiation.
• Even the most important human
Mintzer, I. (1987) A
activities contribute to the emission
Matter of Degrees: The
of gaseous pollutants into our
Potential for Controlling
Primary atmosphere.
the Greenhouse Effect.
• The Greenhouse Effect threatens to
World Resources
destroy the natural balance of the
Institute.
earth’s ecosystems.
• We all agree that there is an evident
increase in mean global temperature
Harrison, R. M. (Ed.). but the consequences of this are not
(1992) Understanding clearly understood by all.
our Environment: An • Eradicating deforestation and
Introduction to promoting reforestation are some of
Primary Environmental the ways with which we can reduce
Chemistry and CO2 emissions.
Pollution. Cambridge: • Using renewable energy sources are
The Royal Society of other examples of ways to reduce
Chemistry. CO2 emissions. Specific examples of
which are wind, solar, wave and tidal
power.
Primary Berry, B. & Horton, F. • In all of his existence here on earth,
(1974) Urban man has performed a role in the
Environment biosphere with natural energy cycles.
Management. New • The natural energy cycles have been
 modified by technological
advancements of man.
Jersey: Prentice-Hall
• Impacts on our environments have
Inc.
been the consequences of man’s
actions.
• Man admits his bad relationship with
natural resources and thus has
Marquis, R. (Ed.).
managed to create advancements
(1966). Environmental
that would help save the
Improvement.
Primary environment. Inequity in the natural
Washington: U.S.
balance of the earth is caused by the
Department of
large difference between the number
Agriculture
of people on earth and the finite
resources of the earth.
Secondary Gries, E. (2008). • Building of eco-friendly homes has
Greenbuilding Goes been popular in Europe and U.S.
Mainstream. coasts.
Worldwatch, 21 (4), 12- • “In 2005, approximately 2% of new
19. homes built in the United States were
built ‘green’, meaning in adherence
to strong energy efficiency standards
and practices, according to the 2006
Green Building SmartMarket Report
by McGraw-Hill Construction (MHC).”
(pg. 12)
• Implications on citizens’ health and
on the environment have broadened
awareness of the people.
• The change in climate has been the
main reason for the motivation
behind green building. Realization of
the significance of the energy that
could be saved also serves as
motivator.
• Programs have been established to
inform the public on green building’s
importance in society.
• Green builders consider not only the
amount of energy the finished
building consumes everyday but also
the amount of energy consumed in
making the project itself.
• “Determining whether a building
project is green requires considering
its recycled content, its material
sources and whether they’re
sustainable, its chemical content, its
environmental impact from
manufacturing, the health impact on
workers, the greenhouse gas
 footprint of the product cycle, the
waste stream generated throughout
its lifecycle, and how it traveled from
the point of manufacture to the
project.” (pg. 16)
• As vice-president in charge of marine
power at energy project developer
Finavera Renewables, Kevin Banister
is one of the experts on the new
alternative energy source derived
Jeffries, E. (2008).
from the perpetual motion of the
Ocean Motion Power.
Primary waves.
Worldwatch, 21 (4), 22-
• The aim of the project is to provide
29.
electricity for over a thousand homes
with 2 megawatts worth of energy.
• Nobody else has done something like
this on a commercial level, and they
are the first to do so.
• From a 2009 Stanford University
study, it was concluded that the best
sources of energy are wind, solar,
geothermal, tidal and hydroelectric
power which all come from wind,
Delucchi, M. & water or sunlight (WWS). The sources
Jacobson, M. (2009). A were chosen for their minimal
Path to Sustainable “impacts on global warming,
Secondary
Energy by 2030. pollution, water supply, land use,
Scientific American, wildlife and other concerns.” (pg. 38)
301 (5), 38-45. • The considerations in determining the
best sources are their “near-zero
emissions of greenhouse gases air
pollutants over their entire life cycle,
including construction, operation and
decommissioning.” (pg. 39)
• For a variety of companies to come
Bowman, G. & up with environmentally-friendly
Thompson, I. (2008). projects to reduce “carbon footprint”
Approaches Towards a (pg. 24) is inspiring. These companies
Primary
Greener Industry. do not only see the financial
Chemistry in Australia, advantages these technologies can
75 (8), 24. create, but also what they can do to
help save the environment.
Secondary Becker, W. (2009). • “As the National Oceanic and
Climate and the Age of Atmosphere Administration has
Faustian Choices. reported, we have already set in
Conservation Biology, motion damages that will be with us
23 (4), 794-795. for the next 1000 years.” (pg. 794)
• The only choices we have are
adapting to these changes or
continuing losing life and
 experiencing severe natural
calamities.
• “We have entered an age of trade-
offs and lesser-evil options. The
planet, it should be noted, does not
have to wrestle with these dilemmas.
It will survive quote well, but not in a
form any of us would want to live
with.” (pg. 795)
• Drastic signs of climate change come
McKibben, B. (2009). in an array of different natural
Surviving Climate disasters.
Change through • In UN meetings in Copenhagen, they
Secondary Mitigation and all focus on a single topic: Survival.
Adaptation. Unless climate change can be limited
Conservation Biology, even more, survival will not be
23 (4), 796. possible. “Otherwise, adaptation
means growing gills.” (pg. 796)
• Many experts have already searched
Miller, J. (2008).
for possible means of conserving
Biodiversity
biodiversity at a local level.
Primary Conservation in Local
• But there is only a limit to what
Planning. Conservation
people know about “pervasiveness of
Biology, 23 (1), 53-63.
these practices” (pg. 53).
• First, society must recognize the
Jonsson, G. & Villard, M.
problem and “state desired goals”.
(2008). Biodiversity as
• Second, quantitative and predictive
Patient: Diagnoses and
Primary research should be prioritized.
Treatment.
• Third, targets must be defined
Conservation Biology,
coming from the “best scientific
23 (1), 3-6.
evidence available”.
• To be able to achieve sustainability,
one must gather sufficient
Clark, S. (2009). An
information on environmental
Informational Approach
problems.
to Sustainability:
• “If intelligence, as well as other
“Intelligence” in
decision process functions, is carried
Primary Conservation and
out with high quality, then we can
Natural Resource
reasonably expect significant
Management Policy.
improvements in the conservation
Journal of Sustainable
and management of biodiversity and
Forestry, 28.
ecosystems, and sustainability efforts
worldwide.” (pg. 637)
Secondary Pew Center on Global • Many key technologies have been
Climate Change. developed and no one technology
(2009). Climate Change can reduce enough emissions to alter
101: Technological climate change.
Solutions. • Not many people know it, but
http://pewclimate.org electricity is not the only source of
(06 Dec. 2009) greenhouse gases.
 • People must think about “both the
consumers and producers of power.”
(pg. 3)
• Because of the carbon dioxide
produced by cars and trucks, “the
transportation sector is the second
largest source of greenhouse gas
emissions in the United States.” (pg.
5)
• The three ways to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions are as follows: 1)
taking on new technologies, 2)
“reducing the carbon content of
vehicle fuel and 3) reducing number
of miles traveled.” (pg. 5)
• New technologies are needed over
the next century to “deliver a low-
carbon future.” (pg. 6)

Bibliography

• Becker, W. (2009). Climate and the Age of Faustian Choices. Conservation

Biology, 23 (4), 794-795.
• Berry, B. & Horton, F. (1974) Urban Environment Management. New Jersey:
Prentice-Hall Inc.
• Bowman, G. & Thompson, I. (2008). Approaches Towards a Greener Industry.
Chemistry in Australia, 75 (8), 24.
• Clark, S. (2009). An Informational Approach to Sustainability: “Intelligence” in
Conservation and Natural Resource Management Policy. Journal of
Sustainable Forestry, 28.
• Delucchi, M. & Jacobson, M. (2009). A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030.
Scientific American, 301 (5), 38-45.
• Gries, E. (2008). Greenbuilding Goes Mainstream. Worldwatch, 21 (4), 12-19.
• Harrison, R. M. (Ed.). (1992) Understanding our Environment: An Introduction
to Environmental Chemistry and Pollution. Cambridge: The Royal Society of
Chemistry.
• Jeffries, E. (2008). Ocean Motion Power. Worldwatch, 21 (4), 22-29.
• Jonsson, G. & Villard, M. (2008). Biodiversity as Patient: Diagnoses and
Treatment. Conservation Biology, 23 (1), 3-6.
• Marquis, R. (Ed.). (1966). Environmental Improvement. Washington: U.S.
Department of Agriculture
• McKibben, B. (2009). Surviving Climate Change through Mitigation and
Adaptation. Conservation Biology, 23 (4), 796.
• Miller, J. (2008). Biodiversity Conservation in Local Planning. Conservation
Biology, 23 (1), 53-63.
• Mintzer, I. (1987) A Matter of Degrees: The Potential for Controlling the
Greenhouse Effect. World Resources Institute.
• Schneider, S. & Lander, R. (1984) The Coevolution of Climate and Life. San
Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
• Pew Center on Global Climate Change. (2009). Climate Change 101:
Technological Solutions. http://pewclimate.org (06 Dec. 2009)