Annotated bibliography #5 Uranium info

World nuclear association June 2006. What is uranium? How does it work? retrieved April 13th 2010 from www.world-nuclear.org

This is an interesting source about uranium, which is used to create nuclear energy. It gets into pretty technical details about how the process works on the atomic level but explains it simply enough that a careful reader can understand. It also explains how uranium goes from the mines to becoming a nuclear fuel. After that it talks about nuclear power, who uses it and some of the benefits. It also talks about where we get the uranium we need and the other not so peaceful uses of uranium. I think it is a good source but I would be sure to consider it to have a pro nuclear bias.

Human contribution to the greenhouse effect

I have been reading about a really interesting debate going on in the study of climate change. Apparently some people don't see water vapor as worthy of mentioning in the debate on global climate change. An interesting exemption considering most scientists agree that water vapor accounts for 65% to 99% of the greenhouse effect. There is little agreement on the exact percent so I apologize for the huge difference, but pretty much everyone I could find agrees that it is the main greenhouse gas. In fact, the EPA had expressed interest in having water vapor classified as a pollutant admitting that it is the primary greenhouse gas, and seeks to tax water vapor emissions from human activities. These human activities are of course insignificant when compared to the massive amount of ocean water that evaporates every day. I guess the question becomes whether our contributions of other greenhouse gases such as CO2 and methane are causing a significant and unnatural change in our atmosphere. In my opinion (which is in no way credible) the effects of such gases seem to be overstated, especially when you take into account the fact that the majority of CO2 emission is natural, and the CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere have fluctuated wildly as far back as we can see. Interesting topic, good luck finding an impartial source though. For a fun exersize go to the EPA website and try and find anything more than a brief mention of water vapor as a greenhouse gas. Notice how everything says greenhouse gas "emissions."
www.epa.gov

Annotated bibliography #4 carbon capture and storage

K., Noothout, P., Hekkert, M., & Turkenburg, W. (2010). Evaluating the development of carbon capture and storage technologies in the United States. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 14(3), 971-986. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2009.10.028.

In this publication the development of carbon capture and storage technology is explained. It is really long and dense. It has a lot of good facts and charts. This probably has just about everything you need to know about carbon capture and storage. I don’t know enough about the topic to be able to say whether or not it is bias and can only say that it seems pretty scientific.

Response to Henry David Thoreau

I thought the first half of this essay was pretty good. The second half I had no idea what he was talking about. I agree with Thoreau a lot more than Wendell Berry. I definitely hold similar views to Thoreau about problems in our society and our culture. But I think when he starts rambling about how we could just stop building railroads he starts going downhill. I wish he would focus a little more, I really don’t know what his overall point is. I wish I could just talk to him face to face, because I think he has a lot of smart things to say. I just don’t understand this essay.

Chart showing the nuclear power generation of different countries

This chart shows the top ten nuclear energy producing countries. Most people don't realize that we are number one, especially since there are countries like France which now get the majority of their power from reactors. But we have to remember that France is not only much smaller than we are but doesn't have close the industrial demand for fossil fuels that we do. Even if we only get 20% of our electricity from nuclear sources that is still a lot more than France's 78%.

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/energy_in_brief/images/charts/nuclear_generation_countries.gif

Response to my BP energy calculater result

My result was 42337 kWh/yr. I guess that isn't too bad. I wonder how accurate that thing even is. I know I leave the lights on too much.

Response to Max's response to Wendell Berry

"I can but agree with Wendell Berry. Of course, a growth of technology is important for our life, but we shouldn’t merge fully to it. I think, sometimes we should reject computers or cars and remember how perfectly to live without technologies."

I totally agree with Max. I can also appreciate the point Berry made about not letting technology make us weak. But I agree with Max a lot more when he says we can use technology and at the same time appreciate the other parts of life. I think his response to Berry's essay is thoughtful and on point.