Energy and Sense of Place
Essential Questions:
1. How does energy production impact place?
2. How does your sense of place, environmental ethic and understanding of our energy needs influence your perception and decisions relating to energy production and consumption?
My Portion of The Joint Scientific Statement*:
Opening StatementThere is a misconstrued notion that nuclear power is a miracle energy source that does not create any greenhouse gasses. I will be the first to tell you that notion is wrong. My colleague has already talked to you about the harsh negative effects of the waste that is produced through the nuclear fuel process. I am going to talk to you about the incredible wastes that come about through the process of mining, milling, and enriching uranium.
The motion today states that “Nuclear power [is] a clean source of electrical energy and the United States Government should provide incentives for the construction of new nuclear power plants throughout the United States including the Four Corners region.” I am going to show you that nuclear power is not, in fact, clean energy. While it does not produce greenhouse emissions when it is in the reactor, the process of taking uranium out of the ground and putting it into the reactor creates an enormous amount of carbon dioxide gas. In fact, according to the European Commission, up to 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide are produced every year to fuel just one nuclear reactor. Just one reactor! Most nuclear power plants have at least two or more reactors each! Assuming each plant has on average 3 reactors, a single nuclear power plant would be responsible for creating over 3,000,000,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. All this carbon dioxide that is being created has a cumulative effect on the environment and, in turn, us. The most recent National Climate Assessment report shows that global warming has caused allergy season to be more potent and last longer. This has resulted in a spike in asthma rates in the past decade. This change is but one of the milder ones. As the planet continues to heat up, the polar icecaps will melt, causing sea level to rise. Flooding would ensue all around the globe, ravaging millions if not billions of homes and tearing families apart. So I invite you to join me in voting against this motion. It is false in its statements and has the potential to cause an insurmountable amount of harm. Thank you. |
Closing StatementBoth sides have presented their arguments. The other side has claimed that nuclear energy is the way of the future, and we have shown you that this simply is not true. We have told you about the incredibly disastrous impacts of nuclear waste, the fact that nuclear energy is in no way “clean” and that distributing nuclear power plant technology to more countries could lead to the threat of a nuclear war.
The facts are clear; nuclear energy is most definitely not the answer for energy moving forward. If we consent to allow nuclear energy to invade our homes, we are consenting to the willing destruction of our land, air, and water. So vote with me against this motion, and protect the things we hold most dear. Thank you. |
Debate Video:
Project Reflection:
Materials Project
Materials Unit Reflection
I think that the chemistry of materials has played a huge role in shaping our history. It has led our civilization to where it is today. We started with the chemistry of things in relation to their flammability. For example, we wouldn’t burn rocks and dirt to cook our food; we burned wood, because its chemistry allowed it to combust. From there we built our houses and buildings out of things that could support themselves. Everyone knows the story of the three little pigs. The hay and stick houses, while easy to assemble, were not structurally sound. This is because their chemical makeup allowed them to bend or break when low stress was applied to them. This is why the brick house stood strong against the wolf; it was chemically structured so that it had high tensile strength. Even today, the chemical structure of materials is extremely important. You wouldn’t want to make a water bottle out of something that is hydrophilic. Even in the future, we need to be aware of the chemical composition of materials. We need to know what kinds of materials can harm the planet or us. For example, we don’t make bottles with BPA anymore because when the plastic got hot, the plasticizers would work their way out of the plastic and into the bottle.
The structure of matter on the atomic level really affects how that material interacts with other materials. For example, an Alka-Seltzer tablet fizzes and dissolves in a glass of water. This would not happen if the tablet were atomically different. The molecular structure of a material affects how it responds to outside forces. For example, a polymer with short chains will have a much lower melting point than a polymer that has longer chains.
The structure of matter on the atomic level really affects how that material interacts with other materials. For example, an Alka-Seltzer tablet fizzes and dissolves in a glass of water. This would not happen if the tablet were atomically different. The molecular structure of a material affects how it responds to outside forces. For example, a polymer with short chains will have a much lower melting point than a polymer that has longer chains.
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Chemistry Labs
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