Nuclear Power saves the planet

#1
- Nuclear Power emits less carbon than fossil fuels
- Carbon emissions are bad for the environment
= Nuclear Power is better for the environment than fossil fuels

#2
- Carbon emissions cause global warming
- Nuclear Power emits little carbon
= Nuclear Power has little effect on global warming

The earth is getting warmer and the carbon emissions being spewed out by the power plants are not helping. We want our kids to be able to see blue sky and with the amount of carbon being put into the atmosphere by the power plants, this is not going to happen any time soon. However, because Nuclear Power produces so little carbon, switching to Nuclear Power plants instead of Natural Gas ones would help global warming by not producing as much carbon.

Ethanol causes groundwater contamination

- Ethanol attracts water molecules that corrode pipelines.

- Corroded pipelines cause groundwater contamination.

= Ethanol causes groundwater contamination.

- Contaminating groundwater will kill wildlife.

- Killing wildlife is bad.

= Contaminating groundwater is bad.

During the past few years as oil and gasoline prices have soared and the desire for an alternative fuel has risen dramatically. One fuel alternative for our automobiles is ethanol which has been praised for its environmental benefits concerning its much reduced carbon dioxide emissions. As popular as ethanol has become in some parts of the country it has not been able to make its way to coastal areas far from the production sites because the transportation costs have been too high. Some have suggested that dedicated pipelines similar to those built for transporting gasoline should be built in order to supply these areas with ethanol. One difference that we can find between gasoline and ethanol however is that ethanol attracts water molecules that then corrode pipelines. As pipelines corrode, the risk of them leaking dangerously increases. And if ethanol leaks into the ground the high solubility of the chemical would allow it to seep deep into the earth and contaminate the groundwater that is vital to our water supply. Even though the benefits of ethanol are great concerning the reduction of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere, it does not warrant the risk that these pipelines would pose to our water supply. We should not build pipelines to transport ethanol.

Does your Vote Count?

#1 Every Vote Counts

#2 People complain about the outcome

#3 Since every vote counts, people should vote so they won’t have to complain about the outcome

#1 Founding Fathers had a vision of America

#2 People need to support the Electoral College

#3 Our Founding Fathers had a vision for America so people need to support the Electoral College.

As students at Brigham Young University we need to take into careful consideration our rights as voters. There are many people in the nation who complain about the final outcomes of our Presidential Elections and yet about half of those people either don’t or don’t care to vote because they don’t think their vote counts. Every vote counts, as evidence from the Presidential Election involving Al Gore and George W. Bush. The votes were so close Gore demanded a recount in Florida because every single vote counts.

Gasoline and Typewriters:Both things of the past!

#1

-Hybrid cars save money on fuel costs.

-Fuel costs are one of the biggest expenses people have to pay.

=People who own Hybrid cars have more money.

#2

-People who care about the environment are good people.

-Hybrid cars are environment friendly vehicles.

=Everyone who drives a hybrid car is a good person.

Gasoline powered vehicles are a detriment to the eco system and much more expensive to power than a Hybrid vehicle. Some people say that gasoline powered vehicles are just as cost efficient as Hybrid vehicles, but I argue that as the cost of gasoline has risen and will continue to rise that Hybrid cars will become more and more efficient and gasoline powered cars should be done away as soon as possible. Seeing as how Hybrid technology has been around for over 10 years, it’s a wonder that gasoline powered cars are still in production. Just as things of the past like horse and buggy, typewriters, and abaci have all been phased out, gasoline powered cars soon will be too. Just as these things used to be efficient, they are things of the past and are no longer needed. Gasoline powered cars should soon be added to this list and done away with.

American Consumerism

#1

- Waste fills up landfills

- Packaging is waste

= Therefore, packaging fills landfill.

#2

- Excessive use of green products hurt the environment

- Americans use too many green products

= Therefore, Americans hurt the environment

Americans have a unique mindset. Most American’s believe that you have to own all the latest, biggest, and best merchandise available. Until recently, they have not begun to recognize that their vast consumption of goods is having a detrimental impact on the environment. So, the new American philosophy is to buy green products; however, when an excessive amount of green products are used it still has an impact on the environment. If Americans want to help save the environment they need to consume less.

1) Trees are good for the environment.
Clear cutting cuts down trees.
Clear cutting is bad for the environment.

2) Trees provide oxygen in the air.
Clear cutting destroys the trees.
Clear cutting takes the oxygen out of the air.

Think of a nice, green forest full of trees, grass, and shrubs that provide a beautiful landscape. After loggers come to this area and clear cut, there is nothing left except a vast area of dirt. Clear cutting does not only reduce the beauty in a forest, it clears the area and destroys every tree in a given area. Trees take in CO2 from the air and omit oxygen which is what we take into our bodies when we inhale. If these trees are all cut down, we will not have any oxygen in the air and it will be harder for us to breath. If we do not stop this clear cutting, there will be fewer and fewer trees and the oxygen in the air will reduce and it will be unhealthy for us to breath.

Ecotourism- preserve our cultures! preserve our environment!

-Ecotourism helps preserve environments and local cultures.

-Most tourists want to visit a place where the environment and culture have been preserved.

=The tourism industry should strive to provide ecotourism for tourists.

-It costs money to promote and sustain ecotourism.

-When people are educated and encouraged, they respond.

=There should be environmental education and ecotourism award schemes to educate and encourage ecotourism in the world.

Keeping any environment clean and healthy is an expensive job. It takes time and money. Most people don’t want to just give away their time and money because those are valuable assets. In order to persuade people to provide their assets to help out the cause of ecotourism, awards and educational programs need to be implemented. Awards need to be given to places which emphasize and value ecotourism and educational programs need to be included in schooling so
future generations will preserve our earth and the diverse cultures within.

"Happy Feet" preaches an overboard environmental message!

Syllogisms:
1) The animated movie, “Happy Feet,” promotes an environmental theme.
Any kid’s film that promotes an environmental message is going overboard.
Therefore, the animated film, “Happy Feet,” is going overboard with it’s environmental message.

2)Children who watch “Happy Feet,” love to watch the penguins dancing.
Children are caught up with the fantasy-like dancing penguins, and can’t really comprehend it’s environmental message.
Therefore, children who watch “Happy Feet” cannot comprehend it’s environmental message.

The animated film, “Happy Feet” preaches the environmental message that we should “Save the Penguins!” First of all, it is really tacky to promote such a message in a kid’s film, whose target audience will not even comprehend the gist of the message. Secondly, the message may be important but if it’s going to be portrayed in a kids film, it should be publicized as an environmental promoting movie. What about the parents who want to teach their children to think for themselves about such issues, “instead of having them indoctrinated by some Hollywood director?” There are many concerned parents who are not in favor of such movies, and if any environmental message is to be promoted, there should be some kind of warning ahead of time.

The Mass Media

#1

- Most major news networks are liberal.

- Liberals are protective of the environment.

= Most major news networks are protective of the environment.

#2

- The mass media promotes environmental protection.

- The public will act on the information they are given.

= The public will protect the environment.

Those who provide information hold the power to influence the public’s perception on issues. The greatest provider of information to the public in this day and age is the mass media; thus, they have the greatest influence on the public’s thought. If the mass media were to plead with the public to take action against a certain group or people that were harming the environment, the public would respond. Often the mass media misuses this power by reporting information that is misconstrued or faulty in order to conciliate certain environmentalists groups. Unfortunately, this information is taken at face-value by the public and is acted upon, often ending with drastic results. This is why the mass media must be heavily regulated before it destroys society with its powerful influence.

Incandescent light bulbs are evil!

#1

Incandescent light bulbs have a high electricity usage compared to fluorescent light bulbs

High electricity use causes global warming

Thus we should ban incandescent light bulbs because they cause global warming.

#2

Energy star appliances use less electricity than other appliances

Oil produces electricity and oil is produced by terrorist countries

Therefore if you do not use Energy Star products you are supporting terrorist countries.

#1 paragraph Incandescent light bulbs are 5% efficient were as compact fluorescent bulbs are 25% efficient and since we all now that efficiency means less consumption of electricity that means that they use far less electricity. Since most of our electricity is produced by oil and coal, this would reduce the amount of green house gases that are emitted into the environment and thus at least slow global warming. If we ban the incandescent light bulb we will stop the emissions of thousands of tons of green house gases that also cause pollution, which in turn causes cancer and various other problems. So, because of that we must as a whole country ban the use of incandescent light bulbs and start using more compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Hydrogen cars and the plastic world

#1

- Hydrogen fuel cells should be inexpensive

- Environmentally safe cars will have hydrogen fuel cells in the future

= Cars in the future should be inexpensive

#2

- Electric cars are made of plastic

- Things made of plastic should be proven for durability and safety

= Electric cars should be proven for durability and safety

#2 paragraph

In order to minimize weight in the future electric cars, engineers have provided a special plastic composite, which can be used to manufacture cars. However, we all know how unreliable plastic things can be; and if we were to use plastic in many objects that surround us, cars definitely do not fall under that category. Just think of major accidents that happen on freeways all the time; how would a plastic car stand against a semi-truck? Well, as you might be surprised, pretty well. Many airplanes manufacturers, such as Boeing, are starting to use plastic as the major material out of which airplanes are made of; Boeing made their 787 out of such plastic composites. So if a plastic can stand high pressure changes, speeds nearly reaching the speeds of sound, a few hundred thousand pounds worth of carrying weight, there is no doubt that those plastics can stand the everyday use in our cars.

Inner-city Environmental Issues

Environmental pollution causes health risks
When your health is in danger you will die
Environmental pollution causes death

Landfills and waste dumps are polluting
Landfills and waste dumps are located in low-income minority neighborhoods
Landfills and waste dumps are polluting low-income minority neighborhoods

When throwing your garbage away where actually is away? In fact each American consumer produces about 3.5 pounds of solid waste every day of the year. So where is this waste being disposed, with no one wanting the waste to be by their neighborhood? These dumps end up in the in the lower-income minority neighborhoods along with a lot of other pollution to make their environment even more dangerous which continues to inflict discrepancies and discrimination on these urban areas. . Waste dumps and landfills are making minority and lower-income neighborhoods worse by increasing their health risks; in order to improve the inner-city we need to get rid of the causes of inner-city environmental pollution by changing the location of the waste dumps and land fills.

Methane emmision

Global warming is bad

Methane gas contributes to Global warming

Methane gas is bad

Kangaroos stomachs don’t emit methane

Methane contributes to global warming

Kangaroos do not contribute to global warming.

Global warming has been in the spotlight for some time. Causes and solutions have been examined for years now. The use of eco friendly materials has been pushed, knew sources of fuel have been explored, and education of this problem has been offered. The main focus of global warming has put the cause of this problem on us human beings. What has been overlooked is how animals may contribute to this problem. Scientists in Australia have actually discovered that Kangaroo’s stomachs do not produce or emit methane. Methane is one of the main causes of the thinning of the ozone layer. Ironically methane emission over Australia is about 10% less than in America. Where does this extra emission come from in the U.S.? It is from the livestock which do produce and emit methane, namely cows and sheep. My genetically alternating livestock’s stomach to be more like that of a kangaroo, methane emission could go down as much as 10%.

#1
- Vast amounts of air pollution are very hazardous.
- China has vast amounts of air pollution.
= China is very hazardous.

#2
- China's high levels of air pollution cause many death's in their country.
- China's air pollution level at one point in time was the same level of the current air pollution level in the United States.
- Air pollution will only increase in the near future if something is not done.
= The United States' air pollution levels will become like China's in the future unless someone takes action.

China’s current air pollution level is the highest in the world, causing a huge death rate in their country from hazards such as acid rain and smog in the air. Air pollution is a serious hazard to many people if its levels rise too high. All air pollution levels start from somewhere; they do not simply jump from zero to one thousand overnight. The United States should keep a careful watch on the air pollution levels in China so that we do not repeat the mistakes they made. If our country does not keep a careful watch on the perilous Chinese position, the United States may end up in the same boat one day. China’s current air pollution level is the highest in the world, causing a huge death rate in their country from hazards such as acid rain and smog in the air. Because air pollution starts from somewhere, the levels in China were at one time same as the current levels in the United States. Air pollution will only increase in the near future in our country if something is not done. Therefore, the United States’ air pollution levels will become like China’s in the future unless someone takes immediate action.

Syllogism

#1
Premise: Some packaged meats are injected with hormones.
Premise: Hormones cause young children to sexually mature very early.
Conclusion: Packaged meats cause sexual maturation in young children very early.

#2
Premise: Packaged meats are injected with synthetic hormones.
Premise: Synthetic things are bad for the body.
Conclusion: Packaged meats are bad for the body.

In order to make their meat more presentable, companies producing mass amounts of meat inject the meat with hormones. Parents, thinking that they are giving their children a well-balanced diet, feed these meats to their young children. When ingested by young children, these hormones cause children to reach puberty much earlier than they would have on their own. So unknowingly, these parents are causing their children to age too quickly in a way.

Ski Slope Syllogisms

#1

- Artificial snow increases the amount of water in alpine ecosystems, which has a fertilizing effect on plant life.

- When plant life is fertilized, the species composition in the area of fertilization changes.

= Therefore, artificial snow changes the composition of species in alpine plant communities.

#2

- Increased numbers of sheep, reindeer, and mountain hares have been found in patches of ski slopes that have been treated with grass seeds to reduce soil erosion.

- Humans should not do anything to put animal populations out of balance.

= Therefore, humans should not treat ski slopes with grass seeds.

On the slopes of Scotland, ski resort managers are planting grass seeds in an attempt to reduce soil erosion, and therefore create stronger ski pistes. During the summer, however, this artificial increase of grass draws an increased amount of alpine wildlife to the now unnaturally green mountainsides. This disturbance in the animal kingdom is as outrageous as the banishment of Simba from Pride Rock. It is unnatural and unethical. The managers of ski resorts around the world should use less consequential means to strengthen the foundations of their ski slopes.

Hurricane Insurance

Hurricanes happen everyday
Insurance covers hurricane damage
Therefore, insurance only covers hurricane damage

People die every day
Hurricanes take many lives
Hurricanes kill people everyday
Hurricane Katrina occured about 2 years ago and took the lives of many innocent people. It not only destroyed lives, but it caused the economy to plumit. Many businesses took this fall extremely hard, causing them to be completely wiped out. They should have been better prepared for this disaster especially because they live in a disaster prone area. When you are aware of a possible hazard, most intelletual individuals would do everything in their power to prepare. Because they were ill prepared for such a disaster, there was no hope for them surviving this economic stuggle. People need to realize that their businesses could be destroyed in a flash. There are precautions that need to be taken. Many people do not want to take these precautions because they are expensive. People do not want to pay higher insurance premiums in hopes that a natural disaster does not hit. They won't do it because they do not feel the immediate results for their money. So the government must prepare for us, because we will not do it ourselves. They must require businesses to purchase natural disaster insurance and also make necessary precautions, before they can recieve their business license. This is the only way, that people will really be covered in these times of need.

Alternative fuels are better than fossil fuels

Syllogism #1

Premise: CO2 is bad for the environment

Premise: Burning fossil fuels produce CO2

Conclusion: Burning fossil fuels is bad for the environment

Syllogism #2

Premise: fuels that cause less damage to the environment are better than fuels that cause more

Premise: Alternative fuels cause less damage to the environment than fossil fuels

Conclusion: Alternative fuels are better than fossil fuels

Syllogism #3

Premise: government does not move ahead unless they have to

Premise: an energy policy would force the government into action

Conclusion: adopting an energy policy is the way to make the government move forward

For years we have used fossil fuels to power our country, with little regard for the externalities involved. Creating, processing, and burning fossil fuels creates huge amounts of CO2 which is terrible for the environment, while alternative fuels produce none. Large amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere, like we are currently producing, worsen global warming and damage the environment in ways that we may not be able to reverse. We must begin to use alternative fuels because they do not damage the environment and are better than fossil fuels.

Lake Powell should not be drained

Rotten Garbage Stinks
Lake Powell covers rotten garbage
Draining Lake Powell would stink

Recreational activities bring families closer together
Lake Powell is a recreational activity
Lake Powell brings families closer together

Many people argue that Lake Powell should be drained because it is harming the environment. So many environmentalists are fighting to drain Lake Powell that some people are beginning to believe that the environmentalists' dream may become the vacationers' worst nightmare. Many feel the lake causes imbalances to the ecology, arguing that the US government should drain the lake and return the land to its natural habitat. However, one of the strongest reasons for not draining Lake Powell really has nothing to do with the ecology, but on the contrary, it is a recreational spot that American families use for vacation. Lake Powell is a great recreational activity, providing a very unique retreat for families; cell phones don't work, laptops cannot find a connection to the Internet, the use of electronics is rare on the lake, and it becomes an uninterrupted time together as a family. Admittedly, all families need recreational activities to provide a break from the stress of regular life, and to bring them closer together. Protecting the family is arguably more important then protecting the environment. Lake Powell should not be drained.

Diamonds, Again.

People buy mined diamonds from De Beers.
De Beers buys diamonds from Blood Diamond suppliers, who use these diamonds to fund terrorism.
People who buy mined diamonds support terrorism.

Science has made people's lives better.
Synthetic diamonds are created with science.
Synthetic diamonds make people's lives better.

The corporation, De Beers, is the biggest diamond monopoly in the world. Since they hold the monopoly over diamonds, it is very likely that when you buy a diamond from a jewel, it came from De Beers. De Beers is a known buyer of blood diamonds, a diamond that is mined by insurgents and sold to support terrorism. So when you are buying mined diamonds that means you are supporting terrorism.