1. Hosansky, David. "Biotech Foods." CQ Researcher 30 Mar. 2001: 249-72. Web. 3 Mar. 2012. David Hosansky is a freelance writer who specializes in environmental issues and previously was a senior writer at CQ Weekly and the Florida Times-Union where he was nominated twice for a Pulitzer Prize. The article goes over both sides of the argument on whether to use genetically modified foods. It cites situations where genetically modified foods caused some problems and also where it has been very beneficial. There are statements and quotes from experts both for and against genetically modified foods. The article seems to be intended for the average reader to inform them of both sides of the argument on the introduction and use of genetically modified foods. I appreciate how the author is not one sided and gives both sides an equal say. I found this article in the CQ Researcher library database by entering the search term “Genetically Modified Foods” into the Quick Search box. I then selected the article “Biotech Foods” from among the results that were listed. 2. Koch, Kathy. "Food Safety Battle: Organic Vs. Biotech." CQ Researcher 4 Sept. 1998: 761-84. Web. 3 Mar. 2012. Kathy Koch is an assistant managing editor who graduated in journalism from the University of North Carolina and specializes in education and social-policy issues. She has freelanced in Asia and Africa for various U.S. newspapers, including the Christian Science Monitor and USA Today. In the article Kathy Koch compares the benefits of organic foods versus genetically modified foods. It shows examples of how biotech companies are making it difficult for organic farmers by flooding the market with genetic products at many levels. There are statements and examples of both sides of the debate over which is more beneficial and which may not be as good as they claim to be. The article seems to be intended for the average reader to inform them of both sides of the debate between the use of organic versus genetically modified foods but it appears to lean more in favor of the organic foods. I don't believe it should be a choice of one over the other. Both methods should have a chance and let the consumer decide what they would like better. I found this article in the CQ Researcher library database by entering the search term “Genetically Modified Foods” into the Quick Search box. I then selected the article “Food Safety Battle: Organic Vs. Biotech” from among the results that were listed. Renewable Energy Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, 2017 From Opposing Viewpoints in Context The United States and other industrialized nations use massive amounts of energy to power factories, automobiles, electrical appliances, and other features of modern life. The two main sources of energy are fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. Fossil fuels are substances such as oil, natural gas, and coal that are formed from the decay of organic matter over millions of years. They are considered nonrenewable energy sources because once they are extracted from the earth and burned, the supply is depleted. Renewable energy sources, in contrast, are natural forces that are continually replenished and can be utilized without being depleted. The diverse sources of renewable energy include solar, geothermal, wind, hydropower, and biomass energy. According to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the US Department of Energy, renewable energy sources accounted for 13.8 percent of the electricity generated in the United States in 2015, up from 9.3 percent a decade earlier. The sources of renewable electricity included hydropower (6.1 percent of all electricity generated), wind electricity (4.6 percent), biomass electricity (1.6 percent), solar electricity (1.1 percent), and geothermal electricity (0.4 percent). Of the total electricity generated by renewable sources, hydropower accounted for 44 percent, followed by wind at 34 percent, biomass at 11 percent, solar at 8 percent, and geothermal at 3 percent. California was the top state for renewable energy generation, with 27 percent of its electricity coming from hydropower and other renewable sources as of 2016. With increasing investment by the federal and state governments, renewable energy technologies made up 64 percent of all additions to the nation’s electricity-generation capacity in 2015, including wind power, which accounted for 46 percent of the newly installed renewable capacity, and solar power, which accounted for 15 percent. Hydropower and biomass constituted 3 percent. The remaining additional generating capacity came from two nonrenewable energy sources: natural gas (30 percent) and nuclear energy (6 percent). Critics of renewable energy argue that fossil fuels are well established entities and can provide energy at lower costs than renewable sources. They also contend that jobs within the fossil fuel industries may disappear with an increased focus on renewable energy. As of 2017, the oil and gas extraction and coal mining industries employ more than 600,000 people in the United States. Environmentalists and other supporters of renewable energy, on the other hand, argue that the worldwide supply of fossil fuels is limited and will eventually run out. They claim that developing renewable energy sources will create a more secure, reliable energy supply for future generations. Although the initial development cost is high, supporters contend that rapid industry growth and technological advances will drive costs down to the point that renewable energy sources will be economically competitive with fossil fuels. Environmentalists also assert that the combustion of fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that cause air pollution and contribute to climate change. They note that investing in renewable energy sources can prevent environmental degradation, protect public health, and create jobs. The Environmental Defense Fund estimated that there were 769,000 jobs in renewable energy in 2015, with a job creation rate significantly higher than that of the rest of the economy. Hydropower Hydropower harnesses the energy produced by the flow of water in large rivers. In a typical hydropower plant, water flowing through a dam is channeled through pipes and used to turn giant turbines that generate electricity. Examples of significant hydropower stations include Hoover Dam in Nevada and Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state. As the leading renewable energy source in the United States, hydropower accounted for 6.1 percent of the total electricity generated in 2015. Hydropower has had an even greater impact globally. According to the World Energy Council, in 2016, hydropower accounted for 71 percent of all renewable electricity generated worldwide and 16.4 percent of the electricity generated from all sources. Like other renewable energy sources, hydropower does not produce air or water pollution. Hydropower dams can also aid in flood control and facilitate the management of freshwater resources. Environmentalists have criticized hydropower, however, for its effects on the surrounding natural environment. The construction of hydroelectric dams causes significant changes in river ecosystems. Critics charge that the large reservoirs created by dams displace human settlements, threaten native plant and animal species, cause problems with sediment buildup, and waste valuable freshwater resources by increasing the surface area that is subject to evaporation. Wind Electricity Wind is caused by uneven heating of the air over land and water. As warm air rises, cool air flows in to take its place, and this circulation of air creates wind. Modern wind farms employ giant turbines to capture the kinetic energy of wind and use it to generate electricity. In large-scale wind projects, the electricity is delivered to the power grid by utility companies. Wind power supplied 191 TWh (terawatt hours) of electricity in the United States in 2015—a tenfold increase from a decade earlier—which accounted for 6 percent of all electricity generated that year. Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa ranked among the top states for wind power generation. The first offshore commercial wind farm in the United States, located off the coast of Rhode Island, became operational in 2016. Proponents of wind power cite its environmental and economic benefits. As a clean and renewable source of energy, wind power helps improve air quality and public health. The industry also supported 100,000 jobs in 2016 and provided a new source of economic investment for rural communities. Critics, on the other hand, argue that wind turbines mar scenic views, disrupt wildlife migration patterns, and cause the deaths of thousands of pest-eating birds and bats. Biomass Energy and Ethanol Production Biomass energy, also known as biopower, is derived from plants and trees, which store energy from the sun that can be released through combustion. Biomass can be burned to produce heat or electricity, or it can be converted into a liquid or gas biofuel. Common sources of biomass include wood and wood waste, corn and agricultural byproducts, and municipal solid waste. Electricity generated from biopower accounted for 1.6 percent of all electricity generated in the United States in 2015. Although burning plant materials releases greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change, proponents of biomass argue that it is a carbon-neutral energy source because the plants absorb an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide while they are growing. Ethanol is one of the most commonly produced biofuels. It is an alcohol fuel made from sugars found in agricultural products, such as corn, sugar cane, potato skins, wheat, and rice. In the transportation sector, it is typically mixed with petroleum-based gasoline in ratios up to 85 percent ethanol (also known as E85). Although ethanol is more expensive to produce than gasoline, it is renewable and produces fewer pollutants. The United States produced 14.7 million gallons of ethanol in 2015, accounting for 57 percent of the world’s supply. Critics have questioned whether the US government should heavily subsidize the production of corn and ethanol, however, arguing that the diversion of corn into ethanol production contributes to higher food prices while doing little to reduce demand for gasoline. Solar Energy Solar energy comes from the sun in the form of solar radiation, which must be converted directly or indirectly into electricity or other usable forms of energy. The two main methods used to generate electricity from solar radiation are referred to as thermal and photovoltaic. Solar thermal technology, also known as concentrated solar power or CSP, uses the sun’s rays to heat liquid into steam, which can drive turbines and generate electricity. Solar photovoltaic technology, also known as PV or solar cells, converts sunlight (photons) directly into electricity (voltage). Both the solar thermal and solar photovoltaic methods can be used on a large scale by utilities to generate power for the electric grid or on a small scale to generate supplemental electricity or heat for homes, schools, and businesses. Although solar power accounted for only 1.1 percent of all US electricity generation in 2015, the total solar generation of 44.3 TWh represented an increase of more than 2,000 percent from 2009, with most of the growth occurring in photovoltaic sources. While environmentalists and other solar energy enthusiasts advocate solar energy as a clean and inexhaustible resource, critics note that solar energy plants require extensive land to accommodate the large number of solar panels needed to generate utility-scale electricity. The Solar Star PV farm near Los Angeles, for instance, features 1.7 million solar panels that cover 3,200 square acres (13km2), making it the largest solar project in the world. Critics also argue that solar energy is both unpredictable—because solar cells only operate on sunny days—and inefficient, as solar technologies only convert about 15 percent of the sunlight they absorb into electricity. Supporters contend that the efficiency of solar cells has increased as the associated costs have decreased, and they expect both trends to continue with future advances in technology. They also note that coal mining and other extractive industries involve more intensive land use than solar farms. Geothermal Energy Geothermal energy comes from the heat produced beneath the crust of the earth. When water seeps into the ground and comes into contact with hot and molten rock below the surface, it creates hot water and steam that can be used directly or harnessed to generate electricity. Geothermal energy is only commercially feasible in geologic hot spots, or parts of the world where hot rock lies near the planet’s surface, such as volcanic regions and places where tectonic plates meet. Iceland is a leader in the development of geothermal energy, which accounts for more than 25 percent of its total electricity generation. The western half of the United States, especially California, Nevada, and Alaska, is also considered prime territory for large-scale geothermal energy development. The United States has more installed geothermal electricity capacity than any other country in the world, with the majority located in California, followed by Nevada. However, in 2015, geothermal electricity accounted for only 0.4 percent of the total electricity generated in the United States. Although geothermal energy is considered reliable and efficient, it has not attracted as much interest and investment as wind and solar. Critics have expressed concerns about the release of methane, toxic chemicals, and salt from geothermal plants, as well as the seismic effects of injecting water into the earth. Hydrogen, Marine, and Hydrokinetic Power Hydrogen is a plentiful element that is present in water, natural gas, coal, and biomass. Proponents of its use as a renewable source of energy believe that it has the potential to provide a clean alternative to fossil fuels. Hydrogen fuel cells convert the chemical energy in hydrogen to electricity that can be used to power fuel-cell electric vehicles, generators, or industrial machinery. The US government has invested billions of dollars in research aimed at developing hydrogen as a renewable energy source. Hydrogen remains in its early stages, however, because of the difficulty involved in isolating the element. Although hydrogen can be separated from water through an emission-free process called electrolysis, the process is so expensive that it accounts for only 5 percent of hydrogen production. The remaining 95 percent is extracted from fossil fuels, such as methane, through a process called steam reforming, which releases greenhouse gases. The US Department of Energy is also exploring a variety of methods to capture the energy in ocean waves, tides, currents, and thermal gradients as a source of renewable electricity. This area of study, known as marine and hydrokinetic power, has the potential to generate up to 1,850 TWh of electricity per year. A number of experimental projects are underway to develop methods of harnessing these natural forces without building new dams or other structures for the diversion of water. US Energy Policy and Renewable Resources US energy policy encompasses federal, state, and municipal laws and programs that set standards or offer incentives to guide energy production and use. At the federal level, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 provided subsidies and funding for the development of wind, solar, and other renewable energies. As part of the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, President Barack Obama allocated $27 billion for research, development, and investment in renewable energy and energy conservation programs. Many of these programs were administered by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) of the US Department of Energy. Research conducted or funded by EERE contributed to a 74 percent decrease in the cost of solar energy derived from large utility-scale facilities from 2010 to 2016 and helped renewable energy grow to become a $36 billion industry in the United States by 2015. In early 2017, however, President Donald Trump proposed a federal budget that would reduce EERE’s funding by 25 percent, which many analysts predicted would hamper the agency’s renewable energy research. Trump and others favoring the proposal argued that market forces, rather than federal policies, should determine whether renewable energy sources receive private investment and public support. The Trump administration also expressed concern that federal policies favoring renewable energy may place jobs at risk in the fossil fuel industry. Proponents of renewable energy note that the market may continue to grow despite a change in federal policy because so many states have adopted their own programs. As of 2015, twenty-nine states, three US territories, and the District of Columbia had adopted renewable portfolio standards, which require utilities to produce a certain percentage of all electricity using renewable sources by a certain date. Eight other states and one territory had established voluntary targets for renewable energy usage. The combination of federal and state policies helped new investment in renewable energy reach $45 billion in 2015, an increase of 10 percent over the previous year. Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2017 Gale, Cengage Learning. Source Citation "Renewable Energy." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2017. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/Reference DetailsWindow?disableHighl ighting=false&displayGroupName=Reference&currPage=&scanId=&query=&docIn dex=&prodId=OVIC&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&mode=view&catId=&limiter =&displayquery=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GAL E%7CPC3021900146&windowstate=normal&activityType=BasicSearch&failOverT ype=&commentary=&source=Bookmark&u=tamp44898&jsid=a4218880763de2d1 275db5b9e5d0e029. Accessed 6 July 2017. Gale Document Number: GALE|PC3021900146
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