America Does NOT Need to Drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Thesis: If the United States is going to choose to conserve energy responsibly, then our government's energies should not be focused on developing oil in the ANWR, but rather on the topics of conservation through higher fuel efficiency standards in vehicles and by developing alternative energy sources. Conservation, fuel efficiency and alternative energy sources are the solutions that will lead us to a long term and sustainable energy future.
I. Introduction
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is located in the northeastern part of Alaska and has been the topic of many recent political and environmental debates. Many of these deliberations have become more heated in the past year because of President George W. Bush's National Energy Proposal, "Reliable, Affordable and Environmentally Sound Energy for America's Future." The proposal included a plan to open up 1.5 million acres of the ANWR for petroleum and gas exploration. In the proposal President Bush states, "America is trying to meet future energy demands and promote energy conservation, and do so in environmentally responsible ways that sets standards for the world."[i] If we choose to conserve responsibly, then our government's energies should not be focused on developing oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but rather on the topics of conservation through higher fuel efficiency standards in vehicles and by developing alternative energy sources. Conservation, fuel efficiency and alternative energy sources are the solutions that will lead us to a long term and sustainable energy future.
II. ANWR History
Interest in oil resources in the n...
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...s Propel US Toward an 80-MPG Future. 01/08/2001
[xliii] Hybrid-Electric Vehicles Propel US Toward an 80-MPG Future. 01/08/2001
[xliv] Hybrid-Electric Vehicles Propel US Toward an 80-MPG Future. 01/08/2001
[xlv] Hybrid-Electric Vehicles Propel US Toward an 80-MPG Future. 01/08/2001
[xlvi] The Eco-Cars. Business Week, 08/14/2000 Issue 3694, p62, 6p
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[xlviii] The Eco-Cars. 08/14/2000
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[li] Oil, Profits, and the question of alternative energy by Richard Rosentreter and Philip M. Morse Humanist, Sep/Oct 2000, Vol. 60 Issue 5, 8, 5p.
[lii] Oil, Profits…Sep/Oct 2000
[liii] Oil, Profits…Sep/Oct 2000
[liv] Oil, Profits…Sep/Oct 2000
[lv] Oil, Profits…Sep/Oct 2000
[lvi] Oil, Profits…Sep/Oct 2000
[lvii] Oil, Profits…Sep/Oct 2000
My opponents 1st/2nd/3rd contention was the drilling in the ANWR will harm the environment. This is absolutely incorrect. Lets put this into perspective, the ANWR is 19.6 million acres out of Alaska, which is 240 million acres. The proposed drilling in the coastal plain will be 1.5 million acres. Now, with the new technology we have today, we can tap into the 1.5 million acre oil supply with an oil area that is 2000 acres. 2000 acres is 1/10000 or .0001% of the ANWR. 1.5 million acres of oil and a minuscule possibility of harming at max, 1/10000, I repeat 1/10000th if the ANWR. (Arctic Power)
The foremost difference between Aristotle and Hobbes, and in turn classical and modern political philosophies’, with regard to a good life and happiness is that of normative judgments about the good life. While Hobbes rejects normative judgments about the good life and discusses human actions without attributions of moral quality, Aristotle offers the exact opposite. In Ethics, Aristotle differentiates between good and evil actions along with what the best good, or summum bonum, for all humans while Hobbes approach argues that good and bad varies from one individual to another with good being the object of an individuals appetite or desire, and evil being an object of his hate and aversion. In addition, Aristotle makes it clear that individuals have an ultimate purpose—that of political animals—that they should strive to become through trial and error throughout their life. Hobbes on the other hand rejects the idea of life having an ultimate purpose, “for there is no such finis ultimus (utmost aim) nor summum bonum (greatest good) as is spoken of in the books of the old moral philosophers…Felicity is a continual progress of the desire, from one object to another, the attaining of the former being still but the way to the latter”. Hobbes defines felicity as the satisfaction of one’s passions as stated in Leviathan “continual success in obtaining those things which a man from time to time desireth, that is to say, continual prospering, is that men call felicity.
Semantically fossil fuels are a renewable source of energy, however given that it takes millions of years for the organic materials to be broken down and converted, it is wholly unrealistic to consider them as renewable. As the demand for fossil fuels increases and source diminish faster than they are replentished, the United States must work towards a renewable energy independent state using truly renable sources, both technically and in practice. With changes in the home, as consumers in buying goods and with alternative fuel sources backed by public trust and governmental involvement, the United States could drastically lessen its dependence on fossil fuels, foreign and domestic.
Embryonic stem cells research has challenged the moral ethics within human beings simply because the point at which one is considered a “human,” is still under debate and practically incapable to make a decision upon.
Aristotle and Hobbes have different views on what is good, which results in contrasting moral theories. These philosophers both have different views on what is good, how to act, and how to be. The way in which Aristotle defines happiness, is opposed in the views and beliefs of Hobbes. Aristotle believed that there was a final good and opposing him was the belief that Hobbes had which was that there was no final good. They both believed that being moral wasn’t only good for you but also good for others. Although both philosophers believe that you have to be moral in order to be good, their definitions of both happiness and moral virtue differ.
Since the beginning there has been many crimes that have had severe consequences. These crimes are crimes such as rapes, genocide, murder, and aggravated assaults (CITE). The Restorative justice system tries to help individuals that have committed some of these crimes. Some of the Restorative justice system founders are John Braithwaite, Howard Zehr, and Mark Umbret .The Restorative justice system emerged in 1970 (CITE). The Restorative justice system is a response to crime and wrongdoing that emphasizes the repairing of the harm that was created, recognizes the importance of victim, offender, and community involvement, and promote positive future behavior (CITE). Restorative justice is a response to what was considered to be an overly harsh
Within the past few years, scientist have made several breakthroughs with human stem cells. These breakthroughs have catapulted the issue of stem cell research into the middle of a national debate. Most people have no problem with the research itself, however the source of the stem cells (adult or human embryos) used in research is the primary cause of the debate. Some people feel that destroying an embryo is comparable to murder, even if the research it promotes may help people with serious illnesses. Other believe that an embryo is not a person and therefore research on an embryo is the same as research on any other group of cells.
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The program is modeled after similar programs that begun in the 1970s and 1980s in New Zealand and Australia (Lawson 2004). It is used in schools, juvenile courts, and youth centers. However, for this discussion I will use the facts from Catherine Lawson’s restorative justice study in Missouri. In Lawson’s writings she references Derek R. Brookes, who came up with the conclusion that restorative justice attempts to produce these three outcomes: reconciliation, reparation, and transformation. Reconciliation is stage where all the apologies happen. Reparation is the stage at which the offender takes responsibility for his or actions, by providing fair restitution to the victim and lastly transformation is the stage where the offender is re-guided back into society as a productive member and is out of the cycle of
Agreeing on a definition of restorative justice has proved difficult. One definition is a theory of justice that focuses mostly on repairing the harm caused by criminal behaviour. The reparation is done through a cooperative process that includes all the stakeholders. Restorative justice can also be explained as an approach of justice that aims to satisfy the needs of the victims and offenders, as well as the entire community. The most broadly accepted definition for restorative justice, however, is a process whereby all the parties that have a stake in a specific offence collectively resolve on how to deal with the aftermath. This process is largely focused around reparation, reintegration and participation of victims. That is to say, it is a victim-centred approach to criminal justice, and it perceives crime differently than the adversarial system of justice.
Mast, Tom R. Over a Barrel: A Simple Guide to the Oil Shortage. Austin: Hayden, 2005. Print.
“Anatomically and functionally, the brain is the most complex structure in the body. It controls our ability to think, our awareness of things around us, and our interactions with the outside world” (Mattson Porth, 2007, p. 823). Carol Mattson Porth described it the best; the brain is the control room in our body. The brain is the organ in our skull that tells the rest of our body what to do; our lungs to breath, our eyelids to blink, and our heart to pump blood are just a couple examples of bodily functions our brain controls. And although those controls stay constant throughout life, the brain matures and develops new tricks. Many might not know much about the brain, and many may not know what the difference is between a child’s brain and a fully developed brain especially. But this is one subject that is important and relevant; it is one of the biggest developments of the human body. The brain develops and grows immensely between being
Because of how the cells are acquired, they cross lines with the issue over abortion, in vitro fertilization, and whether or not an embryo is considered a “human” and if it should be held to the same morals. The stake over the issue of stem cells revolves around the human life itself. Proponents of stem cells say that until an embryo has not been embedded into the uterus, it does not have a human status and therefore could be used to treat patient who already are persons. They also propose to obtain cells through IVF as opposed to abortion because abortion is attributed to a deliberate act of killing human life while the fo...
In addition to, a huge issue with non-renewable energy is the fact that we get most of it from foreign countries. According to a recent study done by Energy Information Administration, “58% of our petroleum comes from outside the country”, this means as some speculate, that o...