The Transition to Renewable Energy Peer Reviews

Part 2: PEER REVIEW (We’ll go over this in class on the Monday of Week 5):

Follow the CP Peer Review Instruction Sheet
(passed out in class).

Everyone will provide feedback on two of their colleagues’ drafts, and everyone will receive feedback from two classmates on their own draft. You’ll find out your groups in class on Monday of Week 5.

Plan to spend thirty minutes per paper. I recommend setting a timer. Don’t forget to save your work!

REMEMBER:

• Balance praise and constructive criticism.
• Don’t be skimpy — write out full sentences and ask questions.
• Your job is comprehension, not evaluation: have a conversation with the text, asking questions as you read.
• Do not comment on grammar, typos, or spelling errors.
• Do not line edit within the text or make any changes to the text. Your feedback should be in the form of marginal and summary comments only.
• Your job as a reader is to help the writer understand how their writing is being received by their audience.

Use the questions below to guide the summary comments you make on you colleagues’ drafts:

Summary Comments Guide At the end of the paper (below the bibliography, copy and paste the following questions on to the page. Write your name and answer the following questions. Reader name: [type your name here] Write down any and all questions you have as a reader. What intrigues you? What do you want to know more about?What is working well in this draft?What could be working better in this draft? Focus in particular on how this writer introduces their sources and how they structure their paragraphs. Are there any areas where a more specific signal phrase would help contextualize the source? And are there any paragraphs where the topic sentence could be revised in order to more clearly articulate the controlling idea of the paragraph? Or are there paragraphs with more than one controlling idea?Respond to any other feedback the writer requested.

CP Peer Review
Writing 39C
Part One: Writer Response
You’ll be commenting on two of your colleagues’ drafts outside of class. Your comments on
their papers are due to the discussion board before class on Wednesday, February 5.
Before you start reading their work, it’s important to take time to reflect on your writing process
up to this point.
First, re-read the prompt for the Contexts Project.
Then, consider the extent that your paper addresses the objectives of the prompt.
Once you’ve reflected on your Draft 2, you can leave a note to your readers to help direct them
to the feedback that you’d find most useful. Place this note in your original discussion board
poast, asking two questions to guide your readers. Find your original post (where you attached
your Draft 2), click the icon in the top-right corner, select “Edit,” and then add your two
questions for your readers. The more specific you are, the more direction your colleagues will
have when commenting and thus the more helpful their reviews will be for you as a writer.
Use the following questions as a guide:
•
Ask one question related to the central objectives of the CP Prompt, which are:
(1) research and deploy various types of sources to describe, contextualize, and
analyze a significant contemporary political/social/cultural problem;
(2) summarize and evaluate conversations and debates happening between credible
scholars, thinkers, and organizations about your topic.
Sample questions you could pose include: “Do you notice areas where I could add
analysis to elaborate on how a specific example or source is contributing to the larger
conversation about my topic?” “Do you notice any areas in my draft where I could
provide a more thorough rhetorical analysis of my sources?” “Are there any areas in my
paper where I could expand on the background or history of my topic?” “Do I clearly
identify the different participants in the conversation/debate around my topic?”
•
Then, list one othe rquestion you’d like to pose to your readers. For example, you might
ask: “Are there any places where I could better integrate a quote into my own sentence?”
“Are there any areas where I provided a direct quotation when a paraphrase or summary
might be more effective?” “Do I have any paragraphs that are dealing with more than one
controlling idea?” “Are there any paragraphs where I could improve my topic sentence?”
“Do my paragraphs fit together well, or are there any that seem out of place?”
When you’re ready, save your changes to the discussion post. Confirm that your readers will be
able to view both your comments and your Word file.
Part 2: Peer Review (Reader Response)
You will provide feedback on two of your classmate’s drafts outside of class (thirty minutes
each). I recommend setting a timer. You should devote thirty minutes to each paper—not much
more and definitely not much less.
1) Once you’ved\ opened your colleague’s draft from the discussion board, save a copy of it to
your computer. Then, glance quickly through the draft. Skim it to get a sense of the overall
topic and the writer’s main points.
2) Then, copy and paste the Summary Comments Guide from the discussion board. Read
through the questions to know what you’ll be looking for as you read through the draft.
3) Then, take a look at the questions the writer posed in their discussion post. Copy and paste
these questions below the Summary Comments Guide.
4) Read the draft again. This time, read it carefully, paying special attention to aspects that the
writer would like you to focus on, as well as the guiding questions for Summary Comments.
As you read, make marginal comments (see below). Once you’ve read through the draft,
answer the questions in the Summary Comments Guide.
Remember: Use marginal comments to pose questions to the reader or to note any specific
sections that could be clearer. Stay focused on ‘global’ issues (like the use of sources and
analysis) rather than ‘local’ ones like grammar and spelling errors. Leave the proofreading to the
writer.
Trampush 1
Renee Trampush
Sarah Hanson-Kegerreis
Writing 39C
2 February 2020
The Transition to Renewable Energy
Climate change is an issue that needs addressment, but it is a problem with many subsets
of issues that need solved with one issue being energy usage. Societies energy needs have relied
upon fossil fuels, but now with recent learning, we know that the main energy source is a major
contribution to emissions and pollution that worsens global warming. Among different sets of
people there are many arguments over the degree to which fossil fuels affect the environment
and what solution would both meet energy needs and not harm the environment. Debates are
ongoing about what speed the energy transition needs to take place, and whether the driving
factor is by government or naturally by economics. Since fossil fuels are not a good energy
source for the environment, alternatives are needed even though details of which, how, and when
are still debated or unanswered.
Our usage of fossil fuels can be dated back to the industrial revolution, when the needs
for energy with new technologies soared. Fossil fuels have remained as a primary energy source
since then, ingrained within current infrastructure but is no longer viable for the climate and
environment. As SA Elias a researcher of paleoenvironments at University of London describes
how the industrial revolution and expansion of human population have caused the widespread
use of fossil fuels to meet the growing needs for energy. The reliance on fossil fuel energy has
led to emissions of greenhouse gases which have been put into our atmosphere since 1950
Trampush 2
(457,462). He also predicts how with current more than 2/3 of energy being from fossil fuels
with high carbon emissions and global warming already being at 1.4o Celsius the benchmark set
by the Paris accord would not be met and global warming will be between 3-5o Celsius causing
major environmental changes (465). Filip Johnson et al. dealing with climate policy discusses
how because fossil fuels abundance and availability, they have been considered a reliable energy
source and made governments hesitant to pull away despite the negative impact (259). Fossil
fuels are dominant in terms of energy usage built upon long term reliance. Pulling away from
fossil fuels involves an uncertainty that makes governments hesitant to act.
Rather than energy systems built upon fossil fuels, renewable energy-based infrastructure
would be able to help mitigate climate change. Even if among many authors it remains in debate.
Current usage of fossil fuels is very high with little being done and renewable energies are a
small amount of total energy usage. Johnson et al asserts “there must be a dramatic ramp-up of
alternatives to fossil energy” (260) to be able to have effect in reducing the amount of global
warming. Though progress has been
made in research, alternative energy is
only accounting for 3.5% of world
energy usage (Elias 466). But societal
infrastructure may already have the
potential to be able to meet more energy
needs with renewable energy. As
Geilen et al. argues “a number of
Figure 1 Shows how renewables in comparison to other energy sources
are very low. Also shows how thus far energy usage has grown.
alternative combinations of resources,
technologies, and policies are found capable”
Trampush 3
of creating an energy transition to reduce emissions (38). Since fossil fuels relating to energy
usage are a large portion of emissions, it is agreed upon by multiple authors that cutting back on
fossil fuels is necessary. Some like Geilen et al, the EEA, and IRENA agree that the energy
transition needs to happen very soon to be as effective as possible in keeping climate change
down closer to the 2o Celsius mark as it was stated the need to in the IPPC report.
Despite information that high worldwide usage of fossil fuels are harmful, there are
political and economic factors need change in order to enable a fast energy transition. In a report
by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) given to the G20 Japan conference it
affirms that although many countries have the capabilities of transitioning energy sources and
limiting emissions, they do not do enough to limit global warming. They state that to be able to
“requires rapid and extensive transitions in all sectors” (15). Multiple governments still do not
subsidize or pass progressive enough policies to support renewable energy and reduce usage of
fossil fuels.
Figure 2 demonstrates how policies so
far are very off from IPPC goals of
limiting to below 2o C. It also shows
that countries are not meeting what
they promised to do in the Paris
Accord.
IRENA calls for action by G20 countries for more extensive and progressive policies to assist in
the energy transition. Johnsson mentions how action needs to be taken to reduce the amount of
fossil fuels available to encourage development of renewable energy. Johnsson claims that
because the fossil fuel sector still has investments and not enough restrictions, it is more difficult
Trampush 4
to transition energy to more renewable energy because it seems to be less profitable (264).
Geilen et al. make the point that an energy transition, “will require the rapid introduction of
policies and fundamental political changes” since to progress renewable energy rapidly more
support is needed until it reaches the stage where it is more economically competitive than fossil
fuels (38). Michael Le Page in the New Scientist draws alarm to how progress regarding
renewable energies is slowing down and more needs to be done to promote renewable energy of
multiple sources. Pukšec et al also adds that “building affordable and robust sustainable energy
systems presents complex challenges in every region of the world” (1688). There are many
factors that make an energy transition difficult and it can be acknowledged that both
governmental and societal changes need to happen to make it possible.
Technological advancements are what linked in hand with a global transition to
renewable energy and many have investigated what is feasible for the future. Discussions among
the future of energy state that different technological trends are the answer. To reduce emissions
Johnsson et al. might argue that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a viable option that
doesn’t require extensive change in infrastructure. But Geilen et al. argues that “CCS is not
considered as an option for the power sector.” since renewable energy would both reduce
emissions much more than CCS and provide more efficient energy usage (41). Reputable authors
do debate over which technological options can be deployed effectively and help mitigate
climate change. The differing in opinions is also by extremity, which could be that Johnsson et
al. is more on the perspective of energy policy while Geilen et al. look at the technological side
of energy sources. Along with renewable energy many authors draw the link between renewable
energy and electricity and state that electricity is a growing energy demand that will become a
primary form of storage. Authors that agree that the focus should be more on renewable energy
Trampush 5
do say that we need new methods of deployment and more investment in the technology behind
it.
Energy is a major need of society as it is today, and as such society needs forms of
energy that can meet demand but also help against climate change. Renewable energy could be
one part of the solution to be able to draw away from fossil fuels but change in infrastructure and
increase in the rapidity of technological advancement are needed. Such changes are agued to
need to happen very quickly in a so called “energy revolution”. While it is possible, society will
need to take more action and be more aware to be able to go against the hurdles of transitioning
to renewable energy. If more is done to limit emissions, then global warming will be able to be
reduced to less harmful levels.
Trampush 6
Bibliography
Burke, Matthew J., and Jennie C. Stephens. “Political Power and Renewable Energy
Futures: A Critical Review.” Energy Research & Social Science, vol. 35, 2018, pp. 78–93.,
doi:10.1016/j.erss.2017.10.018.
“Climate Change and Renewable Energy: National Policies and the Role of
Communities, Cities and Regions.” IRENA € International Renewable Energy Agency, June
2019, www.irena.org/publications/2019/Jun/Climate-change-and-renewable-energy.
Elias, S. “Climate Change and Energy.” Encyclopedia of the Anthropocene, vol. 1, 2018,
pp. 457–466., doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-809665-9.10515-4.
“Energy and Climate Change.” European Environment Agency, 10 Dec. 2019,
www.eea.europa.eu/signals/signals-2017/articles/energy-and-climate-change.
Gielen, Dolf, et al. “The Role of Renewable Energy in the Global Energy
Transformation.” Energy Strategy Reviews, vol. 24, 2019, pp. 38–50.,
doi:10.1016/j.esr.2019.01.006.
Johnsson, Filip, et al. “The Threat to Climate Change Mitigation Posed by the Abundance
of Fossil Fuels.” Climate Policy, vol. 19, no. 2, 2018, pp. 258–274.,
doi:10.1080/14693062.2018.1483885.
Michael Le Page. “The green revolution is stalling”. New Scientist, August 5,
2017. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:5P7PJ6V1-DY5K-Y37D-00000-00&context=1516831. Accessed January 27, 2020
Trampush 7
Owusu, Phebe Asantewaa, and Samuel Asumadu-Sarkodie. “A Review of Renewable
Energy Sources, Sustainability Issues and Climate Change Mitigation.” Cogent Engineering, vol.
3, no. 1, Apr. 2016, doi:10.1080/23311916.2016.1167990.
Pukšec, Tomislav, et al. “Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment
Systems 2016.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 82, 2018, pp. 1685–1690.,
doi:10.1016/j.rser.2017.10.057.
Vu 1
Vivian Vu
Professor HansonWriting 39C
2 February 2020
CP Rough Draft 2
As the Earth becomes warmer, icebergs melt and sea levels rise, causing global climate to
change. The reason why the Earth’s temperature is rising is due to increasing carbon dioxide levels.
A contributing factor to these increasing levels is deforestation. Forests cover more than 30% of
the earth’s surface and provides many resources. They store large amounts of carbon and once
these trees die and decay, they release the carbon dioxide stored into the atmosphere (Dean). Trees
release stored carbon dioxide “through natural processes such as plant respiration, droughts and
wildfires [and] human activities such as deforestation and illegal logging” (Dunne). The most
recent wildfires happened in Australia and the Amazon rainforest, however the Amazonian
wildfire had more of an effect because it produces about 20% of the world’s oxygen. The
Australian fires also killed about five hundred million animals, some of them being koalas which
are an endangered species. With deforestation comes with taking away habitats from animal and
plant species, possibly forcing them into extinction. Palm oil, for example, is a cheap and versatile
ingredient and can be used in many products, which is why tropical rainforests are cleared to make
space for palm oil plantations (Derouin). But it is counterintuitive to do so because deforestation
results in low quality soil and less rainfall. However deforestation affects more than increasing
carbon dioxide levels, it affects wildlife, plant species, and the efficiency of agriculture.
The most apparent and well-known effect of deforestation is increasing carbon dioxide
levels. This is because “trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and then
Vu 2
use it to build new leaves, shoots and roots” (Dunne). Though smaller crops can do the same as
trees, trees are more effective in storing carbon dioxide and releasing it as oxygen. From 20152017, “global loss of tropical forests contributed about 4.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide” (Dean).
Currently the levels of carbon dioxide are the highest they have ever been in human history. In
addition to this, the carbon stored underground in the form of fossil fuels is re-released into the
atmosphere for humans to use, thus contributing to the increasing levels (Dean). Because so much
carbon dioxide is accumulating more than forests can absorb, it is pushing the Earth to warm up
more. However, global air surface temperature responds to deforestation depending on the latitude.
High latitude deforestation results in cooling, while low latitude results in warming, and middle
latitude is a mix of both (Longobardi). According to past models, albedo effect is the reason why
high latitude results in a cooling effect- albedo effect is basically heat being absorbed and reflected
off of ice. While low latitude warming is due to decreases in latent heat reflux. Before, increasing
carbon dioxide levels would have been alleviated by the cooling effects of high latitude
deforestation; however, at this moment, the effects of low latitude deforestation is yielding a
warmer climate, thus increasing global temperatures.
Increasing carbon dioxide levels means increasing global temperatures, and according to
Ilha, declining body size in organisms is a universal response to rising temperatures. Since there
are no actually studies to prove this, Ilha conducted an experiment with Amazonian fishes. They
had a hypothesis that warmer deforested streams had smaller fish compared to cooler forested
streams. It was proven correct when fish in warmer streams turned out to be 43-55% smaller than
fish in cooler streams. The reasoning is temperature is an important environmental factor that can
affect the performance and distribution of organisms, and decreasing body size is the third response
to increasing temperatures. Body size affects every part of the organism, from metabolism to
Vu 3
longevity, which is concerning for the conservation of biological diversity. Deforested water
streams tend “to be deeper, have higher water conductivity, and very low canopy over” which
affects the stream’s habitat characteristics (Ilha). Ilha did a collection sample of fish at an
individual level from deforested and forested areas and found that the mean for body mass in fish
from deforested areas is less than the mean for fish from forested areas. This observation remained
consistent with other types of fishes at a population level. Though observational results could have
been due many other factors, Ilha’s experimental results proves temperature alone has an affect on
the growth and size of fish.
Deforestation results in animals losing their homes and habitats, possibly driving them to
extinction. As deforestation increases, so does the number of animals hunted in Brazil. Bonaudo
conducted a survey with hunters in rural areas along the Transamazon highway. According to
Bonaudo’s data, hunters tend to hunt in very forestry areas where there are bigger game. However
as the forest areas become smaller, there are less areas for these animals to hide. Even though it is
harder for hunters to hunt in grass areas, they are slowly becoming better at stand hunting, which
affects the biomass and diversity of animals even more.
The main reason for human-induced deforestation is for agriculture. As stated before,
palm oil is cheap and versatile which is very it is massively produced, however deforestation
imposes a threat on agriculture, making it harder to grow anything. Tropical forests move more
water than any other ecosystem, they turn soil water into moisture which cools the atmosphere
above them. But deforestation comes with increasing temperatures, which causes drier climates
and affects the amount of rainfall (Lawrence). By continuing to cut down the Amazon
Rainforest, the amount of rainfall in the Midwest and Northwest of the US will decrease, thus
affecting agriculture.
Vu 4
Deforestation affects the quality of the soil as well. Kassa did an experiment by
comparing the physico-chemical characteristics of soils from tropical forests, agroforestry, and
deforested areas. They found that organic carbon, total nitrogen, exchangeable calcium, etc. are
higher in tropical forests and agroforestry. The reason is as tropical forests or agroforestry are
converted to a cropland, organic carbon and nitrogen levels are lost. During the conversion, more
carbon dioxide is emitted. So even though, forests are cut down to make room for plantations, it
actually does the opposite and makes farming less efficient and more difficult. The negatives of
decreasing soil quality and emitting more carbon dioxide out weight the positives of mass
production.
Deforestation is one of the leading causes of climate change because it comes in many
different forms. As forests are cleared, the carbon dioxide stored is released into the atmosphere
and increases the global temperatures. It changes the Earth’s landscape and its ability to reflect
heat, decreasing the albedo effect. As the Earth’s temperature increase, the body of organisms
decrease, as proven with Amazonian fishes, it affects the organisms’ physiology and longevity.
Animals also lose their habitat and their resources to survive, and are more easily hunted because
hunters are adapting. A main reason for human-induced deforestation is agriculture. However,
with increasing carbon dioxide levels, causes a drier climate and affects the amount of rainfall, as
a result, decreasing the efficiency of agriculture. It also affects the quality of soil because as
forests are converted into croplands, organic carbon and nitrogen levels are lost. Not only do
tropical forests produce oxygen, they also store carbon dioxide, but as the rate of deforestation
increases so does the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, soon carbon dioxide
production will overtake the production of oxygen.