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| | |  | By Kim and Jack Mejia
Grade 10
Media Academy
Oakland, CA | Should the government build renewable energy structures like wind turbines?
- Posted December 4, 2009
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| The government should build renewable energy because it’ll benefit everyone by fighting global warming, being eco-friendly, and setting an example. Renewable energy is the best thing that’s happened in a long time. It’s a shame that the richest, most innovative country has fallen short when it comes to implementing global warming-combating structures. If we step up and implement these rules, we will set an example the rest of the world will follow.
- Kim Mejia, Grade 10, Media Academy, Oakland, CA
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| Unlike the "affirmative" would like to argue, building these structures will not benefit Americans; instead it will impose higher taxes on the American public. These structures cost money and that money will come out of everyone’s wallets in the form of taxes. We’re in a recession right now; how do you expect us to fund these projects?
- Jack Mejia, Grade 10, Media Academy, Oakland, CA
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| Well, we might be in a recession right now, but building these structures would actually lift us out of the recession. Yes, we might spend a lot of money on these projects; no one said change was easy, or cheap. But in the long-run, green structures will generate more money and will basically pay for them. They’ll also create thousands, maybe tens of thousands of jobs. The economy will gradually repair itself faster if we create businesses that would provide those jobs and will definitely stay in the country. In the end, we would end up with a good economy, lots of stable jobs, and a reduced carbon footprint. We’d spur a green revolution that would not only help us but the world! Change is good, especially if it helps humans and animals alike!
- Kim Mejia, Grade 10, Media Academy, Oakland, CA
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| It doesn’t help animals. Turbines can easily kill birds that come into proximity with them. A lot of animals are put at great risk. With wind turbines, they would suffer gruesome, bloody deaths. Is that what we really want? To build energy resources that could wipe out endangered species in a flash? Wind turbines and solar panels will not help the economy. Instead, they will bring down property values. Who’s going to want to live in a house beside noisy, obnoxious machinery? With these turbines, we’ll have low property values and endanger the safety of animals.
- Jack Mejia, Grade 10, Media Academy, Oakland, CA
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| Electric power plants are deadlier than wind turbines. Animals can get electrocuted and roasted to death and electrical plants also involve chopping down plants and trees because they take up so much space. They cut down habitats that many animals, not just endangered ones, inhabit. Wind turbines and solar panels do take up space, but they don’t disrupt environments as bad as power plants do. Instead of cutting down landscapes, they simply live among them, without such a big impact. Having global warming-combating machinery that reduces our carbon footprint and betters our environment, helping humans, plants, and animals alike survive on this earth far outweighs a few animals potentially dying and the disturbance of loud noise. The "negative" fails to grasp the bigger picture, which practically helps all life on earth. The U.S. uses more resources than any other country on earth, and shouldn’t we at least try to make some of them renewable? What the "negative" is suggesting is we continue our irresponsible burning of fossil fuels until it runs out. Films like Al Gore’s "An Inconvenient Truth" and numerous research papers have proven over and over again that continuing that way of life is unacceptable, for all the risks and threats it poses to life on earth. That’s why we need to reform our ways, and the best options are through renewable energy structures.
- Kim Mejia, Grade 10, Media Academy, Oakland, CA
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| The 'change' the "affirmative" is offering isn’t guaranteed. They can’t guarantee there will be all those jobs available. And even if there are, only certified professionals, not the ordinary citizen, would benefit from those jobs. Only they would be able to apply for those jobs. The "affirmative" has good intentions, but their plan isn’t the best. Despite what they might say, these structures would hurt not only our economy, but our environment, too. Birds are more likely to get killed hitting a wind turbine than hitting the wall of a power plant. Millions of wind turbines create a greater risk of hurting animals that anything else. The "affirmative" relentlessly argues that it won’t impact the environment and animals’ habitats, but how is it not impacting the environment if an effective renewable energy system will require having millions of wind turbines and solar panels, covering acres upon acres of land?
These structures will undoubtedly affect the habitats. These structures being built will hurt the American people, stripping them of millions of dollars to fund this project. How are they supposed to trust their government if the government is forcing them to install noisy wind turbines near their homes and large solar panels taking up space in their favorite parks? What happened to democracy? What happened to people’s voices being heard? Aren’t we going to rule like dictators over the public, forcing them to sacrifice not only their homes but beautiful natural sites for the ‘greater good’ that will ‘benefit’ everyone else? These structures shouldn’t be built because they affect people’s lives and put all animals at risk.
- Jack Mejia, Grade 10, Media Academy, Oakland, CA
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| I think it is a good idea for the government to build renewable energy structures because it benefits our environment and economy. Think about it... If there are more structures like that, it provides an energy source that is clean and is not harmful to the environment but also, more people will need to be hired to maintain the performance of these structures.
- Stephenie Huynh, Grade 11, San Lorenzo High School, San Lorenzo, CA
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