When viewing Thisisreality.org I found the site’s interactivity functions to be engaging and eye catching and geared toward a younger audience. This site basically debunks the coals industry push to “green wash” the general public into thinking that they are making significant strides toward “clean” coal power production. When in all actuality there isn’t a single clean coal power plant in the US. Thisisreality.org is basically saying the technologies that are being researched and studied to sufficiently capture and store CO2 emissions have yet to shown any concrete progress and while we wait for these technologies to be developed, we could be putting our time and resources towards other renewable energies that have proven success such as wind power and solar power. Thisisreality.org is simply presenting the known facts (coal burning is the leading cause of global warming)(There isn’t a single clean coal power plant in the US) and trying to bring to the general public the truth behind the coal industries campaign to “green wash” and gain public support for the continual use of coal. Until technologies are developed to capture and store CO2 in a safe and environmentally friendly way clean coal doesn’t exist.. On the site you can see that it is sponsored by many climate control and environmental organizations.
Upon visiting Americaspower.org I immediately noticed that the site wasn’t as visually attractive as Thisisreality.org. The site is filled with graphs, facts and testimonies. This site seemed to be geared toward the middle-aged working class American adult. Although the site does list factual information I can’t seem to find any real evidence of this new “clean coal” tech being put to use. As you browse through the site you will come across the statement that coal is now 77% cleaner since the enactment of the Clean Air Act in 1990. Although, this does show some progress this doesn’t not mean that coal is actually clean. Americaspower.org seems to stress the fact that coal is our most abundant and inexpensive source of power, does this mean that we should keep our time and money invested into a power source that is damaging to us as a species, and to our atmosphere when we could use our resources on the further development of renewable energy that is much more environmentally friendly. Should convenience and cost be our only determining factor when it comes to keeping America powered? The fact is that clean coal doesn’t exist. Americaspower.org is sponsored by American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity which almost all of its members are somehow involved in the coal industry. No wonder why they are pushing for the general public to back the “clean coal” campaign.
I agree with you about how "America's Power" doesn't seem to show anything about the actual research being put to good use. I couldn't find anything either that support the claims that they say CC will help the environment. I liked the point you made about the Clean Air Act and how the progress doesn't necessarily mean the coal they use is indeed clean.
ReplyDeleteI felt that the website This Is Reality was entertaining. You said it perfect when you thought that it was geared towards younger people. The layout and colors and the yellow bird flying into the "facts". I am also with you about the fact that there is no way to have clean coal. There are ways to make it less dirty or cleaner but not clean. Even if all the gases and CO2 were caught before being released they would have to go somewhere in the Earth and even if it were contained it would still not be clean.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you guys. This is Reality was definitely target towards our age group, and America's Coal was most certainly for an older demographic. Did anyone else feel like they were reading a newspaper, minus the news?
ReplyDeleteAnyway... I do have to say something about Eric's statement that carbon gasses would have to be put somewhere. That is perfectly true, but the carbon was already in nature before we dug it up, just as coal. So if we found a way to magically make it into a solid again, we'd be better off. So, putting it somewhere that's not the atmosphere is fine, but there's no way that's going to happen...
I agree with your views on both reality and america's power. There definitely seems to be a target audience for both sites and i think you described them perfectly. Americas power is more focused on maintaining the status quo for energy consumption while slowly working towards "clean coal". Reality on the other hand is much more idealistic and steadfast in their goal which is ultimately clean, renewable energy no matter what. They also want to US to be weened entirely off fossil fuels unless we can find a way to eliminate harmful environmental side effects. Good analysis
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of your first impressions Max of the sites. The reality site looked way more interesting and made me want to keep looking at the site. It was geared to a younger audience and I felt this could really help them. The second site, American Power wasn't as eye catching but it did have tons of information. Seeing the states and how much coal each place used was very helpful to better understand the problem and what we can try to do to lower the use.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the points you made about This is Reality. I like how they point out that clean coal doesn't actually exist, and you said it well when you said "this site basically debunks the coals industry push to “green wash” the general public." That is exactly what The is Reality is doing, debunking the myth. I also like how you mentioned that while America's Power shows hard facts that coal use and production is 77% cleaner, that doesn't necessarily mean that it is actually clean. Cleaner and clean are two different things, and I thought that was a good point that you mentioned. Overall, I agree with many of your statements about each site, but I would've liked to have seen you compare and contrast the two a bit more.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comparison of the websites. Reality is definitely geared toward a younger crowd. I like how you mentioned the sponsor of the clean coal website. Once you realize that it is sponsored by American Clean Coal Association, the argument becomes very one-sided.
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