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Cameron Benson
Ms. Longhurst
English 1010-073
March 23, 2016
Energy's Future Today

In Eric McLambs article, Fossil Fuels vs. Renewable Energy Resources, McLambs states
his purpose for the article (trying to inform his audience that) Energy is one of the requirements
needed to run day to day activities and its important to make sure the future energy demands be
met easily and are environmentally fit. Graduating form the University of North Carolina and
obtaining a Bachelors degree in English and Science, McLamb has focused his desire on
ecology partly due to his occupation; he's the founder and senior executive vice president at
Ecology Communications Group, Inc. His group has written many articles regarding the systems
concerning all facets of ecology and the environment we all live. All of these articles, including
Energys Future Today is written to the general public as well as scientist worldwide who have
interest and concern about how this planet will be energized in the future. This articles karios in
particular is written to try and help gain support and wanting for new renewable energy sources
because of the negative roles fossil fuels play in society. Because our group has chosen the
position to believe that renewable energy sources will be more affective and better from an
environmental standpoint in the future, we find Mclambs article positioned well. Due to his
thesis, which stands for finding renewable energy sources that make sure the future energy
demands be met easily and are environmentally fit, we respect and completely agree with
Mclamb.

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McLamb, before informing his reader on fossil fuels, reminds them that it is most
important to find a type of energy that fits future energy demands easily and is environmentally
fit. By making it clear where he stands, the audience can now read his article with the knowledge
that it will be written from his bias.
Throughout the world, as McLamb says to counter argue his position on our use of energy,
fossil fuels have been the main source of energy used to power everything from cars to even the
lights in households...the wrong type of energy (McLamb). He goes on and appeals to the
articles ethos by stating that 93% of the worlds energy is supplied by non-renewable energy
source and the total world energy demand is for about 400 quadrillion British Thermal Unites
(BTUs) each year (A BTU is roughly equal to the energy and heat generated by a match)
(McLamb). Even though McLamb is clearly understanding of the huge usage of fossil fuels in
the world, he uses this information to help question and help gain the readers acceptance of his
position by saying that there is too much negativity over the use of these fossil fuelsits not
safe. The world should cut down on its yearly use of this energy. From these concerns, Mclamb,
though logos, articulates that there are many new alternative energy sources including (but not
limited to) wind and solar energy which will be of better use.
Mclamb begins his argument by focusing on fossil fuels. Through his research and use of a
few outside sources he uses pathos to express to his audience the negative sides of using
nonrenewable energy. Fossil fuels do provide a valuable service to our worldly energy needs, but
what has been seen as problematic over the years is the effects of using them that creates
combustion; considered the largest contributing factor to the release of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere. With all that combustion in the atmosphere it is increasing the impact of the worlds
global warming on the environment extensively. In the Arctic and Antartica, warmer

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temperatures are causing the ice to melt which will increase sea level and change the
composition of the surrounding sea water. With the sea levels rising, it can impede processes
ranging from agriculture, settlement, and fishing bother commercially and recreationally.
Mclamb appeals to pathos here by directly showing the audience that their daily life can be
affected, not only from a farming standpoint, but expressing that the use of fossil fuels can affect
the amount of land that we are able to find settlement. He also appeals to pathos when expressing
that air pollution is also a direct result of the use of fossil fuels, which has resulted in smog and
the degradation of plant growth and even human health. This is a great use of information to
appeal to the audiences pathos. McLambs audience, after reading his factual information, will
realize that fossil fuels could potentially hurt the air quality enough to sicken them or even cause
death. He then adds onto his very brilliant appeal to both pathos and logos by showing the great
danger of hurting the natural ecosystems by collecting fossil fuels (mostly consisting of coal and
oil). Over the years oil spills have devastated ecosystems and the act of mining for coal has
ruined lands of their vitality. Coal and oil companies even see the great environmental issues that
are increasing rapidly. Not only does McLamb express that coal and oil are hurting the
ecosystem, but he also shows his reader that coal and oil companies themselves are seeing the
issues arising from using these terrible nonrenewable energy sources.
Mclamb, after his great informant on fossil fuels, begins to show his position by expressing
that wind and solar energy are perfect energy sources (McLamb). Since some estimates say
that our fossil fuel reserves will be depleted within 50 years, (McLamb) Mclamb again appeals
to logos by using this quote to express that the world will have no choice but to start a new era of
energy production since the demand for energy will only increase. One huge reason for this
population growth. McLamb uses all three rhetorical devises (ethos, pathos, logos) to hammer

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home this great statistic: By the year 2020, world energy consumption is projected to increase
by 50%. Clearly this goes to show the audience that renewable energy resources will absolutely
play a great role in the power generation mix over the next few centuries because with
population growing, there will be no other choice. With a new era of renewable energy (solar and
wind) McLamb points out through logos that not only will renewable energy sources help reduce
global carbon dioxide emissions, but these forms of energy will also add flexibility to the energy
mix by helping to decrease the worlds dependency on limited reserves of fossil fuels. To be
blunt, these renewable energy sources will create their own energy. McLamb then hammers
home his overarching purpose on the right type of energy use in the future by saying that theres
more than enough renewable energy sources to supply all of the worlds energy needs forever;
however, the challenge is to develop the capability to effectively and economically capture, store
and use the energy when needed.
Think for a second about solar energy. The worlds ultimate source of energy is the sun that
helps heat the planet humans live on. The sun is capable of providing enough energy to be stored
for use long after it sets in the evening and even during times of extended cloudy periods. Its
energy can be found in all things, including fossil fuels. Plants depend on the sun to make food,
animals eat the plants, and both ended up becoming the key ingredients for fossil fuels. Through
McLambs great use of the logos and pathos in these few sentences, he now has showed his
audience that solar energy is natural and harmless. With this said though, the cost prohibitive to
make solar energy mainstream for world consumption in the future is not possible at the moment.
Because McLamb puts this information within his article, he creates trust with his reader and
adds to his own credibility by using stating the realistic standpoint at which we, as energy users,
are at. AlthoughMclamb comes right back with a pleasing thought for his audience with saying

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that the technology is basically ready for many businesses and applicants when realistically
affordable. Still though, according to McLambs citing of the European Photovoltaic Industry
Association, solar power could provide energy for more than one billion people by 2020 and 26
percent of global energy needs by 2040.
After McLamb speaks upon solar energy, he addresses his audience with his thoughts on
wind power. He begins by appealing to logos through stating that wind energy has actually been
used pretty effectively for a few generations now, and it is also rapidly growing as an energy
market. He helps knowledge his audience on the basic principle behind wind energy by
paraphrasing wind energy is a current is passed through turbines which thus converts their
energy into electricity. Aside from the wind turbines themselves, wind energy is free, so no
matter how much is used now, there will always be the same supply in the future. McLamb then
takes great use of a credible source (The U.S. Department of Energy) by quoting them:
In 1990, Californias wind power plants offset the emission of more than 2.5 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, and
15 million pounds of other pollutants that would have otherwise been produced. It would take a forest of 90 million
to 175 million trees to provide the same air quality (Wood).

McLambs usage of the U.S Department of Energy information appeals greatly to the articles
logos and McLambs ethos by again putting great trust between him and his audience. He lets the
reader know that his position is agreed with by The U.S Department of Energy. Progressing
through his article he next discusses the cost side of wind energy to ultimately let his reader
know that wind energy is in the same boat as solar energy for funding. Although prices for wind
turbines have decreased in the past few years, the technology requires a very high initial
investment; one much greater than fossil fuel generators. If Comparing fossil fueled systems on a
life long cost basis though, wind costs are more competitive with other generating technologies
due to not having to purchase fuel and the minimal cost it take to operate such machinery.
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McLamb makes a great connection to logos and does a great job closing his thoughts on wind
energy here. He lets his reader foreshadow that in the long run, paying for wind energy will cost
less money than if companies were to keep paying for nonrenewable energy.
Throughout McLambs article, his writing style exemplifies one that can be interpreted as
descriptive, but also expository. McLamb put his own opinion to a solution on the topic in the
conclusion of his masterpiece by expressing that perhaps the best solution to the worlds growing
energy challenges comes from The Union of Concerned Scientists: No single solution can meet
our societys future energy needs. The solution instead will come from a family of diverse energy
technologies that share a common thread they do not deplete our natural resources or destroy
our environment (McLamb). Although McLamb doesn't actually say what he wants, the reader
can assume that McLamb has taken his position on focusing on renewable energy in the future to
keep the environment running cleanly. As far as McLambs article being one from descriptive
writing, his word choice and his use of outside sources to fill in much needed detail throughout
did express his determination to describe different types of energy. He also provides the reader
many facts regarding how much of each energy source is used currently, amount of years energy
needs will double, etc..
From a visual standpoint, McLamb does a fantastic job of using picture aids to help the
reader paint a tangible understanding of some of the energy systems and what they look like. He
has at least five different pictures all showing different energy sources and which all include a
brief summary under them describing their jobs. He also does a great job with his text through
his article. Each section is titled with bold, blue lettering and the Helvetica font is consistent
throughout the article.
With so many energy concerns for the future, McLamb foreshadows that the solution is

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ultimately going to be in the hands of mankind. All types of energy have impacts on the
environment. Concerns about the greenhouse effect, air pollution, global warming, and even the
up rise in population demanding more energy has thankfully helped increase the interest and
development in renewable energy. The reader should by this point be able to respect and agree
with McLamb due to his great use of sources, factual evidence, and appreciation for the worlds
future. All in all though, for now, like McLamb said, we will have to continue to use fossil fuels
and types of nuclear energy until a new chapter of learning technologies can replace them.
Hopefully with the continuation of research towards cleaning up and improving our energy
sources, our planet will one day be at a place where it will never have to see pollutant non
renewable energy sources again.

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Work Cited

McLamb, Eric. "Fossils Fuels vs. Renewable Energy." Ecology Global Network. Ecology
Today, 06 Sept. 2011. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.

Wood, Daniel. "Energy Sources." Energy Sources. Science & Innovation, 3 Aug. 2004.
Web. 29 Mar. 2016.