Peter Lemakos
1014 words
1. The title of the film is Earth: The Operator’s Manual: Powering the Planet. The director is Richard
Alley, a geologist who studies the effect of climate change on glacial ice and explores the
feasibility of renewable energy. The film was released in two thousand and twelve.
2. The Central Argument to the film is that America and the rest of the world can transition from
fossil fuels to renewable energy within a reasonable timeframe. the film says that there is a lot
of energy to be had in wind and even more in solar. The film discusses how Brazil, China, and
Denmark are moving away from fossil fuels and towards renewable sources. The film presents
its points in an objective way and explores possibilities for our future without a political leaning.
The film uses example from around the world to show that clean energy is feasible
3. The argument is made by saying that massive amounts of energy lie in wind power and even
more can be gleaned from solar energy. The film states that sunlight hitting the earth contains
one hundred twenty thousand terawatts of energy. The film states that one of the major
political problems regarding our energy situation is that politicians only look forward to the next
election cycle instead of looking ahead fifty years or so to where the effects of any changes now
will be felt. The film the methods used by countries such as China, Denmark, and Brazil to make
the transition to renewable energy sources. The film also covers five towns in different regions
of the United States: Alaska, Kansas, Texas, Baltimore, and Oregon. The film shows how we
know about differing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through analyzing ice sheets in
New Zealand and through the advance and retreat of glaciers during Earth’s ice ages. Through
this analysis, we are told that the carbon dioxide levels now are higher than they have been for
the last four hundred thousand years. The film’s preference for solar power in shown in
discussing a solar plant near Seville, Spain, that will soon power two hundred thousand homes.
The film goes on to state that the deserts of the American southwest could produce enough
energy to power eighty percent of the world. It also shows how geothermal energy powers an
island in New Zealand. Brazil has many of its cars running on ethanol derived from sugarcane,
which runs much cleaner than any fossil fuel based car fuel. This is contrasted by Houston, texas,
which is currently using almost entirely gas based fuels but is looking to switch over to cleaner
fuels. Both the United States military and the factories of Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai are
looking to reduce their carbon footprint drastically. In the words of the chairman of the
collaborative United States-china effort to increase their green energy production, china has
gone from “the factory of the world” to the “the clean-tech laboratory of the world.” The film
show a wide range of low and high tech options to produce green energy.
4. Some of the stakeholders shown in the film are politicians. They are criticized by the film for
their lack of foresight on the issue of climate change. They are said o look only until their next
election cycle instead of fifty or more years into the future to consider green energy initiatives.
Other stakeholders include all the scientists and engineers researching green initiatives. They
are looked upon very positively as they are the ones facilitating a brighter future for the planet.
5. The parts of the fil I found the most persuasive were the parts that stated that enormous
amounts of energy can be generated from solar power. This is because it makes sense that the
most energy can be gained by harnessing the power of the object that contains ninety eight
percent of the mass of our solar system. It also makes sense because it could eventually be
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possible to harvest solar energy outside of earth, which could possibly provide energy for as
many people as will ever live on earth.
There are no parts that stand out as less persuasive than the others. The film presents multiple
solutions to the issue of global warming through a nonpartisan viewpoint. All of these solutions
are feasible, though some are more feasible than others. The overproduction of corn in America
and other areas makes ethanol a viable alternative to gasoline in America, and when combined
with the solar potential of the southwest, green energy a very viable alternative in the United
States.
This film best addresses those who are interested in ways to transition from fossil fuels to green
energy. It is also good for politicians who can help form a plan to combat climate change
through increasing funding of green energy products because the film explores options for
different climates.
The film is very well made from an educational standpoint any more educational stuff would do
almost nothing to enhance the movie as it would only make it longer and would probably result
in a loss of interest in the film.
The film suggests solar energy as the best solution for our fossil fuel dependence, but it also
suggests other methods such as wind, geothermal and ethanol as feasible alternatives. Given
the amount of energy that can be produced through renewable means, the film states that a full
transition is possible in the near future
The first thing I looked up was whether the American government was trying to exploit the
deserts of the southwest for solar energy. I found that they were, and that in the most recent
project, ninety two percent of the solar plants are already operational. According to National
Geographic, ethanol still has negative effects on the environment, meaning that it is not a long
run solution, but could serve as a temporary solution. I then looked into geothermal energy
because I do not have a good understanding of how it works. I found that it is simply converting
the Earth’s heat into electricity.
Works cited
Bracken, Nathan. "Concentrating Solar Power and Water Issues in the U.S. Southwest." Nrel.gov.
Accessed September 21, 2015.
"Ethanol Not So Green After All?" National Geographic. Accessed September 21, 2015.
"Geothermal Energy." Wikipedia. Accessed September 21, 2015.