Posted by mysterychicken on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 6:42pm.
'We are currently in an energy crisis. After food, fossil fuels are humanity's most important source of energy. These resources take millions of years to make. We are currently using the fuels that were made more than 300 million years ago, before the time of dinosaurs. Fossil fuels are a non-renewable resource; once they are gone, they are gone. Compose a research paper that investigates and reports on the biological and environmental aspects of this energy crisis.'
I've got all my information that I need for this research paper, but I need help writing the introduction.
15 points are for:
-A clear thesis statement that expresses the argument, goals, and/or main focus of the paper; thesis statement should be easily recognizable
-Introduces topic with general background information and outlines a road map with development of supporting ideas; provides an overview of what the reader can expect to learn
-Effectively grabs readers' attention and makes them want to continue reading
Here's what I have so far:
Fossil Fuels--An Energy Crisis [Title]
Three major forms of fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Coal is a solid fossil fuel formed over millions of years by decay of land vegetation. When layers are compacted and heated over time, deposits turn into coal. Oil is a liquid fossil fuel that is formed from the remains of marine microorganisms deposited on the sea floor. After millions of years the deposits end up in rock and sediment where oil is trapped in small places. Natural gas is a gaseous fossil fuel that is versatile and abundant. Like oil, it is formed from the remains of marine microorganisms.
Combustion of fossil fuels is considered to be the largest contributing factor to the release of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. There are many types of harmful outcomes which result from the process of converting fossil fuels to energy. Some of these include air and water pollution and accumulation of solid wastes. When coal is burned, it releases nitrous oxide which is kept in the atmosphere for a very long time. The harmful impact of this chemical could take up to a couple of hundred years to make itself known. Converting fossil fuels may also result in accumulation of solid waste. This type of accumulation has a devastating impact on the environment. It also increases the risk of toxic runoff which can poison surface and groundwater sources for many miles. Toxic runoff also endangers surrounding vegetation, wildlife, and marine life.
To reduce our society’s dependence on fossil fuels, we can use some alternative renewable sources of energy like nuclear fusion. Fusion involves the extraction of hydrogen from water and the combination of two hydrogen atoms to form helium. Another source is hydrogen. Most schemes for generating hydrogen are based on the splitting of water using solar energy directly. Hydrogen can substitute natural gas. The last source we can use is energy plants. Active improvements in bioengineering may provide the basis for enhancing the efficiency or redirecting the end products of photosynthetic processes to produce commercial fuels such as hydrogen.
There are new innovations in technology that are currently being explored and implemented to help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. For example, concepts for combining end uses and supply generation facilities to better utilize waste heat are already being employed. These include cogeneration of steam, electricity, and district heating. Future combinations may include the use of nuclear energy to generate heat for coal gasification. With these options we can help phase out our dependency on fossil fuels and find clean and useful sources of power.
The biological impacts as a result of the use of fossil fuels can harm the living organisms in the area. Oil spills and air pollution, which are also an environmental impact, can harm farm crops, rain forest plants, insects, animals, and even humans.
I also need to find out how to write a good conclusion for this. Please help!
Thanks
-MC
- Biology Research Paper - Ms. Sue, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 6:52pm
What is your thesis statement?
What arguments support it?
- Biology Research Paper - mysterychicken, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 6:54pm
I need help figuring out a thesis statement.
-MC
- Biology Research Paper - Writeacher, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:00pm
So far you have just stated already known facts -- that is, you have written a report. To remedy this, you need to draft a thesis statement.
A thesis statement must include factual information plus your position/opinion/stance. Without your position on the topic, it isn't a true thesis statement. So think of this sentence as the angle you want to take on the topic and what you intend to prove by the end of your paper. (If your statement is simply factual, then there's nothing to prove!)
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html
This is one of the very best places I've seen online to help students write good thesis statements. It shows you sentences that aren't thesis statements and how to turn each one into real thesis statements.
- Biology Research Paper - Ms. Sue, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:02pm
How can you write an essay without a thesis statement?
Study these sites carefully.
http://www.sdst.org/shs/library/thesis.html
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/
- Biology Research Paper - mysterychicken, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:05pm
So like...'We need to find alternative fuel sources because fossil fuels are being used up/messing up the environment'
?
Thanks
-MC
- Biology Research Paper - Writeacher, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:06pm
Good one -- can you phrase it without using "We" or any other personal pronoun, though?
- Biology Research Paper - mysterychicken, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:09pm
'Fossil fuels are being used up, and harming the environment, so alternative fuels need to be used.'
Is it too long?
-MC
- Biology Research Paper - Writeacher, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:22pm
Now you've made it into a passive sentence, and it's not very passionate. You need to FEEL something about this topic; you need to feel something strongly enough that you need to PROVE it.
Look:
15 points are for:
-A clear thesis statement that expresses the argument, goals, and/or main focus of the paper; thesis statement should be easily recognizable
-Introduces topic with general background information and outlines a road map with development of supporting ideas; provides an overview of what the reader can expect to learn
-Effectively grabs readers' attention and makes them want to continue reading
Re-read all the examples in the LEO website both Ms. Sue and I gave you. Read ALL of them, and then re-read the last two, again and again.
- Biology Research Paper - mysterychicken, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:31pm
I get what a thesis statement is and everything, but I just don't understand how to put feeling into a topic like this...=/
-MC
- Biology Research Paper - Ms. Sue, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:40pm
MC -- don't you begin to understand that this is a crisis? The fuel that powers our cars, produces our electricity, and heats our homes is almost gone!
What are we going to do in 20 or 50 years? We need to start finding alternate energy sources now -- or your children and grandchildren won't have gasoline for cars or electricty!
- Biology Research Paper - mysterychicken, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:44pm
Okay, i understand that it's a crisis. So...'To get past the crisis of our fossil fuels finishing, alternative fuel sources need to be found that can substitute efficiently.'
Or something like that...?
Thanks
-MC
- Biology Research Paper - Ms. Sue, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:47pm
That's a start. Keep working on it. You may need to let it sit over night and think about it.
- Biology Research Paper - Anonymous, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 8:35pm
Alternative fuel sources need to be found to prevent fossil fuels from being used ineffectively; messing up the environment.
- Biology Research Paper - mysterychicken, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 9:33pm
Thanks!!
-MC
- Biology Research Paper - desperatematt, Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 7:59pm
having a semicolon in your thesis makes your whole thought sound weak. you should change that up.
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