Going Green

Both Jamie Lincoln Kitman and Patrick Moore support protecting the enviroment. However, they have very interesting view points concerning the arguments in their articles. Kitman, who is the New York bureau chief for Automobile Magazine makes an argument regarding Hybrid cars. When most people hear the word Hybrid in regards to an automobile they automatically think enviromentally friendly, but according to Kitman this is not always the case. This is because Hybrids are more effecient when used around town, if they are taken onto the interstate other cars, such as the toyota corolla, get much better mileage. Also, they are now making Hybrid SUVs, which get worse gas mileage than the average car. People are still purchasing them though, and it's because they are getting tax breaks, special parking passes, and use of special lanes of traffic. Another thing Kitman mentions is the recycling of these cars. If not done so properly the battery pack of a Hybrid is an enviromental hazard.
Patrick Moore's argument is about the need to start considering using nuclear energy. There have been instances in our history where things have happened such as Three Mile Island, but not major damage was done to people in the surrounding area of the nuclear plant. He also states that this is the only way to save our earth from a drastic climate change. Nuclear energy is the only alternative to the ever fading fossil fuels. A draw back to this is the ability to construct nuclear weapons from nuclear energy, however things are being done to help prevent this. In Japan a system where plutonium is never separated from the uranium has been implemented, which makes it more difficult to manufacture weapons with civilian materials. He makes a good point by mentioning that if we banned everything that could be used to kill people we never would have harnessed fire.
I think an author's biography influences his or her persuasiveness drastically. In my opinion, I'm more likely to be persuaded and actually listen, and retain the information if i'm under the impression it's coming from someone who knows what he is talking about.