Climate Change Could Be Devastating and People Must Adapt to Survive

Points of View

John T. Snyder HUM/115

March 8, 2016

Lynette Favors

Points of View

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Step 1 of 3:

Provide your opinion on one (1) of the following issues, in at least 50 to 75 words:

• Health care system
• Climate change
• National debt
• Or, ask your instructor for approval of a social, political or educational issue.

In my opinion, human activity is a contributing factor in climate change, most notably by causing global warming. Evidence gained from numerous climate change studies substantiates this fact. The burning of fossil fuels and biomass lead to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere. Increased carbon dioxide levels trap excessive heat and can raise atmospheric temperature levels to dangerous levels, an occurrence known as the greenhouse effect. Extreme amounts of trapped heated air can potentially disturb weather patterns and overheat ecosystems, killing plants and animals. Polar ice caps could also melt, threatening human existence.    

Step 2 of 3:

Locate two (2) articles from the University Library or the Internet and discuss the following, in 75 to 100 words per article

• Is the information contained in the articles reliable? Explain.
• Are the authors credible or non-credible? Why or why not?
• Is the article credible?

Article 1:        Climate Change Could Be Devastating and People Must Adapt to Survive

        The information from this article is reliable because it is a peer-reviewed article and it includes substantial support for the author’s claims, a requirement described in our textbook (Browne and Keeley, 2012). The author of the article, a climate-change scientist and forest ecologist with the National Park Service, seems credible based on his position and the proof he uses to support his claims. And the article, based on the evidence presented, appears to be

credible. The article states that “scientific evidence demonstrates that increased man-made carbon emissions are linked to global warming, harming ecosystems, and human welfare” (Gonzalez, 2013). Additional scientific evidence Gonzalez provides shows that “emissions from automobiles, power plants and deforestation are causing the Earth to warm and that the warming is damaging ecosystems and human well-being” (2013). In addition, supplementary conclusions from the International Panel on Climate Change, a group of thousands of scientists convened by the United Nations, are used to back up his claims.  

Article 2:        The Negative Impact of Climate Change is Overstated

        I do not consider the information from this article reliable. As noted earlier, our text states that in order for articles of this type to be reliable, they must provide evidence to support the context of the claims (Browne and Keeley, 2012). This article does not. Instead, it tries to show that the claims concerning climate change are based on “sloppy analyses and exaggerations” (Evers, Stampf, and Traufetter, 2013). I did not find the authors of the article, a correspondent, department head and editor based with the German news source Spiegel, to be credible at all. I had a hard time finding anywhere in the article where the authors used evidence to back up their claims.  Because of this lack of evidence, I also believe the article lacks credibility.

Step 3 of 3:

Reflect on your original opinion of your topic in 50 to 75 words. Consider the following questions for your response:

• Which of the two (2) articles was more persuasive? Why?
• Has your opinion changed after reading the articles? Why or why not?
• What type of information and research would you need to change your opinion if it did not change?

        I believe that Article 1 was the most persuasive. The author used scientific evidence and testimonial conclusion from scientific experts to substantiate his claims that human involvement is contributing to climate change. My original opinion of human activity contributing to climate change has not changed. In fact, the information discussed in Article 1 only validated what I already believe. It would take concrete scientific research proving that climate change can be reduced or stopped completely, regardless of what human activity is involved, to change my opinion from what I presently believe.