Week 21: Dear George -- Presson
Time for Change
By Josh Presson
Vergennes Union High school, Grade 11
Dear Mr. President,
I am writing this letter asking you for change, and that change is America’s problem with global warming. Being a man in your position, you have the ability to have great changes put in place. In fact, you are one of, if not the, most powerful men in the world. In your recent State of the Union Address, you only touched on the issue of global warming, and the ideas that you brought forth were vague, skirting around the issue. With all that is going on in Iraq it is easy to put global warming on the back burner. Iraq will end at some point but global warming is going to be around until we start to change our ways.
One step that is mandatory in lowering America’s impact on the world is creating cars with lower emissions. Since the invention of cars, Americans have needed as many as possible; with all these cars comes very high levels of carbon. Setting a limit on the number of cars a citizen may own is a very realistic change. Another huge source of American pollution: factories, big nasty factories. The pollution emitted from industrial smoke stacks is often raw and unfiltered. With the technology available to filter and clean up this air, it only seems logical to mandate these filters. Yet, most of our factories keep pumping out pollution due to the weak and lenient standards.
Persuasive
This piece sticks to a point and makes it well. The aim is to get the reader to focus on the issue of how to resolve global warming. While lodging criticism he also provided positive suggestion.
I'm persuaded.
This would have been strengthened, I think, with some specifics. Too often we make our point by saying things like "most of our factories keep pumping out pollution due to the weak and lenient standards." Granted it takes some work, but when a sentence like that can be replaced or supported by a specific example of how lenient standards have resulted in additional pollution at a single, named factory then it seems much more solid.
But this is a careful, well-written essay. Thanks.
gg
My rebuke
I would first like to say that this is eloquently written and, while I do not agree with it, I understood your point.
I would second like to point out a few points. First is this: it is true that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps heat against the earth. However, it is minimal, compared with water vapor. More than 99% of all greenhouse gasses consist of water vapor. I would say, knowing this, it is safe to say that our contribution to the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is not as great as we believe it to be.
Additionally, it seems few people are aware of another fact: in a single volcanic eruption, more greenhouse gasses are emitted than the human race ever has in its entire existence. As volcanic eruptions are happening nearly every day, and have been literally since the beginning of the world, does it really make sense that all of a sudden we have begun to affect it?
I am not saying that global warming isn't happening. Rather, I am simply stating that I do not believe humans have had any affect on it. We have been coming out of an ice age for some time now. It makes sense that the temperatures are rising, but by natural means, not human.
Thank you for your time. I hope I did no offend you, as that was not my purpose. I only wished to state my opinion on the matter.