Climate Change Rhetorical Analysis

As humanity advances further into the 21st century, climate change continues to be a major obstacle in ensuring a safe world with the immediate and cataclysmic dangers it presents. As such, major scientific organizations and governments over the years have created various programs to tackle this issue, ranging from creating carbon emission quotas, investing in green energy and even encouraging citizens to eat less meat and dairy. However, these programs require a lot of effort, funds, and cooperation to be successful and create a drastic improvement. It is with little surprise then that Allan Savory’s method of “holistic management” has gained tremendous popularity among people, as hinted by his TED talk with 2 million views. Savory explains

Monbiot’s goal is to present his rebuttal against Savory in a scholarly tone, but also in words that can be understood by the common Guardian reader so his message is accessible to all passionate environmentalists regardless of their background in science. As a result, a scientific paper full of hundreds of citations with little application of the studies in the real world would have poor kairos in reaching his audience. Monbiot foresees this challenge and thus uses logos by first quoting from studies and then summarizing them in clearer terms to demonstrate the ramifications of the studies. For example, after quoting a paper published by the International Journal of Biodiversity that discusses the flaws of holistic management, Monbiot then summarizes, “...grazing by livestock in arid places is more likely to destroy grass and other vegetation than to protect it…”. His explanation is short and clear for the common reader, and the more scientifically-literature audience members can choose to look at the studies themselves if they choose to. As shown above, this format of logos achieves representing Monbiot as both a practical spokesperson and as scholar who is knowledgeable about current