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Jade LaMont

AP Language and Composition

Mrs. McKay

October 1, 2022

The Effects of Climate Change

Climate change is an issue that affects everyone, whether it is noticeable or not. Climate

change is a series of long-term shifts in the temperature and weather patterns we see. It is a civil

rights issue that needs to be reversed before it is irreversible and has negative effects on everyone

and everything. The way information about climate change is presented is a factor of how we see

it. Articles about climate change show different viewpoints, the same can be said of political

cartoons.

In an article titled, “The Science of Climate Change Explained: Facts, Evidence, and

Proof” that was published in the New York Times, Dr. Julia Rosen explains everything related to

climate change. Since climate change is a very touchy subject, the only people that know what’s

happening are scientists. There are many questions that people want answered surrounding

climate change and their future. As mentioned in the title of the article, Dr. Rosen explains the

facts related to climate change. She first discusses the question of, “How do we know climate

change is really happening?” This is a crucial question, as the answer establishes the reality of

climate change. The answer she gave was, “For more than a century, scientists have understood

the basic physics behind why greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide cause warming.” Another

important question that is asked is, “How do we know climate change is caused by humans?”

This is important because this is one of the most studied topics regarding climate change. The

subsequent answer is, “Greenhouse gasses have a powerful effect on climate… And since the
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Industrial Revolution, humans have been adding more of them to the atmosphere, primarily by

extracting and burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, which releases carbon dioxide.” It is

mainly the human race’s fault that climate change is the way it is. Scientists determined that it is

a chain reaction. Humans make one decision that affects something in nature, which in turn has a

negative impact on the climate. Sometimes, that statement is true without the human factor.

Nature by itself can have a negative impact on the climate. One of the effects of humans on the

environment is rising greenhouse gasses. This was talked about for a while in this article. As

greenhouse gasses occur naturally and rise naturally, the Earth’s temperature rises. Since the

amount of greenhouse gas concentrations has been rising rapidly over the past 200 years, this is a

very big hint that climate change is quite an important thing. One of the questions that is asked to

prove climate change is real is, “Wildfires and bad weather have always happened. How do we

know there’s a connection to climate change?” This is one of the reasons people doubt climate

change or think that it’s a hoax. The thing is, it’s not just weather. Dr. Rosen explains it as,

“...but there is good evidence that climate change has increased the frequency and severity of

certain phenomena like heat waves, droughts and floods. Recent research has also allowed

scientists to identify the influence of climate change on specific events.” The proof of climate

change simply lies in the effects we see everyday. When we see hotter than usual temperatures,

that is climate change showing. The evidence and proof are very prominent.

This issue is also explored in other types of media, such as cartoons. The political cartoon

is titled “Climate Change Denial” and was drawn by Bob Englehart. In the cartoon, there appears

to be 2 whales, and the arm of the Statue of Liberty. It looks like the water has risen so much that

the Statue of Liberty is completely submerged. One of the whales said that they wonder if people

will believe in climate change now that it’s underwater. It’s disappointing that it takes very high
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waves to convince people that climate change is real, and that it’s a threat. Whales should not be

swimming at the same level as the Statue of Liberty. They belong at different altitudes. One of

the strategies the cartoonist uses to emphasize his point is symbolism. He uses a well known

object, the Statue of Liberty, to imply that global warming has gone too far. If the Statue of

Liberty is underwater, then it can’t be a good sign.

Climate change is real, and a threat if it is not attempted to reverse the effects. In the

article, they talk about some of the most common questions that people will have regarding

climate change. They are just pushing for the belief, even the acknowledgement, that it is

threatening us. The contrast between these two sources is how persuasive they are, and how the

topic they are dealing with is presented. One is detailed with lots of information, the other only

has a couple of words. The article could be seen as multi-purpose. Entertaining, persuasive, and

educational all at the same time. In order for sources to be effective, you have to have all 3 of

those. The cartoon is more attention grabbing, and makes very good points within its

illustrations, but just isn’t as effective as the article.

The way that information is presented is crucial to a person’s understanding and views on

a certain topic. Some people might choose to gravitate towards better looking information. With

that, the more detailed information is given, the more likely they are to gravitate towards that

source for help and guidance.

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Works Cited

Englehart, Bob. Climate Change Denial. PoliticalCartoons.com, 9 September, 2021

https://politicalcartoons.com/sku/255276.

Rosen, Julia. The Science of Climate Change Explained: Facts, Evidence and Proof. New York

Times, 19 April 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/article/climate-change-global-warming-

faq.html.