Climate Change Article Critique

Matt McGrath collects data and statistics from the World Meteorological Organization to

report that the five-year period between 2015 and 2019 reports the warmest lustrum in world

history. He offers an overview of the conditions that have changed or persisted over the same

period, including a rise in carbon emissions as well as sea levels. It is consistent with scholarly

studies on climate change which continue to report increasing atmospheric temperatures and

greenhouse gas emissions, despite efforts by individual countries and international conventions

to reduce such emissions through carbon caps and environmental regulations. The author remains

objective through the entire article because he incorporates a lot of statistical information. For

instance, he states that atmospheric temperatures have increased by 1.1 degrees since 1850, and

this is why he recommends an intensification of carbon-cutting efforts to reduce the negative

impacts on climate change (McGrath, 2019). It is such a big concern because individuals depend

on the earth’s natural capital for sustenance, and climate change either destroys or limits the

amount of natural resources available.

Matt remains balanced and fair in his writing because he does not shift blame to the

industrialized countries alone, rather recognizes the needed for a coordinated approach in

fighting climate change effects. He retains comprehensibility by touching on worrying rends

such as a rise in sea levels. He refers to positions of authority such as the World Meteorological

Organization which has continuously reported a rise in sea levels, with fears that sharp declines

in the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets may exacerbate the conditions even further. The

inclusion of other statistics such as an unprecedented rise in sea levels by 5mm for the last five

years renders the article informative and reliable. He ostensibly blames the climate change issues

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 on human actions without implicating any nation, and this sets the right tone for a coordinated

approach in fighting the issue.

There is no missing information because the author not only covers the present issue and

the underlying causes, but also reviews the way forward. He points out to the special UN summit

on climate change that will be attended by at least 60 presidents, where they will deliberate new

measures meant to address the current crisis. Beyond the objective information presented, the

author balances it out with his views as well, stating that the time for fancy speeches in such

summits is gone. While stating the countries that will not have an opportunity to speak in the

summit, he does not offer a reason and this emerges as a major downside because these are the

greatest contributors when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. He writes on the urgency with

which countries must strive to reduce these emissions if at all they are to meet the requirements

established in the Paris Agreement (McGrath, 2019). However, the writer also fails to point out

the negative effects of climate change apart from the rapid increase in sea levels, and this

emerges as a weakness in the article. Overall, it is an objective and highly informative article.

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 References

McGrath, M. (2019, September 22). Climate change: Impacts 'accelerating' as leaders gather for UN

talks. Retrieved May 20, 2019, from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49773869

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