WRTG 101-70 Class Blog: Speaking/Writing the Anthropocene

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/opinion/sunday/yellowstone-wolves.html?login=smartlock&auth=login-smartlock

This article, written by Jim Robbins, titled “A Natural Classroom, Run by Wolves” explores the outcome of reintroducing wolves into Yellowstone. This op-ed is focused around the impacts regular civilians can see with their own eyes, instead of what scientists would study.

The reader can tell this is an op-ed because there are no statistics or facts to back up what is said but focuses on the personal story around it. It is written informally and the author has a clear opinion on the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone. About halfway through the article, Robbins includes a quote from Dr. Smith, he states that “I can drive out to watch wolves with a cup of coffee in my hand.” This would not be a valuable direct quote if it was a research paper or an informative article. This type of statement would only be useful in an op-ed because it adds to the feel and emotion of the story instead of the data and facts.

The article “The pandemic isn’t fixing climate change” by John Sutter outlines the ways that the Coronavius pandemic seems to have alleviated the effects of climate change, but is not the actual solution and is not something we should be celebrating.

It is clear to me that this is an opinion piece because the author does not use formal language that is present in scholarly articles and essays. When discussing the current climate crisis dialogues, Sutter asserts that “the way we’re talking about all of this is gross” (Sutter 2020). By using language like “gross” it is clear that he is inserting his very personal opinion into the article. Sutter also includes lots of “I” language, for example “If there’s one tiny silver lining that I take from the way individuals are responding to the coronavirus pandemic”… By using “I”, Sutter makes it clear that what he is writing about are his own experiences and opinions.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/27/opinions/pandemic-not-fixing-climate-change-sutter/index.html

3 billion birds have vanished from our skies. Can we ever bring them back?

The article explains several reasons for the dramatic decline of birds in the United States over the years, and warns of the importance of birds to nature. The authors suggest several ways to help birds survive, and urge people to bring them back.

I think this is an op-ed article because it has a clear point of view. Unlike a news report, which is simply a statement of fact, this article has a point of view supported by the author. For example, the author at the end of the article also clearly stated that we need to beautify the natural environment together. Further more, the article also has evidence and data to support her opinion, which makes the article more readable and believable.

The op ed I looked at was What Social Distancing Looked Like in 1666 by Annalee Newitz. The article heavily draws on the experiences of English politician Samuel Pepys during the bubonic plague. The article demonstrates how medical science has progressed over the years by drawing contrast between reactions to these pandemics in the past and today. It details the origins of social distancing; where funeral gatherings were banned during the time of the Black Plague. The article also catalogs human behavior, Newits notes how people during this time would purchase and bury excess supplies. Where in the past frightened citizens would bury wine and cheese, people now hoard toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

I recognize the article as an op-ed because the author writes in a very informal tone. The author uses the information and subject with the primary goal to entertain the reader rather than to educate or express new information to the world. In addition, the author pokes fun of both modern and past actions, speaks directly to the reader, and uses “all caps” to express points. It is very clear that the points expressed in this article are not that of the publisher New York Times but that of the author. This article represents Annalee Newitz’s opinions and as such it is her op ed.

Sorry, but the Virus Shows Why There Won’t Be Global Action on Climate Change is an op-ed by Jason Bordoff that argues despite the quick and effective response to COVID-19 there will be no transferral of quick and effective action to climate change. This is due to the refusal to uproot daily lives for climate crisis, the lack of public buy-in, and the strong link between carbon emissions and economic activity.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/opinion/sunday/coronavirus-climate-change.html

This article talks about what the coronavirus means for the future of climate change. It talks about how currently it may be helping climate change because everyone is staying inside and not going to work so the air is strikingly cleaner and there is drastic reduction in the use of fossil fuels around the world. Although this sounds like a good thing, there are a lot of affects that this could have negatively on the earth later because this is actually not good for climate change. For example, there is going to be a global oil demand, there will be a stall for the shift to clean energy, and gatherings of world leaders to address the climate crisis also have been delayed or canceled, so everything is being stopped or pushed back which is not good because climate change is working against time.

This is an Op-Ed because it expresses the opinion of the author that is not affiliated with the publication’s editorial board. The author gives their opinion on the coronavirus affecting climate change by starting with the few good positive things and ending with the multiple negative things. Also, it is in the opinion section of the New York Times so it is opinion based of the author.

• Post a link to the op-ed
• Give a 1-2 sentence summary of it—what is the writer arguing?
• Answer the question—how can you tell this is an op-ed? How does its writing style or structure persuade you in a way that is different from other genre of writing that you’ve looked at (like scholarly articles, essays, etc.?) Give specific examples from your op-ed.

Feel free to either agree or disagree with the Grist op-ed. Give evidence for your opinion, either from the Grist op-ed itself or from another online source. It’s a good idea to engage with specific aspects of the text’s ideas, language or context when developing your opinion

In my childhood, my parents and I often went to the seaside near my grandma’s house to grab seafood, such as crabs and crayfish.  At that time, there were many types and numbers of marine organisms, and the seawater was very clear, without any pollution. About five years ago, many factories were built near grandma’s house. Due to the high cost of purifying wastewater, many owners of factories secretly discharged wastewater into the sea, then, resulting in severe seawater pollution in recent years.  Last summer, when I went to the seaside again, I found that many fish and shells on the beach were dead, and the gills of the crabs in the sea became very dark and looked unhealthy.  Due to a large amount of wastewater is discharged into the sea, the species and number of organisms in the sea are decreasing, and many of the remaining marine organisms are also seriously polluted.

The main sources of sea pollution are industrial waste, sewage and power plants, which cause the presence of toxic substances in seawater.  Some toxic substances will float in shallow waters. Fish and shellfish in the shallow waters are vulnerable, when they are foraging, they will ingest these toxic substances and cause death.  Once this contaminated seafood is consumed by humans,  toxins can accumulate in the human body and cause cancer or other long-term health problems.  Regarding this issue, the government should issue more regulations to limit the discharge of wastewater from private factories, such as paying high fines after being discovered, closing down factories, and other penalties. Not only in some industrial areas, but private factories in rural areas should also be strictly managed.

Reference: https://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Solutions_for_Ocean_Pollution

About two years ago, while scrolling on Instagram, I came across an image of a skinny polar bear. At first, I thought that the image was either fake or photoshopped, but once I looked it up and found out that it was real, I became speechless. I had never seen an animal that looked that fragile and weak before. Once I found out that the image was real, I did some research and found the photographer and the website that it had originally been published in, National Geographic. The article stated that the image was intended on raising awareness for climate change by showing the detrimental effects that it has had on animals around the world, including polar bears. This was one of the first times that I can remember when I realized the severity of climate change because prior to this, my knowledge of this issue had simply been from articles or from my parents. 

After seeing how one image reached over millions of people around the world, this made me understand how vital photography can be in raising awareness of the grim climate situation to people who cannot see the destruction for themselves. Photography is a very effective way to raise awareness on the severity of climate change because images are not only a universal language that can be understood by people from all parts of the world, but also because their transparency provides the audience with a piece of evidence that cannot be disputed or claimed as false since it was taken from a real-life event. Climate change photography has definitely had a significant impact on how I view the Anthropocene and our current climate situation because it has allowed me to form personal connections with the animals that have been affected. As a result of this personal connection, I have become more aware of the damages that climate change has on these innocent creatures than I was before. 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/12/starving-polar-bear-video-climate-change-spd/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/08/explore-through-the-lens-starving-polar-bear-photo/