Monbiot rhetoric

George Monbiot does an excellent job of incorporating numerous aspects of rhetoric in his argument for fighting climate change. Monbiot's audience is the general population, and like Carson, he has to walk a fine line between being too technical and making his audience understand what he is talking about. As an environmental activist, Monbiot is probably used to speaking in ways that the general population can comprehend, and he does a good job of establishing himself as someone they should listen to.

Monbiot uses ethos in the first paragraph to demonstrate his credibiility; by mentioning that he had previously spoken on climate change, he illustrates to the reader that he is someone whose statements can be trusted and that others have deemed him credible enough to give a lecture on the subject of the environment. He also associates himself with his audience instead of villifying them; by using "we" repeatedly on page xvi he establishes his credibility as someone who understands and empathizes with his audience. He admits that what he says may disturb or offend the reader, which makes him seem trustworthy, in that he will not try to sugarcoat his message or as he says on page xxi, "confirm what you believe to be true." In addition, by conceding the problem, saying that it will be difficult to abandon the comforts of the modern world and that many of the advances we have made are beneficial, he accomodates the fact that the reader may have a dissenting veiwpoint, giving him more credibility.

Monbiot also utilizes pathos in his appeal to the audience in order to generate interest in his argument. He uses various predictions based on scientific studies to incite a sort of fear in the reader. The reader fears that what he predicts may come to pass, and they can become more emotionally invested in what Monbiot has to say. For example, on page 6 Monbio discusses the spread of disease, water shortages, and droughts that could come about as a result of climate change in every part of the world. The audience understands that these changes could affect them and their families.

Ultimately, much of Monbiot's argument rests on the strategy of logos, and he uses a multitude of logical evidence to support his claims. On page xxiii he lists the various organizations, scientific and governmental alike, from which he gathered information. His statements are well-supported by footnotes explaining his statements more fully, especially those that are more scientific or math based. He also cites various scientific studies and papers published on the topic of climate change; for example on page 12 he quotes from researchers at the National Oceanography Centre. Interspersed throughout the article are scientific and technical terms that reinforce the logic of his argument.

Overall, Monbiot uses each of the three concepts of rhetoric skillfully and successfully in order to gain the reader's trust and enable them to fully understand the topic that he is trying to present. He illustrates not only the problems, but also the possible solutions to these problems. By stressing "feasibility" he assures the reader that industrial civilization can still be possible with massive reductions in pollution and energy-saving solutions.