Evan Adrian's Reponse to "Climate Wars & Climate Peace"

Evan Adrian

WRT 120-40

September 5, 2013

“Climate Wars & Climate Peace” Reaction

Climate Wars and Climate Peace by Vandana Shiva was a very informative read to say the least. Dr. Shiva was throwing statistics around left and right to the point where I found it a tad confusing. The main focus of the chapter was definitely how we as whole are trending in the wrong direction in terms of our climate and we need to work together to fix it. I found the tone to be preachy and almost to the point where she was trying to scare the reader into caring more about our environment. I found it interesting that she wrote about a water shortage occurring in various countries around the world. I've always heard that there is going to be a war over water in the near future, and Dr. Shiva’s piece about water educated me more about it. Also, Dr. Shiva said that each country should work together as a team to fix our planet before it is too late. I agree with Shiva on her opinion, because if we as whole let political and economic issues stand in our way, we will destroy the planet ourselves. Overall, I did not find this read that interesting because it had to do with the political side of climate change, which really is not my thing. 

Rhetorical Analysis

AUTHOR: Vandana Shiva was born on November 5, 1952 in the valley of Dehradun. Her parents loved nature. Her father was a conservator of forests and her mother was a farmer. She is well educated, earning a physics degree at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. She completed her PhD in Philosophy in 1978. Shiva is very involved in saving our planet and the well-being of it. She has served as an advisor to groups such as the International Forum on Globalization and the Third World Network. Shiva is also a councilor of the World Future Council. Her hard work has paid off, in 2003 Time Magazine described Shiva as environmental “hero”. Currently, Dr. Shiva is working on a project with Bhutan, helping the government achieve their goal of becoming the first 100% organic country.

TITLE: Making Peace with the Earth: Climate Wars and Climate Peace

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 2013

PUBLISHER: Pluto Press, a world leading radical publisher. Pluto Press speacilaizes in progressive and critical perspectives in politics and social sciences. They are based in London and have been around for over 40 years.

TONE, SYNTAX, LANGUAGE: The tone in this piece is extremely informative and almost gives the reader a sense urgency. Dr. Shiva uses many facts and data about how our environment will be destroyed if we do not make major changes about how we live. While reading it, it made me feel uneasy about the direction we are heading in terms of our climate and environment. Dr. Shiva focuses on statistical data to scare the reader into feeling like they have to change the way we live, or our planet won’t be around much longer.

Intended Audience: The intended audience is large companies around the world who waste our non-renewable resources, like fossil fuels and water. Dr. Shiva wants people to realize we only have a limited amount of these precious resources on earth, and we should conserve them. She wants sewage companies to stop polluting drinking water. She wants greenhouse gas emissions out of our atmosphere, to keep a safe and inhabitable climate.

CONTEXT: This chapter is largely about how governments around the world have attempted to come together to preserve our environment, but failed to actually make a difference. Economic and political differences are often why multiple countries cannot form a solid alliance to beat global warming. Dr. Shiva preaches that climate-change is about more than just forests. “It is about flash floods, and drought, it is about planning for a future which is not like today; for this people need to be partners in monitoring and planning” In other words, everyone needs to throw away their differences, and work together as humans, to save our planer from destruction.

PURPOSE: This chapter was written to show in words just how badly we are trending in terms of climate change and the well-being of our planet. Dr. Shiva wants people to read what she is saying, and throw away past differences to work on the preservation of planet Earth. Shiva says we need to form together as one and work as a team to beat global warming.

AUTHOR’S PROCESS: I believe that Dr. Shiva wrote this book to scare people about climate change. If people are frightened by it, they will change something to fix it. It is a very effective method. She wrote about disasters going on around the world, not just in India or Northern America. She knew the majority of her readers were going to be Americans, so she wanted to educate them on what is really going on in third world countries and other places around the globe. Shiva fit a ton of information in 12 pages, including statistical data. It is hard to argue against someone who just provides stone-cold facts, and a good way to do is to cram a bunch of it into 12 pages. Dr. Shiva just hopes people will come together as a whole and fix the environment before it is too late.

 "Vandana Shiva | Common Dreams." Vandana Shiva | Common Dreams. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Sept. 2013.

"About Us." Pluto Press -. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Sept. 2013.

Shiva, Vandana. Making Peace with the Earth. London: Pluto, 2013. Print.