Thesis: Since individuals are the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, people in the community should be encouraged to change their behaviors and make better personal choices to mitigate the global warming crisis.
Annotated Bibliography
Adams, M. (2018). Individual action won’t achieve 1.5℃ warming – social change is needed, as history shows. The Conversation. Web.
The author writes about an urgent need to reduce carbon emissions to prevent further global warming. However, he argues that individual actions are not effective in the struggle against climate change; what is needed is collective efforts (Adams, 2018). The article is retrieved from an online magazine that appears to be credible. The author is a principal lecturer in psychology at the University of Brighton. Additionally, he does not receive funding from any organization that could benefit from his article, which means that his arguments are unbiased. The author cites several sources and uses an example from the past to prove his point. This source is useful because it poses a challenge to the argument. Adams (2018) argues that, although individuals can change their behaviors to more sustainable ones, it will not be enough to stop climate change.
Dubois, G., Sovacool, B., Aall, C., Nilsson, M., Barbier, C., Herrmann, A., … Sauerborn, R. (2019). It starts at home? Climate policies targeting household consumption and behavioral decisions are key to low-carbon futures. Energy Research & Social Science, 52, 144-158.
The authors analyze the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions in households. They suggest that individuals should be key actors in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but there is a need for special policies encouraging individuals to change their behaviors (Dubois et al., 2019). It is a primary source since the authors conducted their original research. It is published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal, which indicates that the source is credible. This article is useful because it proves that individuals play a significant role in addressing climate change. The statistics provided in the article are of particular value. Researchers state that 72% of greenhouse gas emissions come from households, especially such activities as car and plane usage, heating, and consumption of meat and dairy (Dubois et al., 2019).
Holder, C. (2020). The link between climate change, health and poverty [Video file]. Web.
The speaker argues that poor people are the first to experience the impact of global warming. She also provides a list of adverse effects that climate change has on health. She argues that healthcare professionals and politicians should educate people about how they can mitigate the impact of global warming on themselves (Holder, 2020). The author is a physician and president of the Florida State Medical Association, among others. She delivered her speech at a TED Conference and supported her arguments with examples from her rich personal experience. This source can be used to show the importance of the problem of climate change. The author argues that global warming leads to heat illnesses, asthma, allergies, emotional stress, and the spread of such diseases as Zika (Holder, 2020). This information will support the main argument by showing why individuals need to take action.
Williamson, K., Satre-Meloy, A., Velasco, K., & Green, K. (2018). Climate change needs behavior change: Making the case for behavioral solutions to reduce global warming. Arlington, VA: Rare.
This publication describes the role of human behavior in addressing climate change. The authors propose behavioral changes that will mitigate the consequences of global warming (Williamson, Satre-Meloy, Velasco, & Green, 2018). This document is published by Rare, a non-profit environmental organization whose activity is concerned with helping communities adopt sustainable behaviors. The authors are experts in the topic they write about, and they use an extensive list of sources for references to support their claims. This source supports the argument by proving that individuals should change their behavior to mitigate climate change. Although one may feel hopeless at changing the world, it should not discourage one from taking action because if everyone takes responsibility for climate change, it will make a difference (Williamson et al., 2018). This argument can be used to respond to the counterargument that individuals’ efforts are not enough.
Wynes, S., & Nicholas, K. (2017). Personal choices to reduce your contribution to climate change [Image]. Web.
This image summarizes personal choices that individuals can make to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (Wynes & Nicholas, 2017). It is published on a credible website with the.org domain extension, which provides high-quality news in science. This image supports the argument by providing a list of specific actions that individuals can take to reduce their negative impact on the environment. Such options as having fewer children, not owning a car, avoiding long flights, and using green energy have the largest contribution to reducing carbon emissions (Wynes & Nicholas, 2017).