To:Ms.

Diaz
From:JuliaHaagenstad
Date:3/23/15
Subject:MWA2CoverLetter

RhetoricalSituation
WhilewritingtheMWA2,IreallytriedtofocusontheobjectiveargumentsIwouldincorporate
intomyargument.IfeltthatifIcouldgivegoodcounterarguments,Iwouldbeableto
successfullypersuademyaudienceintobelievingthatimplementingtheKyotoProtocolisour
nationsobligation.Ialsofeltthatitwouldmakemyargumentstronger,knowingthatIhad
evidenceandargumentstobackupmyclaim.IchosethetitleNoTimetoWaste,becauseI
feelthatitsendsthemessagethatthisisanissuethatmustcometoaconclusionsoonerthan
later,whichreallyemphasizestheimportanceofthetreatyasawhole.

AreasofInterest
Duringmywritingprocess,IrealizedhowdifficultofatopicclimatechangeandtheKyoto
Protocolwastoanalyse.IfeelIstruggledwithstayingontopictotheprosofimplementingthe
treaty,sincethereissuchabroadlistofpositiveoutcomesthatcomehandinhandwithreducing
carbondioxideemissions.Thiswasthesolepurposeofmyextension,becauseIfeltIneeded
moretimetogatherevidencethatsolelybackedupmyargumentwithoutgettingofftopic.
IfeelthatIdidwelloncreatingcounterarguments,andthatIprovidedenoughevidenceand
sensualfeedbackthatpointedouttheflawsofmyopponentsarguments.

SLOProgression

SLOD:IfeltthatIprogressedinSLODinthesensethatIwasabletocreatelargermore
informativeparagraphsthatstayedontopicanddidnotrambleon.Also,IfeelthatIprogressed
inmyownskillsofbeingabletowritelargerandinformationaldocumentsasawhole.

SLOH:Sincethiswasaresearchpaper,Ihadtogathermultiplesourcestobackupmyclaim,as
wellasmyopponentsargument.IfeltthatIhadgreatlyprogressedinthisSLO,becauseIwas
abletoincorporateotherpeoplethoughts,evidence,anddatatobackupmyargument.

SLOI:ThishasbeenthethirdresearchpaperIhavewritten,andeachtimeIwriteone,thebetter
Ibecomeatresearchingandgatheringreliableevidenceandclaimstosupportmyargument,as
wellassounterarguemnts.IalsofeelIhaveprogressedinbeingabletoarguemyownthoughts
andopiniononthematterinamatureandobjectiveway.

NoTimetoWaste
Ashumans,wehavemadetremendousstepsincreatingabetterworldtolivein,and
haveadvancedinsomanyways.Wearelivinginaworldthatwasonceadreamtoour
ancestors,andarecontinuingtogrowandleavealegacybehind.Asourstandardofliving
continuestogrow,sodoesthefootprintweleavebehind.Overthepastfewdecades,that
footprinthasgrowntremendously,andnotinthebestofways.Duetotheincreasingpopulation
andeconomicgrowth,therehasbeenanincreasingstrainonourenvironmentanditsresources.
Oneofthegreatestcostshumanshaveputontheenvironment,isourcontributiontoglobal
warming.
Duringthe1990s,nationsaroundtheworldbegantorealizehowseriousofanissue
globalwarminghadbecome,aswellasrealizinghowmuchhumanswerecontributingtoit.In
1997,theUNFCCCadoptedtheKyotoProtocol,whichisaninternationaltreatythatcommits
StatePartiestoreducetheamountofgreenhousegasesemitted,basedonthepremisethatglobal
warmingexists,andmanmadeCO2isthecauseofit.Overtheyears,manydevelopednations
haveimplementedtheKyotoProtocolintotheireconomicsystems,andcontinuetoabidetoit
today.EventhoughmostdevelopednationshaveimplementedtheKyotoProtocol,theUnited
Stateshasyettoabidetothetreaty,infearofitseffectontheeconomy,anduncertaintyofdata
andsuccessoftheprotocol.AlthoughmanystillargueagainsttheprotocolintheUnitedStates,
Ibelievethattheprosoutweighthecons.Basedontheothernationscommitmenttothetreaty
andtheincreasingcarbondioxidepollution,theUnitedStatesshouldabidetotheKyotoProtocol
toreduceCO2emissionsandreverseglobalwarming.

Today,thosewhoareagainstimplementingtheKyotoProtocolintheUnitedStates,
argueonmanylevelsastowhythetreatyisflawed,andwouldcausemoreharmthangoodto
ournation.Thefirstargumentmadeagainsttheprotocolisthethreatitposesontheeconomy.
Duringtheearly2000s,theBushAdministrationstronglybelievedthatimplementingthe
protocolwouldforcethenationtoturntomorerenewableresources,whichwouldinturn
drasticallyincreasethepriceofenergy,suchaselectricityandgasoline,aswellasforcelower
wagesonworkers.Recentstudiesconductedclaimedthat,...

increasesinpricesforgasoline
wouldrangefromabout30percenttoover50percentandincreasesinpricesforelectricityfrom
50percenttoover80percent.Further,workerswouldsufferreductionsinwagegrowthof5
percentto10percentayear,whilelivingstandardswouldfallby15percent.(Coon).Thenext
argumentopponentsposeontheissueoftheKyotoProtocol,ishowthetreatyisflaweddueto
thefactthatitexemptsdevelopingcountriesfromitsbindingemissionsreductions.Opponents
arguethateveniftheUnitedStatesweretoabidetothetreatyandreducetheamountofCO2
emissionsreleased,itwouldmakenoimpactinreversingglobalwarming,sincedeveloping
countriesarenotimplementedinthetreaty.CharliE.Coon,aSeniorPolicyAnalystforEnergy
andEnvironment,statesthatwithinthenext15years,developingnations,suchasChina,India,
andBrazil,willproducemorecarbondioxideemissionsthandevelopednations,duetorapid
populationgrowthandeconomicexpansion.Finally,opponentsoftheKyotoProtocolbelieve
thattheprotocolhasmisdirectedobjectives,inthesensethatthereistoomuchattentionbeing
placedoncarbondioxide,andthatweneedtofocusonothergreenhousegassesthataretrapping
heatintheatmosphere.AstudyconductedatNASAbyJamesHansenandcolleaguesstatesthat,

...reductionsinnoncarbondioxidegreenhousegasesandotherheattrappingsubstancessuchas
methane,ozone,soot,andaerosolswouldbeamorepracticalwaytoaddressclimatechange.
TheargumentsmadeagainstimplementingtheKyotoProtocolintheUnitedStatesare
almostalldebateable.Althoughmostofthemhaveevidencetobackuptheirclaimsand
arguments,mostoftheevidencecomesfromstudiesthathavebeenconductedthatonly
predict
whattheoutcomewouldmostlikelybe.ItwasherethatIfoundflawsintheargumentsmade.
Forexample,intheargumentclaimingthattheprotocolwouldputtheUnitedStateseconomyin
aroughsituation,isaunreliableandonesidedprojectionofwhatcouldbeanoutcome.The
argumentstatesthatthepriceofenergywoulddrasticallyincrease,andthatmanypeoplewould
losetheirjobs.Onecounterargumentthatcouldbemadeinresponsetothisclaim,isthattheyare
ignoringtheopportunitiesthatwouldarisefromtheswitchtorenewableenergysources.It
wouldleadtomoreresearchopportunities,providemorejobsformaintenanceofthenew
technology,aswellasopenthedoorsforfurtheradvancementincleanerenergysources.The
nextargumentmadethatIwouldliketoelaborateon,istheargumentmadeonthefactthat
developingnationsarenotconsideredtopartakeinthetreaty.TheyclaimthatiftheUnited
Statesweretoimplementtheprotocol,itwouldmakenodrasticdifferenceinthereversalof
globalwarming,duetothefactthatdevelopingnations,suchasChinaandIndia,willstillbe
someofthelargestcontributors.Thisargumenthastwosidestoit.One,ithasavalidpointinthe
factthatdevelopingnationsaregoingtobecomelargecontributorstocarbondioxideemissions
astheycontinuetogrow.Atthatpointthough,itwouldseemnecessarytoreevaluatewhat
nationsshouldimplementtheprotocol.Atthesametime,itisnotavalidenoughreasonforthe
UnitedStatestonottakeactioninreducingourmanmadecarbondioxideemissions.Weas

Americansneedtofocusonhowwecanreduceourgreenhousegasemissions,andfocusonhow
ourcountrycanmakebetterenvironmentalchoices.Lastly,theargumentmadeontheflawed
objectiveoftheprotocolistheweakestargumentmade.ItclaimsthattheKyotoProtocolshould
focusonothergreenhousegassesotherthancarbondioxide.Asmanystudieshaveshown,andas
Iwilldiscusslater,carbondioxideisthelargestcontributortoincreasingclimatetemperatures,
anditwoulddonoharmtofocusonreducingmanmadecarbondioxideemissions.
ConsideringthefactthattheUnitedStatesistheworldslargestemitterofgreenhouse
gasses,itisfairtosaythatweneedtoputtheKyotoProtocolintoreconsideration.Implementing
theprotocolcomeswithmanyargumentablesides,butinthesituationourplanetisinand
headed,theprosoutweighthecons.ImplementingtheKyotoProtocolintheUnitedStateswould
beaverylargecontributortoreducingcarbondioxideemissions,aswellasreversingglobal
warming.Reducingournationsgreenhousegasoutputwouldreversemanyofthe
Environmentalchallengeswefacetodaythataredirectlytiedtocarbondioxideemissions.First,
ifcarbondioxideemissionsweretobereduced,therateofglobalwarmingcoulddrastically
decrease,whichwouldinturnreducetherisingsealevels,reduceairpollutionandhumanhealth
risksassociatedwithit,aswellasreducetheamountofendangeredspeciesandecosystems.The
impactofecosystemscollapsingimpactsnotonlytheenvironmentalecosystem,butthehuman
populationaswell.Studiesconductedshowthatduetoairpollutionandrisingclimatechanges,
thehoneybeepopulationinNorthAmericahasdrasticallydecreased,whichputsouragricultural
ecosystem,aswellastheplantecosystemathugerisks.Inavastandwiderangingreportonthe
likelyglobalimpactsofclimatechange,theIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange(IPCC)
isexpectedtowarnthatrisingglobaltemperaturesarehavingseverenegativeimpactsonbees,

butterfliesandotherpollinatinginsectsandcouldresultinmorespeciesextinctions.(Gosden
1).Notonlywillthisaffectouragricultureecosystem,butifthehoneybeepopulationcontinues
todecrease,sowillthenumberofplants,whichreducestheamountofoxygenputout,and
carbondioxidetakenawaybyplants.ImplementingtheProtocolcouldgreatlyreducethislarge
andimpactingsituation,sinceitwouldreduceoneofleadingcontributorstoclimatechange,
manmadecarbondioxide.ThesecondargumentIwouldliketomakeinregardsof
implementingtheKyotoProtocol,isthatitcouldboostoureconomiessituation,despiteofthe
argumentscontradictingthisclaim.Technologyforcing,environmentalimpactassessment,
economicinstrumentsforinducingsustainablepractices,ambientenvironmentalmonitoringand
reportingwithfeedbackloopstopromotemeasuresforconstantimprovement,public
participationinenvironmentaldecisionmaking,andecosystemmanagement.(Robinson3).In
otherwords,ifthetreatyandotherenvironmentallawsweretobecomeapartofAmerican
requirementsandlaw,manyotherbenefits,besidesenvironmental,wouldoccur.AsIhad
mentionedearlier,switchingtogreenerenergysourceswouldallowfurtherresearch
opportunities,andinturncreatemorejobsformaintenanceandfacilityworkonthenewenergy
sources.

ImplementingtheKyotoProtocolintheUnitedStatesisourbestoptiontoreverseglobal
warmingandreduceourcarbondioxideemissions.Multiplestudiesanddatahaveshown
increasesintheglobaltemperature,aswellasprovingmanmadecarbondioxideandother
greenhousegassesareleadingcontributors.IftheUnitedStatesweretoabidetothetreaty,we
wouldbeforcedtoreduceouremissionsbyalmost30%(Coon1).Reducedemissionswouldin
turnreversetheeffectofglobalwarming,whichwouldsaveecosystems,species,reduceair

pollutionandhumanhealthrisksassociatedwithit,aswellassavemanyofournatural
resources.NotonlywouldimplementingtoKyotoProtocolinitiallysaveourenvironmentina
multitudeofways,buteconomicallyitwillpushusforward,duetoadvancementsintechnology
andresearchforrenewablesourcesofenergy.Itrulybelievethattheprosoutweightheconsin
regardstoourplanetsstateofbeing.Thereisnosecondchanceinsavingtheplanet,andthetime
isnowtoact.TheKyotoProtocolisthefirststepintakingactiontosavingourplanetfromthe
damagehumanshaveandcontinuetocreate.Asstatedearlier,ithasbeenestimatedthatwehave
about50100yearsbeforewerunoutoffossilfuels,ournationsnumberonesourceofenergy.
Abidingtotheprotocolwouldeliminatethispossibility,andwouldleadtheUnitedStatesona
cleanerandmoreadvancedroadtoenergyconsumption.

Throughmultiplestudiesandargumentsgiven,Istronglybelievethatabidingtothe
KyotoProtocolistheUnitedStatesdutytoitscitizensandtheplanetweliveon.Ifeltthatin
regardstosavingourplanet,andmankind,therewasnocompetitiongivenwhencomparingthe
argumentstonottoimplementtheprotocoltotheargumentsthatarguedweshould.Thepros
outweighthecons,nodoubt,andtothosewhoarguethattherearebetterwaystoreducecarbon
dioxideemissions,haveyettoprovethis,whilewecontinuetowastetimeourplanetcannot
affordtolose.Thelistofpositiveoutcomesthatwouldcomefromimplementingtheprotocol
beatsoutthethenegativeoutcomesonamultitudeoflevels.Byjustreducingglobalcarbon
dioxideemissions,wecouldchangethefateofaseriesofcatastrophiceventsthatcould
potentiallyharmmankind,suchasrisingsealevelandthedecliningbeepopulation.Abidingto

theKyotoProtocolwouldbeournationsfirststepinsavingtheplanet.Atthispointandtime,it
isnolongeramatterofifwewillimplementit,butamatterofwhen.

WorksCited
Coon,CharliE."WhyPresidentBushIsRighttoAbandontheKyotoProtocol."
TheHeritage
Foundation
.N.p.,11May2011.Web.22Mar.2015.

Gosden,Emily."BeesandtheCropsTheyPollinateAreatRiskfromClimateChange,IPCC
ReporttoWarn."
TheTelegraph
.TelegraphMediaGroup,29Mar.2014.Web.23Mar.
2015.

Koh,Lye,andJoleneLine.
CrucialIssuesinClimateChangeandtheKyotoProtocol:Asiaand
theWorld.

Singapore:WorldScientific.2010