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Botkin and Gore Argument on Global Warming Essay

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Daniel Botkin and Al Gore have very different views on the issues of global warming. Botkin contends that the scare tactics used by Gore and many similar thinking environmentalists are simply a desperate means intended to alarm the public and force governments to take actions that are unnecessary and misdirected. Gore alleges that immediate action is necessary to avoid increases in the plant and animal extinction and the spread of diseases. Botkin admits that global warming is a fact, but as a scientist, he cannot agree on the severity and negative effects of the condition. While both men present compelling different arguments for their views on global warming, Gore has seized the attention of the public laymen by writing books and …show more content…

Gore uses these statistics to underscore the danger produced by hurricanes, and relates the severity of these storms to global warming. He continues to cite related facts such as the need to rewrite textbooks to deal with climatic phenomena never before experienced and to include record breaking facts. For example, in the summer before the book was published, two hundred cities in the U.S. broke all-time records. Others set records for consecutive days of extraordinary heat. Mumbai, India received record amounts of rain—thirty-seven inches in on day. Melting glaciers, increases in the growth of deserts, and increases in disease carrying insects also contribute to the grim facts of global warming. However, Gore does not just present the problem. He issues the challenge for the scientific community to seek ways to solve the problem, but he points out that these measures must be taken now. The problem is so severe that actions must be immediate in order to be effective. Comparing today’s environmental problems to the wartime challenges faced by the World War Two generation, Gore urges today’s citizens and scientists to rise to the occasion and be willing to sacrifice, if necessary, to solve the problems that society has created. Botkin assures his readers that evidence that global warming ill produce negative effects on the planet is very weak. He too presents scientific data to support his

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