Adaptation
Global warming and climate change exist, and the two have called for a world attention to reducing their impacts. The Great Eight nations, including U.S., have convened various global summits where heads of states come to debate how to counter the increased climate change. Various recommendations have been proposed to counter the effects of climate change and devise ways in which the change are accommodated. This paper will discuss the rhetorical questions asked by the author of the journal article. ‘Adaptation’ is authored by Eric Klinenberg and is published in a journal called The New Yorker. The targeted audience is the people of New York, who have suffered the effects of climate change in the city. The article is written by the department of urban planning. This gives the author authority to address his audience since the department is concerned with enlightening the urban population about things that affect their everyday life. The date of publication is January 2013 making it relevant even to date. The city of New York is still subject to heat waves, hurricanes, and floods.
The journal article is titled Adaptation: How can cities be “climate proofed”. The title articulates the content since it is taking about adapting to climate change in New York and other cities. This is after Hurricane Sandy that occurred in New York. The author focuses on how cities can take measures to adapt to weather changes. By climate proofing, the author means taking measures to prevent adverse weather condition. He uses a Geophysicist, who narrates about various cities that have become climate proofed after incidences of floods, storms, and destructive winds. The targeted audience is those living in New York and other cities which have witnessed the weather changes.
The author uses the title “how can cities be climate proofed” to pose a question to his audience which entails the American population, as well as the global population. The title puts to task the reader’s mind on what to expect in the article. He takes us back to July 1995 when the effects of climate change were felt in New York. The state was hit by a scorching heat wave which resulted in the death of seven hundred and thirty-nine people. Hurricane Sandy swept across New York causing massive damage. The residents who were affected comprised the African-American population mostly.
The article was written when the world is facing adverse changes in weather. The author uses the Hurricane Sandy catastrophe to enlighten his audience on how to adapt to the weather changes. The most affected population was the African American population living in New York. This population mainly comprises of poor and unemployed people. The population traces its origin to the African continent.
The author uses Hurricane Sandy, which occurred in New York to base his argument on adapting to climate change. He asks questions to gauge the disaster preparedness of the various government entities to curb or minimize the effects of future disasters. He observes that some towns and states experience higher carbon emission than others. The end effect is increased temperatures during the day and low temperatures at night. The water levels in seas and oceans are also increasing at an alarming rating resulting in tsunamis, and rapid and violent winds are also being experienced.
Klinenberg illustrates the lack of preparedness of the utility companies by outlining the effects of the Sandy catastrophe to the communication network. After the storm, the residents of New Jersey and New York were unable to communicate with friends and family. This communication failure is attributed to the destruction of the communication network in the two states. The concern is how we can use the current generation of mobile phones featuring the sophisticated smartphones that most of us own? Is It possible to take photos of weather situations and send them to the responsible departments to take immediate and the necessary action? Residents can also send codes or signals to the disaster preparedness organs and other responsible bodies alarming them of imminent danger approaching. The author suggests the need to spend more on research and developments to come up with better disaster management measures to counter the effects of extreme weather.
There are several measures to counter disasters as outlined in the article. Klinenberg uses an expert to present his argument. Klaus Jacob asserts that the only solution to disasters is adapting to change and being ready for the effects of climate change. Jacob notes that there is need to implement preventive measures to counter disasters when they strike. To illustrate his argument, he uses the city of Rotterdam, which had previously experienced flooding, resulting in massive destruction of property and displacement of population. Rotterdam built dams, sea walls and barriers after the 1953 storm. This project was called Delta works.
Klinenberg outlines government has undertaken various preventive measures as part of its disaster management efforts. This is after that the disastrous Sandy catastrophe of 1995. One of the measures is creating a strong bond of the community. However, it is not clear if this effort has been effective in the U.S. The principle behind this is that a cohesive society will give a helping hand in times of disaster. Professor Nicole Lurie notes that: “There is much social-science research showing how much people do it in disasters, how much longer they live, and they have good social networks and connections.” This shows the importance of strong social connections as part of the measures undertaken by government.
Klinenberg uses a long sentence structure in his article to describe the disasters and the outcomes. The article is informative to the audience who want to learn about adapting to change and creating a cohesive society. He writes that strong social bonds and unity are essential in the society in times of disaster irrespective of gender, skin color or race. Neighbors living as a united community can check on one another and will raise the alarm if one of them is missing. During a disaster, the community can identify those who highly exposed to danger and offer a helping hand.
The author poses various rhetoric question in the article. Can the society be prepared enough to deal with disasters such as floods, rising water levels, heat waves and earthquakes? Can the preparedness help? People can create a social connection to help each other in times of disasters. Research shows that women create a stronger social connection than men. They can seek assistance or assist others fast even before the government’s organs jet into the affected areas. What about men? Can they cry out for help? In times of disaster, anyone can cry out when faced with a life-threatening situation. Factor such as gender, race and neighborliness comprise the social infrastructure issues taken into account.
Jacob asserts that climate proofing requires an intelligent design that function at all times, with or without disasters. He argues that climate proofing needs to be prioritized just as the government highly regards the war against terror. Climate proofing, he says, has become serious, and its consequences have serious effects. Disasters such as heat waves, hurricanes, and water upsurge are expected in the future and therefore climate proofing should not be ignored.
References
Klinenberg, E. (2013). Adaptation: How can cities be "climate-proofed"? The New Yorker, 32-37.
