Kendall Simmons
Professor Richmond Jones
Expository Writing
September 18, 2014
Assignment 2

Global Warming: Get Used to It
Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International argues in his 2007 essay “Global Warming: Get Used To It” there is no stopping global warming; it is going to happen regardless of human activity, so adaptation and mitigation are essential. Zakaria cites reliable sources, including the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Frances Cairncross, and their policies for adaptation programs like developing new crops, constructing flood defenses, and making different building codes to prevent building close to sea level. His main purpose is to inform us about the rapid negative effects of global warming in order to persuade his audience to start acting by reducing fuel consumption methods and carbon dioxide pollution. Zakaria stresses the importance of early planning for the inevitable impact of climate change, and although the initial cost might be high, it is worth in the long run. Zakaria is effective because he utilizes rational and emotional evidence to support his claim.
Zakaria shows good use of rational evidence when he provided facts and expert opinions to support his position about climate change, mitigation, and adaptation. For instance, he states, “Of the 12 hottest years on record, 11 have occurred since 1995.” This example indicates the rapid growth of global warming in a short span of time and how it will only continue to get worse. Zakaria emphases that by adapting to using hybrid cars and clean coal technologies, we would slow down the process of global warming. In addition, Zakaria provides sufficient rational evidence when discussing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s prediction for 2100. This credible source predicts temperatures will use between 1.1 and 6.4 degrees and this will cause sea