Climate Change: The Facts Flashcards
Why do we trust this article?
It is from a reliable source - The Guardian newspaper
“Majority of scientists”
This is appealing because it is referring to collective expertise
What is the title?
An opinion
“A political hot potato”
An idiomatic expression - something that you don’t want to deal with it or be responsible for.
What do the subheadings do?
They pinpoint the topics that you will read.
In paragraph 3 what is used to make us agree with the article?
Facts and scientific language
In paragraph 4 what gives the piece credibility?
It refers to the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, where there are professionals that the reader can trust.
Who could be the audience to this article?
It is very easy to read, So it is aimed at a general audience or it could possibly be aimed at children but is definitely mean to include them.
What is the general style of the piece?
It is written as an FAQ article where the questions are usually responded to using simple facts.
“Greenhouse effect”
Complex words and concepts are glossed.
What is the second half of paragraph 5 and paragraph 6 made up of?
Statistics, to show the reader the problems and they have been adapted to exaggerate this.
“Fossil fuel addiction”
Addiction - associated with something bad
“Most people now agree”
This means if the person does not agree they are in the minority or they are wrong. This puts pressure on the people that disagree to change their minds.
“Our actions”
Makes it personal to the reader, means that they are involved ad need to do something about it.
“World’s best climate scientists - the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)”
They are experts and because they are a trustworthy source, this persuades u to agree with what they say.
“Trees are helping to mop up some of the heat”
Metaphor
Idiom
Personification
“Sky high”
This is an idiom used to make the piece more informal (suggests a general audience)
“No”
Anti-climax - very emphatic
“(Farting cows)” and “(rotting vegetation)”
1) This language appeals to a younger audience and is quite humorous
2) It provides cohesion in the text when it mentions “burping vast quantities of methane” because burping and farting are similar
“Nasty sting in its tail”
Personification and metaphor
“20 times as much heat as carbon dioxide”
Stats
“Scientists fear”
Means we should fear because they know what they are talking about.
“Sitting in our deck chairs”
Informal and relatable
“Lasting for at least the next 500 years”
Dramatic ending
“What is global warming?”
A title completely focused on the topic
Diagram - “what determines the temperature of the earth?”
Vocab used in this diagram is that of a semantic field
Title of the diagram - “the greenhouse effect on the atmosphere”
So you know what is happening and what is being explained
What are 4 reasons that suggest the diagram is aimed at children?
1) The diagrams are brightly coloured
2) Simple pictures
3) Short, to the point captions (bold letters in white)
4) There are steps to follow
“SOURCE:HADLEY CENTRE”
Makes the piece more reliable
Bottom left diagram
1) statistics
2) lots of facts
“Projection of global average temperature 2100”
Info about the future, telling us what could happen if we don’t change (there to make us do something about the problems)
What is the purpose of the graph?
To display more information than if the facts were written, easy to understand and a good visual representation so everyone can see the effects of greenhouse gases.
Its purpose is to alarm, predicting 3 different scenarios
“the majority of scientists agree” (p1)
appealing to expertise - persuasive technique
“Although it only hangs around” (p1)
metaphor + idiom
“trigger a dramatic change”
metaphor
“burping …”
Metaphor that links with the earlier “farting cows”
Possible exam question
How does the author use language to convey the seriousness of the situation ?
