Introduction
Since ancient times, people of various occupations, including speakers, writers, diplomats, and politicians, use multiple rhetorical devices to persuade a particular person or target audience in their statements and achieve specific outcomes. Some types affect an individual’s reasoning and judgments, while others directly influence feelings, emotions, and ethics. In his video, Fossil fuel companies know how to stop global warming. Why don’t they? Myles Allen raises the familiar theme of global warming and offers an effective but, simultaneously, complicated way of resolution. Thus, this paper aims to examine and summarize the rhetorical elements and concepts, including rhetorical situation, purpose, discourse community, genre, conventions, and rhetorical appeals of the given video.
Rhetorical Concepts
Myles Allen’s performance is intended for both invoked and imagined audiences, especially those who are seriously interested and involved in the issue of global warming. In particular, the author primarily appeals to engineers, scientists, economists, and other leaders employed in the fossil fuel industry, officials, policymakers, and environmentalists. Herewith, although seldom is Myles’s message directed at the public, he calls for all his spectators to pay close attention to the discussed problem at the end of the speech. Myles Allen himself is “Professor of Geosystem Science in the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford and Head of the Climate Dynamics Group in the University’s Department of Physics” (Oxford Martin School). His research is mostly related to the impact of humanity and nature on observed climate change and hazards of extreme weather conditions, as well as quantifying their consequences for long-term climate forecasts.
The video’s goal is to discuss the importance of progressive decarbonization of gas and oil companies instead of a total ban on carbon-emitting fuels. To convey his idea, the authors use personal speech, based on facts and logical arguments, and performance through the video. In his video, Myles Allen advocates for the personal progressive decarbonization of oil and gas companies instead of a total ban on carbon-emitting fuels to reach zero emissions by 2050. Furthermore, he argues for developing a distinct carbon dioxide disposal industry to capture and store CO2 in the deep earth, indicating that only fossil fuel companies possess the necessary technologies to implement this. Myles utilizes different facts and data from the 2018 IPCC report on 1.5 degrees Celsius, personal experience as an expert in this question, and emotional, ethical, and logical appeals to support these statements. In this regard, that warrant is the widespread conviction that people should significantly reduce CO2 emissions to overcome global warming.
Rhetorical Elements
Ethos
In the video prescription, Myles Allen is represented as a climate science scholar. Indeed, the author works in the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford and as ahead of the Climate Dynamics Group in the University’s Department of Physics (Oxford Martin School). Besides, at the beginning of the performance, the speaker asserts that “I was one of the authors of the 2018 IPCC report on 1.5 degrees Celsius” (00:00:15-00:00:21). This statement demonstrates his direct attachment to the issue of global warming. Moreover, the author provides facts about carbon dioxide emissions, the modern capture technology of carbon dioxide, and others. His speech is both understandable and rich in scientific terms used where appropriate, leading the idea to its ultimate conclusion. This overall convinces the audience of the speaker’s credibility and makes them trust his arguments.
Pathos
Myles Allen uses emotional appeals to the audience to evoke particular feelings, especially fear to persuade and courage to stimulate the determination to actions. For example, the speaker applied the oxymoron “dangerously optimistic” to provoke concern in spectators and emphasize his doubts about the significance of renewable energy in reducing CO2 emission (00:03:00). Additionally, Myles calls for the conscience and responsibility of stakeholders of the fossil fuel industry through anaphora “You own this problem. You need to fix it. You must decarbonize your product” (00:08:39-00:08:50). Moreover, in the beginning, the speaker tries to establish bounds with the audience by applying aporias such as “which is what it would take, would you be able to do so?” and “So how do we do that?” (00:04:02-00:01:04; 00:02:04). His speech also has enumerations in some places, for example, “from the chimney of a power station, or blast furnace, or refinery” (00:04:21-00:04:25). Finally, Myles uses additional elements, including active and pertinent gesticulation, to excite spectators’ interest and attention to essential items.
Logos
Myles Allen utilizes different logical elements to make his argument realistic, appropriate, and right. First of all, before advancing the claim about the need for decarbonizing fossil fuels to stop global warming, the speaker considers alternative ways of resolving this problem. Specifically, the concerns the ban on fossil fuels and the possible decrease of renewable energy cost and explains their effectiveness by giving clear examples, including historical. Besides, regarding the prohibition, Myles put a rhetorical question, “Do you or I in wealthy countries have any right to tell the citizens of poor and emerging economies not to touch their fossil fuels?” (00:02:33-00:02:44). He also offers a clear and detailed plan concerning the consistent implementation of carbon dioxide disposal technology to 2050. Herewith, the speaker uses facts related to the current trends, the modern capture technology of carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide emissions to persuade spectators of the project’s feasibility.
Conclusion
In summary, the paper examined the rhetorical elements and concepts used in the video by Myles Allen. Throughout the video, the speaker mostly applies three main rhetorical elements, namely, ethos, pathos, and logos, to persuade the audience in his point of view concerning addressing the problem of global warming. In particular, to appeal to spectators’ feelings and logic, he used oxymorons, anaphora, enumeration, aporia, and rhetorical questions, as well as facts and examples.
Work Cited
“Fossil Fuel Companies Know how to Stop Global Warming. Why Don’t They?” YouTube, uploaded by TED, 2020, Web.
“Professor Myles Allen.” Oxford Martin School, 2017. Web.