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Sam Martino
Professor. Allen Webb
ENGL 1100
1 December 2021
The Importance of Choice on Climate Control
Choice is a rendition of preference, expedience, and controversy. This ideology is utilized
within a multitude of circumstances in our everyday lives and through our ambiance. Our society
acquires a tendency to disregard potential consequences regarding our environment. As this issue
of Climate Change is progressing, it is additionally, and especially, expressed through literature,
film, and media. This is demonstrated throughout John Atcheson’s short story, entitled “How
Close to Savage the Soul”, as well as Greta Thunberg’s 2018 Ted Talk scene. Both compositions
greatly and notably support the environmental “choice” factor in which could indicate a strong
possibility of negative progression regarding the future of earth’s cimate control. And with this
mentioned, they each withhold a forceful and enduring drive to promote this critical arising
world issue.
In Atcheson’s short story, he illustrates a fictional fantasy of what he believes, could
become a reality in our current world and society in the future. His work is outlined through an
old man, in the future time, who portrays a figure that may be a young father in today’s time. The
old man aims to travel, alongside his grandson, to a beach on the Atlantic Ocean; moreover, only
to find the setting completely demolished, due to acidic water and rapidly rising temperaturestwo leading effects from global warming and climate change. Atcheson continues this concept
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throughout his writing to further illustrate and create awareness on this potentially dangerous
issue. He certainly utilizes his rather frightening and eye-opening composition to alert the
audience of the significance at hand and persuades them to make the decision to act upon this
matter now.
Additionally, through his outstanding work, Atchseson composes revelation such as
consciousness, attentiveness, information, perception, realization, and sensibility in his writing.
He composes in this fashion to further accentuate and display his internal message- to induce in
environmentally intelligent decisions in order to preserve our lands. He uses the term “warning
signs” on numerous occasions in his work, which indicate the importance to be aware of those
now, as the old man reiterates in the story that he had learned to “pay attention to warning signs”
(Atcheson page 33), continuously referencing the great difference that choice can provide in our
current time.
Choice is certainly displayed numerously in his short story, as Atcheson concludes with a
small briefing that articulates what society has known at the time but had unintendedly
disregarded the issue. In his final paragraph, he writes “Too late for corrections. Too late for
anything” (Atcheson page 40). This powerful message focuses on the efforts that could have
been made prior to permit an alteration of the situation; however, none was evoked. The verbiage
is read, in my opinion, with sorrow. Sorrow that just “could have been” modified to a contrasting
effect. To add on, these words represent the choice that “should have been” made to further
protect the earth, as the old man’s young self was unaware of what was to come. Choice does not
correlate with change, but most definitely obtains the ability to do so, especially regarding
climate change and control.
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Additionally, this same concept is outlined by Bill McKibben, extremely well known
environmentalist, in his review of Marc Lynas’ composed work, entitled “Our Final Warning:
Six Degrees of Climate Emergency”. In his review, McKibben reiterates a multitude of statistics
regarding the matter. He states ‘“At two degrees’ elevated temperature, “scientists are now
confident” that we will see an Arctic Ocean free of ice in the summer—when already the loss of
ice in the North has dramatically altered weather systems, apparently weakening the jet stream
and stalling weather patterns in North America and elsewhere. A two-degree rise in temperature
could see 40 percent of the permafrost region melt away, which in turn would release massive
amounts of methane and carbon, which would whisk us nearer to three degrees”’ (McKibben).
This accentuates the rapidly and quick coming temperature increase will have great effect on our
oceans, which has the ability to spread to other land masses on the world.
Similar to this composition, Greta Thunberg, environmental activist, describes the
imperativeness of climate change in her Ted Talk, aired in 2018. Within her session, she explains
the significant ability that humans possess to alter and preserve climate change. She mentions
that “if burning fossil fuels was so bad that it could threaten our very existence, how could we
just continue like before? Why were there no restrictions? Why wasn’t it made illegal?”
(Thunberg, 2018). This question remarks a multitude of potential answers, one being that the
choice had been made to continue the usage of this deadly gas, even though the carbon dioxide
released from it will be trapped in the atmosphere- a crucial cause to global warming.
To further illustrate, Thunberg later asks another question: “Are we knowingly causing a
mass extinction?” (Thunberg 2018). With a strong and tenacious tone in her voice, she is greatly
known to challenge world leaders on this matter. She is certainly an environmental-activist figure
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that is advocating for an alteration of our current progression. She is strongly encouraging us, as
citizens of the world, to make the choice and induce a positive modification.
As her speech continues, she emphasizes, on numerous occasions, that no matter the
extent in which is advertised through the media, people will continue to choose to preform no
change-impelled actions. She outlines this by voicing, “If there really was a crisis, and this crisis
was caused by our emissions, you would at least see some signs”. (Thunberg 2018).
This idea of “signs” translates exactly to the message of John Atcheson promotes in his
short story. Both Atcheson and Thunberg rhetorically represent this concept of warning signs as
one that should be better attended too. They advocate that it is crucial to make this decision, as it
could impose prevention on global warming and climate change entirely. They continue, as
known figures, to fight for their cause and spread consciousness on the possible future, shall we
provoke in the same activities.
The concept of choice is certainly illustrated through everything that we partake in;
however, as it could be initiated the wrong way, it will come with a consequence. We aim to
control the earth’s climate through the choice of the civilians, one that certainly may prevent this
traumatic event from occurring rapidly. It is important to perceive this as an initiative to make
environmentally wise decisions in our everyday tasks, as hinted by both Greta Thunberg and
John Atcheson in their compositions. And from them, as well as many others, literary activists
hope to promote a positive choice factor in all that contribute to our environment.
1,152 Words
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Work Cited
Aftunion. (2020, September 10). Teaching a short story (or stories) about the climate crisis.
American Federation of Teachers. Retrieved December 3, 2021, from
https://www.aft.org/ae/winter2019-2020/beach_share_webb_sb.