Climate Change and Roles in Society, Annotated Bibliography Example

Cimato, Mullan (2010). Adapting to climate Change: Analysis of the Role of Government. Defra Evidence and Analysis Series.

Abstract: The Role of government in relation to climate change is discussed in the article “Adapting to Climate Change: Analyzing the Role of Government.”  The article discusses not only how the climate is changing, but also the economic framework in which it is occurring and an analysis of this relationship.

Key words: “Adaption” as it stresses not simply creating new institutions, but adapting new models to old ones.  Furthermore, the idea of “analysis” is important to this article, as its claims are based on the analysis of statistical data.  Finally the word “role” is important, as it examines the importance of the roles of both government and businesses.

Summarize: This article uses statistical analysis to understand what the government should be doing to prepare for climate change.  It then goes on to question how to be sure that future generations have the resources they need.  It questions how the government can both manage the environment and maintain opportunities for advancement for businesses.

The article begins by questioning how exactly the climate is changing.  The authors find that “Nine out of the fifteen warmest years on record for England have been in the last 15 years.” (Cimato, 2007)  Although this doesn’t necessarily prove that temperatures will continue to rise in the future, it shows a trend that can be projected based on current evidence.  Furthermore, it has been found that the current changes in the environment are slightly behind the emissions of the world’s industries.  This indicates that future changes could possibly be more pronounced than in the past.

Based on these findings, the article recommends various methods to solve the issue.  This includes the adaption of government institutions to specific polices in regards to the environment as well as the implementation of regulations to the existing frameworks.  Furthermore, by addressing areas where the institutions fall short, they should be able to better prepare for environmental changes.  This includes increasing the capacity of the institutions to deal with the problems.

Reflect: This source seems to be reliable, as it is based mainly in statistical information, rather than relying upon abstract notions or ideologies.  It includes not only a plethora of statistics, but also graphs that show the analysis of the information and the applications of this information within the real world.  This source does not seem to be biased, due to the fact that it is based within the framework of this statisitical analysis.  While the ultimate goal of the article is to apply statistical information and analysis to the problem of environmental challenges, it is rooted in the idea that the government has a role to play in the changing climate.

The article includes the implementation of practices that can help businesses obtain economical sustainability, however, it fails to assess interactions of various other groups within society.  It mainly focuses on the government’s relationship with businesses.  This source helps research by applying solid evidence of claims that can be made in regards to climate change.  In this way, a more valid argument can be made on behalf of applying certain policies towards government institutions and businesses.

Moser, Susanne (2006). Communicating climate Change-Motivating Civic Action: Opportunity for Democratic Renewal. Institute for the Study of Society and Environment.      

Abstract: The article “Communicating Climate Change” discusses the “essential role” that communication plays in inspiring citizens to act in a positive fashion in regards to climate change.  The author claims that by communicating with citizens, they can be better motivated to perform their civic duties, including the stewardship of the environment.  The effective implementation of communication can lead citizens to feel as though they are more a part of the community.

Key words: “Role”, as in an individual’s role within society.  “Duty” in regards to a person’s responsibility towards their society.  Finally, the idea of “Communication” is the most important, as the article stresses the importance of communicating the importance of climate change policies to individuals.

Summarize: The article begins by questioning why citizens might fail to engage in civic action.  This includes the psychological position that the person has in regards to their role in society.  If a person believes that problems will work themselves out, or that there is no action they can take that will make a difference, they are less likely to make an effort to help.  Furthermore, they may already believe that things are fine the way they are.  Political barriers are a factor as well.  Some simply perceive the political environment as something they do not wish to be involved with.  Others might have too much faith in the government, believing they will be able to come up with a solution that is better than anything a person could come up with.  Finally, technological barriers exist as well.  An overabundance of information might make it difficult for a person to know what to do.  On the other hand, many modern new outlets have a narrow scope of information that they cover, making it difficult for people to get the information they need.

In order to solve these problems, the article suggests various solutions.  This includes not only allowing individual access to information as well as applying convincing arguments that will help to convince individuals to take action.  In order to achieve this, informational sources would need to be able to demonstrate the need to implement certain changes within society.  Finally, by crossing over social boundaries, it would be easier to reach individuals with similar ideas concerning how environmental policies should be put into effect.

Reflect: Although this source does not necessarily give any statistical evidence in its claims, it does cite reliable informative sources in its claims.  In this sense, the information is reliable.  The article is somewhat biased in that it assumes that there should be a role for citizens to play within society regarding climate change.  However, the goal of the article is to help citizens to play a more vital role within the context of environmental issues.

This article helps to inform on how individuals can act in relation to the government and businesses in relation to climate change. This source provides helpful information including practical ways for individuals to implement changes within society towards the advancement of a sustainable future.  This helps to shape the argument that environmental changes can be put into effect from every level, not just from the government.  This can be used to help to promote individual’s assessment of how climate change impacts them and how they can take action to make changes themselves.