Mitchell 1

WRT 101

21 July 2021

Essay #2: Brief Argument Rough Draft

Most of the world is no stranger to the issue of climate change. Whether experiencing

droughts, hotter summers, heavier rains or higher pollution levels, a great deal of Earth’s

humans, animals, and greenery have suffered from this global crisis in some form. However,

spearheading this change starts at a local level. Tucson’s City Council would greatly benefit from

bringing more climate activists to the organization, as it will cut back on emissions that threaten

the city’s wildlife, prolong the timeline of its habitability, and push surrounding cities to make

changes, too.

Firstly, it should be recognized that Arizona has a climate issue. More specifically,

Tucson does. As the third fastest-warming city in the United States (Galemore), it is imperative

that solutions be put in place immediately to halt or slow the environmental impacts that are

caused by Tucson’s growing society. For example, according to KOLD News, 2021 held title to

some of Tucson’s highest temperatures in 125 years, and its warmest summer in history (KOLD).

Tucson also faces threats of wildfires and extreme droughts, both of which will directly harm the

city’s residents and ecosystem. However, some organizations have begun to make small steps

toward change. TEP, Tucson’s largest source of energy, has recently committed to stop using coal

by 2032, and increase the use of renewable energy to more than 70% by 2035 (Galemore).

However, this may not be enough to slow the rampant increase of heat, which has ventured into

record-breaking numbers for 6 years in a row. It is important for there to be processes in place
 Mitchell 2

that are enforced by the city council so businesses and governmental agencies can abide by a set

of guidelines.

Secondly, Tucson’s rate of habitability is steadily declining. Similar to Phoenix, which

experts are expecting will become uninhabitable before the end of this century (KOLD), Tucson

is on its way out the door. As both cities increase in population and urban density, these problems

will worsen. The issue is, Tucson isn’t expecting to slow down its economic growth any time

soon. Tucson’s population has grown over 5% in the last decade (Fischer), bringing construction

of businesses, agencies, and a mass amount of living developments. Tucson has become the 33rd

fastest growing city in the United States, and its projections increase by over half a percent

annually. Projections also show that the city’s population will double within the next 30 years

(Fischer). If Tucson follows Phoenix’s rate of declination, the outcome will be the same: both

cities will be home to barren lands which aren’t safe for human or animal life.

However, it is important to take into account how gathering a higher number of climate

activists can help the dying city and its wildlife. For example, the AZ Youth Climate Coalition

met with the city council bi-weekly for months, finally causing Tucson to declare a climate

emergency in 2020. Though the city has made commitments toward sustainable living, such as a

10-year plan to become completely carbon neutral by 2020, more can be done once the opposing

forces are eliminated. Or, at least, given a much smaller voice. The AZ Youth Climate Coalition

achieved this large change after several months of bargaining, but this grand domino-effect

attests to how well one small organization can cause a large change. This is a change that, with

the right vigor and team, Tucson could catalyze in larger cities like Phoenix, whose ecosystems

are dying at a rate slightly higher than Tucson.

 Mitchell 3

Obviously, the entire world is experiencing this crisis together. Europe has been

undergoing deadly flooding and heat waves. Sea levels globally have been rising. Ice caps are

melting, and the world’s ecosystems are now having trouble absorbing the mass amounts of CO2

that human activity is emitting (NASA). These crises seem daunting when they are viewed at a

global level. However, cities like Madison, Wisconsin and Boise, Idaho are great examples of

what happens when these matters are addressed one place at a time. Madison founded the

Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) which studies ways to identify climate

issues and work on solutions toward better living, causing much of Wisconsin to follow suit.

Since their establishment in 2007, WICCI has worked to build urban green infrastructure all over

Wisconsin, developed new species management initiatives, and prepared for broad monitoring of

the ever-changing environmental issues in Wisconsin (Hager). Boise has enacted the Climate

Action Road Map, calling for all state government facilities to use only clean electricity by 2030.

This plan received a unanimous vote and is already in action (“Boise Officials Set Goal of Being

Carbon Neutral by 2050”) .

Though climate change is an obvious catastrophe, there are many entities that don’t see it

this way. For example, the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine believes that there is no

evidence that humans are causing global warming. Instead, these scientists believe that the sun is

solely responsible for the damages that have been caused in today’s environment. Though the

sun’s heat activity has slightly increased since 1750 (NASA), the Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change is over 95% unanimous on countering this. Studies show that the rise in

temperature cannot be explained through the sun’s activity without taking into account the

heightened levels of greenhouse gases emitted by humans each year. Today’s society emits over

50 million tonnes of greenhouse gas per year, which is a 40% increase since 1990 (NASA).
 Mitchell 4

Furthermore, it is shown that methane, the strongest catalyst of warming, is mostly produced

through biomass burning, waste decomposition, and fossil fuels. These fossil fuels are emitted

when driving cars, generating electricity, and operating industrial plants, all of which are

activities solely caused by human contribution (NASA). The Oregon Institute of Science and

Contribution fails to acknowledge these facts when considering damages to the climate, causing

a widespread amount of misinformation and ignorance to this topic.

In summary, something needs to be done about today’s climate crisis and it starts at a

local level. Tucson has already begun making changes, but they aren’t happening as fast as they

should. When Tucson’s city council is full of people who recognize and care about this problem,

it will not only help the city, but the state and their surrounding states. Addressing this problem

will save Tucson’s ecosystem, and increase its length of hospitality.

 Mitchell 5

Works Cited

Galemore, Josh. “Tucson Declares Climate Emergency, Aims to go Carbon Neutral by 2030.”

Tucson, 30 Apr. 2021.

https://tucson.com/news/local/tucson-declares-climate-emergency-aims-to-go-carbon-neutral-by-

2030/article_f5cbed72-50db-5220-ae8e-3583eb6d1a8e.html

Hager, Rachel. “Boise, 13th fastest-warming city in the US. Here’s Why That is Unlucky for

Residents.” 24 Jul 2019.

https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/environment/article232907322.html

“The Cause of Climate Change” Letter. NASA. 21 Jul. 2021. https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/

“Tucson declares climate emergency; council commits to 10-year plan for change”. KOLD News.
10 Sep.
2020.https://www.kold.com/2020/09/10/tucson-declares-climate-emergency-council-commits-im
plementing-ten-year-plan-change/

Fischer, Howard. “Two Arizona cities among nation’s fastest population gainers, census says”.
Tucson.com. 22 May 2020.
https://tucson.com/news/local/two-arizona-cities-among-nations-fastest-population-gainers-cens
us-says/article_2123ec6e-a8ab-5acd-8dac-1120ef59c97d.html