Essay Sample about Generation Z and Climate Justice

Generation Z has become a part of the global and fast-spreading interconnectedness of the world. Generation Z is known for being the first technology native generation with some of the youngest users of any devices, with children spending hours on tablets and devices becoming a common sight and discussion within the parenting world. Generation Z is constantly learning, adapting, and developing with this seemingly constant flow of information and data from the web. Access to information has become one of the easiest tasks with kids growing up within the age of “just Google it”. The dark side to this constant stream of stimulation is that much of Gen Z requires more and more stimulation and loses interest in topics within a shorter period of time. The requirement for attention-grabbing facts and statistics has become a crucial part of writing for a Gen Z audience. This generation is now set to become one of the most influential generations with many environmental, social, and political issues becoming intertwined with the generation. The largely diverse population is one of the reasons why Generation Z is determined to end inequality, inequity, and social injustice. The climate provided for Generation Z to grow up in has been filled with socioeconomic struggles, recession, terror, and natural disasters, which allows the generation to be fiscally-minded, and politically progressive. This is a very specific audience when developing an article or story, and must be reached by properly using Ethos, Logos, Pathos, and a wide array of specific rhetoric tools. By comparing and contrasting the techniques used by Naomi Klein and Michael R. Greenberg within their respective readings, we are able to determine which of the authors’ rhetorical strategies is better suited for Generation Z. Naomi Klein’s reading “We are the Wildfire; How to Fight the Climate Crisis”, focused on the global impact of climate change and what that spells out for Generation Z, while Michael R. Greenberg’s reading “Delivering Fresh Water: Critical Infrastructure, Environmental Justice, and Flint, Michigan'' focuses on the inequality within the USA's infrastructure in relation to the water crisis in Flint, MI. The difference in rhetorical strategies used by the authors allows us to list key rhetorical tools and devices used which led to a better Gen Z targeted article.

Naomi Klein’s reading starts strong with a narration of the large climate strikes in March of 2019 along with Pathos being used in her vivid language. Klein uses Logos within the introduction listing the number of students from each major city who participated in the climate walkout. Naomi quickly shifts and discusses how Mozambique was unable to participate in the walkouts due to the back-to-back cyclones plaguing the country. This vivid description quickly identifies how Naomi will undertake the writing and appeal to the targeted audience. Upon further reading, Klein strikes many cords through the use of Logos on page 296 stating, “global CO2 emissions have risen by more than 40%”. 

Klein has established lots of credibility with the introduction of figures such as Greta Thunberg, Kamala Harris, and discussing movements she has been involved in. Klein writes, “For my entire adult life, I have been involved in movements confronting the myriad ways that our current economic systems grind up people’s lives” (p.301). Although Generation Z is mainly attracted towards the use of Logos and hard statistical data, a strong sense of credibility really amplifies the importance of Klein’s writing along with a greater scope of the issue at hand. Naomi Klein’s writing is very evenly distributed in the rhetorical aspects with many great appeals to Generation Z. Klein goes on further to use devices such as hyperbole and imagery stating, “Ever since reporting from New Orleans with water up to my waist after Hurricane Katrina” (p. 297). The use of a multitude of devices keeps the reader attentive especially one with the attention span of Generation Z.

 Klein switches gears in paragraph 10 where she begins comparing fossil fuels and cleantech along with a description of the Green New Deal and its many separate faucets. Large usage of Ethos is present at the end where Klein lists multiple experiences and observations personally made. The resolution of her writing includes descriptions of separate movements and the statement that the climate crisis is inseparable from the capitalist market-related destruction of people’s lives. This statement is a very bold one to make after extensive credibility has been offered, however, a large portion of Gen Z has been feeding into this idea as well. The pull factor offered in this section ties with the politically progressive Generation Z, whom many have sided with political, social, and economic philosophies such as socialism. Klein goes on to state that the viewpoint is anti-capitalist and deflects a lot of the labels associated with this agenda. Klein then ends the reading with an appeal to emotion as she describes the destruction of nature in great detail. Klein writes, “decimation of individual mountains and rivers has instead trickled up to swallow our entire planet, turning fertile lands into salt flats, beautiful islands into rubble, and draining once vibrant reefs of their life and color” (p. 301).

The wide range of rhetorical devices and the equal spread of application throughout the reading gives Naomi Klein a great hold of Generation Z. The strong attention-grabbing ability of Klein’s writing allows the audience to be glued to the reading and dive into her ideas a lot further. The reading has a solid rhetorical structure with a fitting writing style for audiences such as Generation Z. 

Michael Greenberg’s analysis of the freshwater crisis and the infrastructure surrounding it is a very powerful piece with different rhetorical strategies used throughout. Greenberg’s article is statistic-leaning, with many instances of Logos present from the beginning. The article is split into separate parts pertaining to the focus on Infrastructure surrounding freshwater sources, followed by a section on environmental justice for cities such as Flint. Greenberg’s conclusion, unlike Klein’s, offers somewhat of a solution to the freshwater problem with a large influence from Pathos and emotional appeal.

Greenberg states, “With more than 150,000 public water systems in the US dispensing about 85% of the freshwater supply, rethinking what constitutes critical infrastructure requires a major intellectual recalibration and fiscal challenge” (p.370). The use of Pathos surrounding this statistic created an influential section within his writing and allowed the reader to understand his rhetorical strategy. Greenberg listed statistics and information pertaining to water accessibility across the world along with analysis of data pertaining to water pollutants from documents. The intense collection and use of logos give Greenberg a strong sense of reliability. Generation Z tends to lean towards writings with a social message such as Greenberg’s. The focus area of this article is actually a very important issue for the younger generation because it was a very recent occurrence. The water crisis began in 2014 with the implementation of water from the Flint River into the city’s water without proper treatment, and this was still when much of Gen Z were developing into adulthood. The injustice within Flint sparked a movement within Gen Z and created a new group of social justice activists. 

Despite the support Generation Z offers for the topic of the Freshwater crisis, Greenberg’s use of rhetorical devices is lacking within the article. There were not nearly as many instances of credibility through Ethos whereas Klein established credibility throughout the Climate Crisis article. The article lacked many other major rhetorical devices apart from Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. Klein’s collection of rhetoric devices and the use of these strategies throughout the article was done in an attempt to keep Gen Z focused on the contents of the article, unlike Greenberg’s article which does not have the rhetoric capabilities to keep an engaged Gen Z audience.

In conclusion, the Gen Z audience is a new breed of readers that are a completely different audience than readers before them. The specific needs of the Gen Z audience requires writers to use a wide variety of rhetoric devices to keep the younger generation’s attention. These devices include Ethos, Logos, Pathos, imagery, hyperboles, etc. The use and integration of these devices creates a more engaging article or writing that many younger audiences are able to not only comprehend, but also enjoy. The article that is best suited for Generation Z is Naomi Klein’s reading “We are the Wildfire; How to Fight the Climate Crisis”. This reading used specific devices that Generation Z audiences gravitate towards, unlike Michael Greenberg’s “Delivering Fresh Water: Critical Infrastructure, Environmental Justice, and Flint, Michigan''. Greenberg’s reading was more informative yet lacked large scale usage of rhetorical devices necessary for a Generation Z audience. Klein’s connection to important Generation Z movements and people set her reading apart from Greenberg’s. Klein’s usage of credibility is favored with a Generation Z audience and therefore “We are the Wildfire; How to Fight the Climate Crisis” was a better suited candidate for the audience of younger generations.