Kristine Inaba
(Student number)
Sophomore
11/11/98
Environmental Studies 202 paper #3
In the article "Save Methyl Bromide," written by Ben Lieberman, he argues that we (Americans) should not let the United States government take away our right to a very important agricultural resource. Methyl bromide is a chemical that is used widely around the world to fumigate crops. In the United States this compound could be banned from being used. According to Lieberman, environmentalists claim that it depletes the ozone layer. He also believes that by eliminating the use of this important agricultural resource it will damage America’s agricultural trade and our competitors will profit from our misfortune.
Within his editorial he states "Some believe that EPA regulators are now chasing after phantom threats." This is a perfect example of how the author uses "argumentum ad hominem" reasoning to persuade the reader that his point is correct. The use of the words "phantom threats" leads us to believe that the EPA has acted without just cause. We reach this conclusion because when we hear the word phantom we think of the word invisible. In this way, it is read the manner that the author has meant it to be interpreted.
Another way Lieberman tries to convince his audience that he is right is through the use of emotional words. For example, in the statement "Environmentalists claim it will damage the earth’s ozone layer" he uses the word "claim" in a very effective way. In context it sounds like the environmentalists are the bad guys in this problem, not the farmers. The use of this word is made to put some doubt into the mind of the reader because a "claim" is unsupported opinion that cannot proven and by using this word it sounds like the environmentalists do not know what they are talking about.
"Meanwhile, the lurid predictions of human health and environment catastrophes said to result from ozone loss (skin cancer and cataract epidemics, declining crop yields, destruction of the ocean food chain, among others) show no signs of coming true (Lieberman, 1998)." This statement made by the author is another way he uses persuasive reasoning through "jumping to a conclusion" reasoning. In this statement Lieberman has come to the conclusion that the "phantom threats" that environmentalists have made have not come true and in doing so he has proved his point.
Three facts that the author uses to support his argument are that the Japanese government insists that American-grown fruits be treated with methyl bromide prior to shipment, customers will suffer when the prices of food goes up, and that their is nothing that can substitute for methyl bromide. When I searched to see if the use of methyl bromide held anything in common with America’s fruit trade dealings with Japan, I was surprised to find that Lieberman’s account, in his editorial, was true. United State Exporters have faced numerous obstacles to establishing a strong export program to Japan (unknown, 1996). The agreement made between Japan and United States about trading Washington State Apples includes a cold treatment and fumigation with methyl bromide (Warner, 1997).
From doing this assignment I have realized parts of the problem that I never even considered. For example, I never thought that a country would require that you fumigate with a certain chemical. What could we do to fix this problem? Could we convince Japan to use an alternative to methyl bromide? In order to negotiate a change we have to find a possible alternative for Japan or else our attempts will most likely fail. Lieberman also brought up a good point that would be worth researching. He said that there was not an equivalent chemical to methyl bromide and even if there was our agriculture economy would suffer during the time it took to find it. Is there a chemical that is environmentally safe that we could use until a viable replacement could be found? If we could satisfy the economic and agricultural requirement of the people, like Ben Lieberman, it would help to resolve part of the world’s problems. Environmentalists need to acknowledge that they need to do more than just tell people what will happen if they don’t change what they do. People need to see solid evidence in order to fully understand the consequences. We need to improve the education our children receive in school about the environment. Education is one of the most important tools in maintaining the sustainability of our planet.
Bibliography
Lieberman, B. (1998). Save Methyl Bromide. [WWW page]. URL http://www.cei.org/onpoint/0998-bl.html
Unknown. (1996). World Horticultural Trade and U.S. Export Opportunities. [WWW page]. URL http://151.121.3.140/htp/circular/1996/96%2D11/nov 96htp2.html
Warner, G. (1997). No Washington Apples Bound For Japan in 1998. [WWW page]. URL http://goodfruit.com/archive/May15-97/feature5.html