Opinion Piece 1
https://www. opinion.com/indigenous/2017/jan/19/fight-climate-justice-indigenous-people-lead-the-way Written by Julian Brave
"In the fight for climate justice, indigenous people set the path – and lead the way"
1. The theme of the article is what is going to happen to our environment during Trump's presidency, and the angle she is looking at it through is critical and nervous. Talking about examples in the past where people have put their own needs over the environment, he is able to make it clear how bad this could really be.
2. He used the stats of how much the pipeline would cost to complete, and from where to where it would be going. He didn't bring in examples of past environmental disasters caused by failed oil pipes, which would have only made his case stronger. Overall when you look at it closely there isn't a huge amount of numbers to back up his case, it is more the actions taken that is the evidence.
3. It wasn't the sort of intro that would be able to bring in anyone who had just randomly clicked on the link, but if you have interest in the topic it is enough to bring you in. Also at the same time you have to take a very serious tone when talking about climate change, so it isn't exactly the time to be using jokes or something like that to draw people in.
4. The piece flowed well I believe, moving from one topic to the next with good rhythm and balance. He was able to include information about how humans have consistently done things regarding our environment throughout our history. He included the topics of Trump, the fight that indigenous people have been going through for our environment, and how we all need to care if we are to have a future.
5. I would say it feels mostly like a description of the events that have taken place, through an environmentalist perspective compared to the classic way we have exposed the environment. He is able to tie in the different opinions of both sides by showing their actions, but there aren't many quotes too back it all up.
6. Yes it is clear which side of the fence this guy is on, and he is able to support his claims by going through actions of the past to prove his point. Overall he could have had more details or information in here to back up his claims even more, but he does a good job I think in presenting this discussion in the sort of light where it can be discussed, instead of the two sides just yelling at one another.
