My persuasive essay is centered around the sustainability of water and efficient solutions to use less water and give it to those who are in dire need. I think the specific topic is “an efficient solution to preserve the world’s clean water for those in need.” This topic interests me because I’ve always been guilty of dumping full cups of water down the drain, taking really long showers, and swimming in pools (which contains millions of gallons of water). I’ve always felt guilty about such things and feel that countries with a surplus of water, like the United States, need to find better ways to use water effectively, while using less.
My primary audience are those who live in luxury and take water for granted. My family, friends, and neighbors are all guilty of these, and we need to preserve water and use it in smarter, more productive ways. I will address the concerns of my essay by presenting my audience with statistics, such as how much water is consumed per day, month, and year by United States citizens, and statistics such as how many people suffer from a lack of clean drinking water and proper sanitation. These statistics will include children deaths per day and year, percentages of the world that lack clean water, and the specific diseases that dirty water administers.
I will structure my essay as a question of policy. First I’ll give the statistics I previously stated, then I’ll address the question of policy (industry and agriculture take up too much of the world’s water supply, etc.), and then I’ll list possible solutions and support which solution I think is best.
I need to persuade my audience that wealthy, first world countries, such as the United States, don’t think twice about their use of water. Countries such as India, Haiti, and most of the African continent are without daily clean drinking water. They lack proper means of sanitation and food preparation, which can lead to starvation, disease, and, in many cases, death. I believe that the statistics I will provide will provide most of the persuasive argument I need. The problem with our country is that we just don’t know or understand how poor the rest of the world is.
I’ve come across a few difficulties, but the biggest was narrowing my topic. I can’t write my essay on every country that lacks clean water, so I have to narrow my topic down to probably one country, and I’ve had trouble figuring out which country I should focus on. South Africa has been in recent news, everyone knows the obvious countries that lack clean water, and California has recently had issues with sanitary water. However, I think the best way to approach my essay is to concentrate on Africa, because that includes most of the world’s countries that lack clean water, including Chad, Ghana, Rwanda, and Ethiopia.
At the end, I intend to include a “call to action” such that my fellow classmates use water more preciously, be thankful for the luxury they have that is water, and consider helping the water-poor I discuss in my essay.
