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Marvin Ree’s Speech ‘How is Your City Tackling the Climate Crisis’
The speaker of the TED Talk Speech is Marvin Rees, the Mayor of Bristol City in the United Kingdom. Published on May 24th, 2022, Rees addresses the climate crisis, positing that unlocking the full potential of cities is the only way to end the crisis. One of the techniques Rees uses to establish credibility is asserting his position as a Mayor of Bristol to his audience. He mentions that the proximity of the Mayors to residents means that they are immediately accountable for delivering change that people see and experience. He constantly reminds his audience that he is the Mayor to show that he is aware of the crisis that cities are under, seeing that he represents local government.
In terms of speech delivery, Rees employed various tactics that made his speech delivery successful. Rees appears rather composed and confident. His posture and body language indicate that he is well prepared for the speech and ready to address his audience. He is also well and smartly dressed, making him look presentable. Rees maintains eye contact with his audience as he meticulously delivers his speech. He also speaks eloquently and loudly, making it easy for his audience to hear what he is saying. Notably, there are no disfluencies in the speech; Rees speaks without breaking. He does not stammer or mince words; he is a fluent speaker. Evidently, Rees displayed confidence when delivering this speech to his audience.
The speaker, Marvin Rees employs an excellent language choice that befits his speech. To avoid repetitions, Rees uses the anaphora; pronoun ‘they’ repeatedly. He uses the word ‘they’ to refer to the Mayors that he keeps mentioning throughout the speech. He says that while the mayors are doing a commendable job coming together and taking necessary steps to change cities, they need outside help. He says that the support they need cannot wait as it is only to address the climate change crisis. Using anaphora helps eliminate redundancy that would have come with repeatedly mentioning ‘the mayors.’ The speaker does not use any form of personification, metaphors, similes, and alliteration. Rees avoids using inclusive language such as slang and other expressions that come off as discriminatory. It would not even be appropriate to use such language considering the setting and audience he is delivering the speech. Rees’s language choice proves effective in the delivery of the message he carries. If he employed inclusive language, he would rub his audience the wrong way, which might make them not pay attention to his speech.
In my viewpoint, Rees makes strong and valid point about how to go about the climate change crisis that currently faces the world. I agree with that cities are one of the most effective tools that society has at its disposal for leveraging climate change. He says that cities are perfect for leveraging efficiency in relation to land, waste, and energy. Rees makes valid points because these three sectors are the ones that contribute largely to the ongoing climate crisis that threatens the existence of future generations. Undoubtedly, cities are where air and noise pollution is a major problem. Cities also struggle with the problem of waste management due to the dense population. The fact that most people use cars to go to work means that energy is the main driver of the economy. Without oil and its rising shortage, demand keeps rising, making its production a priority that is not friendly to the environment. If people could move away from cities, the problem of congestion and waste management would be a problem of the past. Rees backs his claims with statistics. Statistics are logos that speakers use as tools of persuasion. He says besides his day job as the Mayor of Briton, he also has a duty to planet Earth and the 7.9 billion people that depend on it for survival. Another statistic is where he mentions that it would take 1.7 earths to make our current way of living sustainable. Throughout the speech, Rees throws in numerous statistics. The speaker also uses pathos in the speech when he says there is hope for our cities. This statement appeals to the audience’s emotion and makes them feel like together, we can come together and salvage the planet from the imminent danger it faces. As regards ethos, Rees mentions that he is part of the UK’s Cities Climate Investment Commission. His association with the commission is an attempt to establish curability and his position to speak on the issue of climate change. Undoubtedly, Rees’s arguments are relevant and make sense to the audience. The speaker fully thought about the consequence of his claims. His main aim was to educate his audience about how society can capitalize on cities to address the climate crisis. In his speech, he only made arguments that supported this claim.
Evidently, the speaker was ethical, and he achieved his overall goal of prompting his audience to look at cities as a solution to the climate change crisis. Rees seems to understand how deeply cities contribute to the problem seeing it is his area of expertise. As the mayor of Briton, Rees knows a lot concerning how city infrastructure, pollution, and waste management hurt the climate. He presents viable suggestions that, if capitalized, can go a long way in addressing this problem and reducing its effects. Overall, Ree’s speech was effective in passing his main claims across to his audience.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8duvJfrjss
