Adam B Summers's Essay 'Bag Ban Bad For Freedom And Environment'

In his essay “Bag Ban Bad for Freedom and Environment,” Adam B. Summers expresses his opinions on the downside of restricting plastic bag usage. Summers effectively conveys his points by using ethos, logos, and pathos. Summers employs ethos, or the citing of reputable sources, to authenticate his claim that a plastic bag ban would not be effective in helping the environment. He states, “According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, plastic bags, sacks, and wraps of all kinds (not just grocery bags) make up only about 1.6 percent of all municipal solid waste materials.” Summers verifies this statistic by citing a study from the United States’ own Environmental Protection Agency, which is the highest authority on the environment in
He supports his argument by stating, “In fact, compared to paper bags, plastic grocery bags produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions, require 70 percent less energy to make, generate 80 percent less waste, and utilize less than 4 percent of the amount of water needed to manufacture them.” By using these statistics, Summers shows that his essay is based on fact, not simply a statement of his opinions, he is able to successfully convince the reader that his essay is worth listening to, as his argument has factual evidence behind it. Following the aforementioned quote, Summers says, “This makes sense because plastic bags are lighter and take up less space than paper bags.” This line demonstrates his logic and reasoning skills, and effectively explains the significance of the statistics by summarizing them in a simple and understandable way. By summarizing the statistics for the reader, Summers shows that he is able to understand the statistics that he has researched, and even use them to make inferences. Summer strongly supports his argument against a plastic bag ban by using facts and statistics rather than opinion, and showing that he is able to use statistics to make