The second paragraph in the first section of the piece tells us that it is human kind that is destroying the earth. It does this withy the term "single species" the pre-modifying adjective "single" is used to convey that throughout this "rich and interconnected web of life" it only takes one to destroy the 'web.' This gives the audience a feel of selfishness, that we are not only destroying the world for ourselves, but also for the "web of life" we are 'interconnected with. .
The third paragraph uses a mixture of verbs (such as the graphologicaly fore grounded "disappearing" "suffer," "dying" and "terrifying") as well as nouns like "waste" (pre-modified by the adjective "toxic") in order to give an impression of a rotting, decaying earth that is crumbling away. This feel is further re enforced by the use of nouns like "air and water," them being the two things humanity needs the most. This gives the reader the feel that we need to take action straight away, as air and water are the very things we need to survive. .
The next paragraph is poised in the perfect place to give the audience a 'breath of fresh air' from the doom and gloom of the previous paragraph. This is done firstly through the use of the finite auxiliary verb "needn't" in the phrase "it needn't be like this." This refers back to the previous paragraph, and gives the audience a sense of hope, even though "people everywhere suffer from pollution and environmental damage." It is here that Friends Of The Earth is mentioned for the first time. The organisation is instantly portrayed in a positive light. This is apparent through the language used throughout the paragraph, for example the preposition "forward" gives the impression of pushing ahead, and thinking towards the future, leaving the audience feeling that Friends Of The Earth is a very "forward" facing organisation. The same feel is re-enforced through use of the term "positive solutions" (adjective pre-modifying the noun "solutions,") the semantic loading of which makes the reader feel as though the methods Friends Of The Earth uses to combat the problems given in the second paragraph are beneficial, practical, and relevant.
