Environmentalist Lauren Reid wrote a letter to the mayor of her city. In it, she encouraged the mayor to promote planting trees in the city. Which sentence from Lauren’s letter contains the warrant part of the argument? Urban forests can help communities by reducing several potential effects of climate change. At the same time, transforming yards and vacant properties into natural areas makes good sense. It will benefit wildlife, make our neighborhoods more beautiful, and increase property values.

Trees can also help prevent the increased flooding that is expected because of climate change. Urban trees and green space allow more water to naturally soak into the earth. That, in turn, reduces flooding in backyards and city streets. It can also reduce the strain on storm water systems. It is estimated that a typical medium-sized tree can take in as much as 2,380 gallons of rainfall per year. That means it can reduce runoff and erosion from storms by about 7 percent. By reducing runoff, forested areas help protect our city from the damaging effects of heavy rainfall.

Read this passage from alan weisman's "the city without us": he props his running shoe against the whitish bark of a chinese amur cork tree, growing among the last of the hemlocks. "this may sound blasphemous, but maintaining biodiversity is less important than maintaining a functioning ecosystem. what matters is that soil is protected, that water gets cleaned, that trees filter the air, that a canopy regenerates new seedlings to keep nutrients from draining away into the bronx river." now read this passage from jared diamond's "the ends of the world as we know them": both the shoguns and the japanese peasants took a long-term view: the former expected to pass on their power to their children, and the latter expected to pass on their land. . today, despite having the highest human population density of any large developed country, japan is more than 70 percent forested. what common theme of green literature is most strongly evident in both passages? a. in order to thrive in coming centuries, people must find viable alternatives to fossil fuels, such as coal. b. with careful and intelligent management, ecosystems can still thrive after human beings have changed them. c. in order meet their goals, environmentalists must people develop a personal desire to protect nature. d. there is no excuse for damaging the natural world, and anyone who does so will pay a steep price.