Determine what the main idea of your essay will be. This idea will be your cornerstone for persuading the audience to accept your view. Introduce your main idea with a hook that grabs the reader's attention immediately and then provide the background information for your topic. For instance, "global warming will cause: flooding, drought and the extinction of many wildlife species." The topic paragraph should end with a clear statement of your main idea or point of view.
Based on your main idea and point of view, determine the audience you are writing for, whether they are on your side or against you. If they are on your side, identify with them by reinforcing their beliefs, such as: "global warming is a real threat that if left unchecked will prove itself to naysayers in the most detrimental of ways." If your audience is on the opposing side, show that you understand their argument and even concede a point, such as: "While it may be true that human CO2 is a small percentage of all CO2 emissions, the natural cycle adds and removes CO2 to keep a balance, but humans add extra CO2 without removing any."
The body paragraphs of your essay should highlight the strongest points of your argument. Each paragraph should focus on one main point and several sub-points. For each point you should provide evidence or examples. For instance, in a paragraph discussing the environmental evidence of global warming, you can cite that the average temperatures around the world have risen over 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1880, with most of the escalation occurring during the last few decades.
Good persuasive essays must also acknowledge the opposing viewpoints of their arguments. Presenting an opposing argument with an open mind and then refuting this view, through evidence, add credibility and scope to the essay. For example: "Those in disbelief of global warming believe tsunamis are geological and not climate caused. However, there is no evidence to support this claim."
The conclusion is typically the shortest paragraph of the essay. The best conclusions provide closure with committed language and a professional tone that leave the reader satisfied. It is in the conclusion where the writer may add a call to action if it is fitting, such as: "Going green is a small part that all of us must play in order to make a world of difference." Avoid introducing new issues but do bring up any unresolved issues that your argument may pose.
The "Works Cited" page lists any outside material referenced in the essay, such as books, magazines, encyclopedias and websites. College-level persuasive essays on environmentalism are typically done in the MLA format. In this style, book citations begin with the author's last name, followed by a comma then the first name and a period. The name of the book is italicized followed by a period. The city of publication comes after, with a colon then the publisher, a comma, the copyright date and, finally, a period.