A counterargument can be used to try to refute the competing point of view. For example “Even with a vision there is no guarantee of success. Some scientists are already saying that we have waited too long, that a runaway greenhouse effect is now a real possibility” (McKibben 95). With this type of statement, he does not provide credibility to his statement, because he claims that this was said by scientists. But McKibben goes into even more detail about this counterargument. “And the fact that China and India are starting to burn fossil fuels in appreciable (if not American) quantities makes the task more difficult” (McKibben 95). This only further supports his opponents' claims because it provides concrete evidence for the opposing argument that the damage has already been done. This choice of counterargument does not serve as an aid to his conclusion