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May 17, 2006
Global Warming: Who Lives Who Dies?
By: Rowan Wolf
It seems easy sitting in the most consuming, capitalist nation in the world to think that global warming is not a big deal. There is a belief that no matter what nature throws this way that "technology" can handle it. After all, how bad can it get? I hear these types of comments all the time so I know they are the mantras that lull people to sleep. "It's all fine." There isn't anything that can really ruffle that. Hurricane Katrina? Oh that was a fluke. The most named storms and category 4 and 5 hurricanes in a season? Didn't they say we are in a cycle? That will end and things will go back to "normal." It's nuts, but true that the U.S. seems to largely be in some bizarre dream. Therefore the recent reports about the impacts of global warming on Africa seem far away - in time and place - and conveniently depersonalized.
However, it is hard to not notice the headline "West's Failure over Climate Change 'Will Kill 182m Africans'." Actually, it is not hard at all because that headline did not run in any major newspaper in the U.S., nor did it make the news - even cable news - as far as I can tell. In fact, climate change and Africa did not come up at all.
While programs like CNN Present's "Melting Point," or HBO's Too Hot Not To Handle may draw the attention of a few, there seems to be a conspiracy of silence. The reports are not brought to public attention, the breaking news of the world rarely breaches the bubble of coverage. Certainly such an explicit statement that our lack of action will result in hundreds of millions - perhaps even billions - of deaths ... not on our news.
Shoot, if we got real news of what is happening and going to happen, we might get "upset." We might demand some answers and some action. Heck we might even do something ourselves. The hegemonic corporatism of the United States might shudder.
We can't do that, so instead we see how global warming might displace a few hundred folks in Alaska, or a few hundred that live on islands. But millions ... billions? Not us and not on our news.
I'm sure that the rest of the planet must think those in the US are insane. Possibly, but lack of attention on the public's part is at least partially the outcome of a conspiracy of silence, and a conspiracy of lies. You get organizations that seem "green" - such as the Center for Global Food Issues - who post articles "debunking" the "extremism" of CNN Presents - CNN's "Melting Point" Evidence Melts Down:
CNN is offering Americans a new global warming TV special--I refuse to call it a documentary--titled "Melting Point." However, CNN's "evidence" for superwarming melts under critical examination.
After all America, if even the "greenies" say that we are seeing a temporary weather cycle, then we can just tune out all the hysterics.
Heck, we don't even need to go back to sleep as we never got the opportunity to wake up.
Posted by Rowan at May 17, 2006 7:11 PM Category: Global Warming --- Social Impacts