Climate Change: The Story is the Story
by Bonnie Alter, London on 10.31.06
Looking at the news stand today is enough to make a treehugger deliriously hopeful. Climate change has hit the newspapers with a bang. As a result of yesterday’s launch of Sir Nicholas Stern’s report on the economics of climate change, Britain’s newspapers are acknowledging the issue--big time. Each, in its own way, and representing its constituency, has spent pages today analysing and explaining the ramifications to its readers. The Financial Times, a newspaper which has only started mentioning this subject in the last year, has dedicated the first three pages of the paper to the subject, along with a lead editorial. It warns that “the Stern review is not only a counsel of hope, it is a necessary call for action”. The Independent has always been a fountain of information--its cover (pictured) and content reflect its commitment. At the other end of the political spectrum is the Guardian which has outdone itself with enough to keep one reading for days. But we can’t ignore the tabloids: the Daily Mail asks: “isn't the truth that the Government sees in global warming a heaven-sent opportunity to squeeze yet more money out of hard-pressed Middle Britain, while pretending it is all for the good of the planet?”. Happy reading. :: Financial Times :: Independent :: Guardian :: Daily Mail
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Definitely huge news, but you wouldn't know it in the US. I have yet to see it as a headline in any US news media.
Definitely huge news, but you wouldn't know it in the US. I have yet to see it as a headline in any US news media.
Why is it huge news? It's a report about things that many people have understood for a very long time.
The Brits overestimate their importance, especially to people in the US.
Its not that its anything new, but a report of this importance should warrant more coverage in the US. Global Warming news in general should catch many more headlines than it currently does.
I'm from Denver, CO (btw) and get the majority of my news online, I visit the Washington Post, NY Times, ABC News, Fox News, and the BBC daily. The BBC does a tremendous job covering global warming with the subject placed prominently on their homepage. To find global warming news on the other sites requires lots of searching, if they covered it at all. It receives even less coverage on TV.
To see a subject we all care about get front page coverage anywhere is fantastic, I just wish it got its due attention here.
We in the UK do overestimate our importance, especially given that we only contribute 2% of the world's GHG emissions. The White House have acknowledged the Stern report and added it to their pile of climate change reports used to light the kindling in the open fire in Bush's office.
The bottom line is that the report is written within a fundamentally flawed framework i.e. it seeks to perpetuate the modern day economic system that worships an infinite goal, but is fed from a finite resource.
"It's difficult to get a man to understand something when his jobs depends upon not understanding it." - Upton Sinclair
More fuel for the fire, although useful for the more immediate crisis.
We've collected a snapshot of media coverage on this historic day:
http://pesn.com/2006/10/31/9500430_Britain_stern_on_climate_change/
Here in canada i would say we have had adequate coverage. This morning on cbc radio i heard all about the sterne report on a number of thier morning programs and visiting their website today i found more about the topic on the first page.
There was a heated discusion in the comment section. To my surprize there were a few posts against fighting global warming from people who still just dont seem to understand the situation fully and get the overall idea of what tackling climate change entails.