An excellent climate change explainer (awesome!), and discussion of climate change on a Sunday morning talk show (shocking!)??
Everybody’s been talking about the weather. With fires raging in Colorado, record breaking heat all across the country, a “post-derecho” Washington, DC sizzling in 100-plus degree temps without electricity or air conditioning, the impact due to “climate change” and how we will need to adapt to it has been the topic of much discussion on the interwebs.
Wondering about how and why climate change will impact us for generations to come? Want to watch 17 minutes of awesome? Take a look at an excellent climate change explainer – a talk given by David Roberts of Grist at a TEDx event back in April called “Hello Climate Change: Rethinking the Unthinkable” at The Evergreen State College. Roberts blogs about the talk at Grist: “Climate change is simple: We do something or we’re screwed [my TEDx video],” and you can watch it below:
Now for something shocking! If like me, you know what #uppers means on Twitter, and are a fan of MSNBC’s Up with Chris Hayes show that runs live from 8-10 am on weekend mornings, this won’t surprise you.
Hayes spent the first hour of his show on Sunday on climate change! He’s done a couple of segments and mentions earlier this year (including one with Roberts as a guest in January), but this discussion was perhaps the most in-depth look at the politics of climate change on the TV machine ever.
Up’s discussion was so well done in comparison to the horrendously fluffy discussion of weather on ABC’s This Week, where noted conservative talking head (and climate denier?) George Will states:
How do we explain the heat? One word: summer. I grew up in central Illinois in a house without air conditioning. What is so unusual about this? There’s a difference between the weather and the climate. I agree with that. We’re having some hot weather. Get over it.
– that it caused Roberts to blog on the topic of TV news “endumbing” viewers on Monday and ask the question:
Why is Chris Hayes on at 8 a.m. on cable, while George Will gets a prime Sunday slot on a network?
Watch the Up with Chris Hayes segments below, and I think that you too will be asking, “Why?”
Why isn’t there an honest discussion taking place on climate change among our elected leaders? Why are we putting our children’s future at risk? Why aren’t people like Hayes, Roberts or Bill McKibben taken seriously when they warn us of the impending danger?
Watch and and see if you have any answers – they certainly escape me.
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