July 9, 2012 at 12:29:33
By Robert Parry (about the author)
A
"derecho," a pattern of thunderstorms racing in a straight line, is
more common in the American Plains, but one struck the Washington area
on June 29, 2012. (Photo credit: U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration)
Something called a "derecho" -- a fast-moving line of thunderstorms --
strikes the Washington area, knocking out power for days. Massive forest
fires ravage Colorado. A record heat wave covers much of the country.
The U.S. press treats these events as major stories, but two words are
rarely mentioned: "global warming."
What has become most striking about the growing evidence that climate
change is a clear and present danger -- indeed an emerging existential
threat -- is the simultaneous failure of the U.S. news media to deal
seriously with the issue, another sign of how the Right can intimidate
the mainstream into going silent.
We have seen this pattern before, as the Right sets the media agenda
by bullying those who threaten its ideological interests. Before the
Iraq War, anyone who dared raise questions about the Bush
administration's justifications could expect to be marginalized or
worse. Just ask Phil Donahue, Scott Ritter and the Dixie Chicks.
During Ronald Reagan's presidency, his hard-nosed propagandists
dubbed this tactic "controversializing," that is, anyone who got too
much in the way could expect to be subjected to systematic smears and
professional deconstruction. With so many right-wing voices willing to
say almost anything, it wasn't hard to intimidate people.
The smart career play was always to retreat when these forces were
arrayed against you. Why risk your six- or seven-figure salary on some
issue when there are so many other stories that you can work on without
all the grief?
Indeed, those journalists who wouldn't be scared off could easily be
discredited as "causists," or people "with an agenda," i.e., they'd be
painted as "unprofessional." So, under this view of "journalism," it's
much more "professional" to treat the recent weather events arising from
this over-heating planet as unfathomable "acts of God."
And that's exactly what we've seen. Though there are exceptions here
and there, generally these heat-related weather anomalies have been
handled like earthquakes, something that couldn't be expected or
stopped. There have been loads of human-interest stories about people
coping or suffering but almost no larger context.
Phenomenon of Silence
This phenomenon of silence -- both in the political and journalistic
realms -- has not gone completely unnoticed. It's just that those who
make the point are ignored, too.
For instance, Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, gave a major speech
on the Senate floor on June 19 lamenting the failure of the U.S.
political system to address the global-warming crisis but the speech got
little play.
Kerry said...
"As a matter of conscience and common sense, we should be
compelled to fight today's insidious conspiracy of silence on climate
change -- a silence that empowers misinformation and mythology to grow
where science and truth should prevail. It is a conspiracy that has not
just stalled, but demonized any constructive effort to put America in a
position to lead the world on this issue. ...
"In the United States, a calculated campaign of disinformation has
steadily beaten back the consensus momentum for action on climate change
and replaced it with timidity by proponents in the face of millions of
dollars of phony, contrived 'talking points,' illogical and wholly
unscientific propositions and a general scorn for the truth wrapped in
false threats about job loss and taxes.
"Yet today, the naysayers escape all accountability to the truth. The
media hardly murmurs when a candidate for President of the United
States in 2012 [a reference to Mitt Romney] can walk away from
previously held positions to announce that the evidence is not yet there
about the impact of greenhouse gases on climate.
"The truth is, scientists have known since the 1800s that carbon
dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap heat in our atmosphere. With the
right amount of these gases, the Earth is a hospitable place for us to
live. But if you add too much, which is what we're doing right now, at a
record pace, temperatures inevitably rise to record-setting levels.
It's not rocket science.
"Every major national science academy in the world has reported that
global warming is real. ... Facts that beg for an unprecedented public
response are met with unsubstantiated, even totally contradicted denial.
And those who deny have never, ever met their de minimus responsibility
to provide some scientific answer to what, if not human behavior, is
causing the increase in greenhouse gas particulates and how, if not by
curbing greenhouse gases, we will address this crisis."
Endless Dissembling
Kerry continued...
"The level of dissembling -- of outright falsifying
of information, of greedy appeal to fear tactics that has stalled
meaningful action now for 20 years -- is hard to wrap one's mind around.
It is so far removed from legitimate analysis that it confounds for its
devilishly simple appeal to the lowest common denominator of
disinformation.
"In the face of a massive and growing body of scientific evidence
that says catastrophic climate change is knocking at our door, the
naysayers just happily tell us climate change doesn't exist. In the face
of melting glaciers and ice caps in the Arctic, Greenland and
Antarctica, they say we need to 'warm up to the truth.' And in the face
of animals disappearing at alarming rates, they would have us adopt an
'ostrich' policy and simply bury our heads in the sand. ...
"Al Gore spoke of the 'assault on reason.' Well, Exhibit A is staring
us in the face: Coalitions of politicians and special interests that
peddle science fiction over science fact. A paid-for, multi-million
dollar effort that twists and turns the evidence until it's gnarled
beyond recognition.
"And tidal waves of cash that back a status quo of recklessness and
inaction over responsibility and change. In short, it's a story of
disgraceful denial, back-pedaling and delay that has brought us
perilously close to a climate change catastrophe. ...
"What's worse, we've stood by and let it all happen -- we've treated
falsehood with complacence and allowed a conspiracy of silence on
climate change to infiltrate our politics. ...
"The conspiracy of silence that now characterizes Washington's
handling of the climate issue is dangerous. Climate change is one of two
or three of the most serious threats our country now faces, if not the
most serious, and the silence that has enveloped a once robust debate is
staggering for its irresponsibility.
"The costs of inaction get more and more expensive the longer we
wait -- and the longer we wait, the less likely we are to avoid the worst
and leave future generations with a sustainable planet."
So what was the reaction to Kerry's address? It got some notice on
blogs, especially those dedicated to climate-change issues, but received
almost no attention from the mainstream news media.
Ten days after Kerry's speech, the Washington area was struck by a
"derecho," a weather event virtually unknown to the people of the
region. This straight line of fierce thunderstorms uprooted trees and
knocked down power lines leaving much of the sweltering capital area in
the dark and without air conditioning.
The devastation -- along with forest fires in Colorado and 100-degree
heat over much of the country -- got lots of attention from the news
media. But there was almost no discussion of the why.
Granted, no specific weather event can be traced directly to global
warming, but climate scientists have been saying for years that the
gradual increase in temperatures will be accompanied by more and more
extreme weather patterns, exactly what the United States and much of the
world are experiencing.
Yet, just as the U.S. news media failed the country in 2003 by caving
to the Right's pressure on the Iraq invasion, American journalism is
now failing future generations by cowering in front of the loud voices
of powerful climate-change deniers.
http://www.consortiumnews.com
Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. His latest book,
Secrecy & Privilege: Rise of the Bush Dynasty from Watergate to Iraq, can be ordered at
more...)
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
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