Month 7, Day 25: Nothing’s Happening Here — Move Along, Move Along, Move Along…

It’s really really hot in New York City. The NY Daily News (a Murdoch fishwrap) had a headline which read:

Today’s forecast: Hell! Soaring heat will turn New York City into a baked apple

But of course everyone knows that Al Gore is fat.

Gosh. Whether or not Saturday turns out to be the all-time heat record in New York City, perhaps it is time for the Daily News to examine its editorial policy on the subject of climate change. The types of weather we are now experiencing all over the country and all over the world are exactly what climatologists have predicted as consequences of global warming: more extreme temperatures, more heavy precipitation, and more unexpected events. And this is just the prelude; the climatic orchestra is just tuning up, and in years to come we will see record-breaking days become record-breaking weeks and months, with devastating effects on health, infrastructure and the natural environment — not to mention our agricultural system, which is perilously close to climate-induced breakdown already. And yet our news media is unable to acknowledge the obvious truth: global warming is real, it’s caused by humans, and it represents the gravest threat humanity has ever faced in all our years as a species. How many more days of Hell does the New York Daily News require before it will start advocating meaningful action on the climate crisis?

Warren Senders