The nation is waking up
June 25th, 2006I have been looking at Mainstream Media’s recent embrace of the concept of global warming for sometime with a slightly skewed and jaded eye. On the one hand, it’s nice to be validated, but on the other hand, as shallow and fickle as the general public can be, I was concerned it was going to be treated as a flavor-of-the-month, forgotten as soon as another missing white woman grabbed a headline.
Al Gore’s recent documentary An Inconvenient Truth not only has done a lot to inform, but set the stage for serious follow-up action. Additionally, many of the cable shows are dismissing President’s Bush’s arguments the science community does not support global climate change as a reality.
The most heartening indicator of the American public developing an awareness and conscience regarding its own contributions to global warming, and interest in doing something about it, appeared when I opened my Sunday paper’s national magazine Parade. Not only was the cover story “Why You Can’t Ignore the Changing Climate,” but within the article was a list of simple proactive steps people can do, and a link to 25 more.
Tips such as these have been around for awhile, but never have they had such a vehicle as Parade Magazine. The potential to reach out to people who previously considered environmentalists latte drinking, East and West Coast Wacko Liberals, and motivate them to help solve the problem is significant.
Even though there is a plethora of news about glaciers falling apart at unheard of speeds, unseasonal storms and new species migrating to Antarctica, the mere fact that we have gotten America’s attention is real reason for hope. Like the GI Generation before us, we have an opportunity before us to rise to the occassion. I’m optimistic we can do it.
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