We are between storms, recovering from Harvey and anticipating Irma. In this period of "calm", we are still fighting the fires in the western states. LA is having its biggest fire in history. Yet, the media still does not discuss climate change. Instead the focus is on the budget battles in Congress which came back from recess this Tuesday. Without any media coverage, it is unlikely that any of Trump's cuts to climate science will be reversed.
Here are the videos for the meeting:
There will be a video about Irma, but I will wait until just before the meeting to select it. In the meanwhile, if you want to track the storm you can try THIS website.
---------------------------------------- Updated 9/7/17 ------------------------------------
These are the other videos shown at the meeting:
Why do the media give so little attention to global warming? There may be many reasons, but here’s one possibility: All of us benefit from the burning of fossil fuels, but while the benefits are often immediate, the costs have been (at least until now) long-term. And because everyone benefits short-term, the fossil fuel industry is among the wealthiest and most powerful in history—so powerful in fact that they not only directly influence political decisions but they can also influence the narrative about the impact of their industry on the climate. For example, they have continuously sewn doubt about the science on climate change/global warming (including the language we use to understand what’s happening) and have portrayed environmentalists as having economic interests comparable to their own. And every major news outlet has to be conscious of their political and economic power. Again, think short term benefits: Who wants to bite the hand that feeds them, even if that hand poses a real, but easily obfuscated, threat? Of course, the media may prove this theory wrong once the ratings value of storm coverage subsides, but if past actions are any indication, a bit of skepticism may be in order. Stay tuned.
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