Climate Crisis: The Disturbing Facts; The Cause Debate Informs Policy Debates
The climate crisis brought on by our use of fossil fuels which is threatening the human habitat was the topic of the entire August 6th 2018 New York Times magazine. The article presents previously unknown information on how early scientists and government officials and politicians understood the threat to the human habitat and how opportunities to avoid the threat were missed. Startling aerial images record how much damage has already occurred. Educational resources accompany the article.
There has already been considerable debate about the assignment of cause by the author Nathaniel Rich in the article because it focuses on human nature in general, although, the article itself describes the scientists, activists and others who were trying to promote policies to prevent and diminish the crises. Also, the article does not discuss how political economic structures contributed to an ignoring of the facts and promotion of policies that in fact exacerbated the crisis.
Posted below are links to the article and its educational resources, to two critical discussions of the focus of the article on human nature in general as the underlying cause and to one 3 minute video discussing how the discuss the crisis realistically. We must find ways to move forward effectively. It will require investigation, discussion, cooperation, collaboration and patient and insistent persistence.
New York time article: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/08/01/magazine/climate-change-losing-earth.html?
educational resources for the article: http://pulitzercenter.org/nytclimate
http://www.pulitzercenter.org/blog/education-resources-new-york-times-magazines-losing-earth
critiques of the human nature in general as the cause of absence of realistic policies:
From the Atlantic by Robinson Meyer
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/08/nyt-mag-nathaniel-rich-climate-change/566525/
From the Intercept by Naomi Kline:
https://portside.org/2018-08-04/capitalism-killed-our-climate-momentum-not-human-nature
From The Guardian by Dana Nuccitelli
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent
Video (3 min) on how to discuss the crisis effectively by Bill McKibben
https://www.sandersinstitute.com/blog/how-we-talk-about-climate-change