You know, the news is often playing at my overnight job. Depending on who is working, it is usually either CNN or FOX News, although we sometimes get some other news channels (more local ones). And you know what? I find myself both depressed and in the need of tuning out when I watch these news channels and programs.
Why?
Well, FOX News should be obvious. It is blatant, far-right propaganda. Sometimes, they cannot decide whether or not they are supporters or critics of Trump. But you can bet that at the end of the day, they stand with what he stood for, if not his particular style. Some there would like to see a new leader take over, like DeSantis. But for the most part, they only go so far in their criticisms of Trump, because they suspect that he will be the one who will win the presidential nomination for the Republicans in 2024.
Then, there is CNN. It also seems to be more of a station based on opinions these days. Most of the programs that play are political opinion programs. They talk incessantly about the elections, particularly presidential elections, which seem these days to almost start as soon as the last one ends. At the very least, these election cycles last about two years. Every now and then, we also get some sort of celebrity news, as well.
Ditto with the local news programs, which are not exclusively opinion shows, but which are nevertheless extremely limited in what they actually do cover. In each case, they rarely cover things that happen outside of the United States with any significant depth or without some kind of obvious political agenda. For example, you are likely not going to get any serious news about China without some kind of rather obvious political slant.
Over the years, I began to turn away from American news. This process started to feel urgent during a trip that I took to Canada, right as the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. Here in the United States, it was all about when we would invade, how we should invade, whether or not it would be most air strikes, or if ground forces would be unleashed sooner or later. In Canada they asked a question that too rarely received any serious consideration: should the United States invade Iraq at all?
So yeah, I began to turn to foreign news more and more. Sometimes it would be the BBC or the CBC, the two foreign news services that tended to be the most accessible here in the United States. Sometimes, I would watch the French news, being French. And more and more often, lately, I find myself tuning into Al Jazeera.
That was where I learned yesterday about how scientists were predicting that the Gulf Stream might collapse, and possibly as early as 2025. The description accompanying every report of this story that I have seen is that such a thing would have "catastrophic" consequences for humanity.
The last time that it collapsed was during the last Ice Age.
Since I did not see CNN or other news stations cover this story - they may have glossed over it briefly, and perhaps I missed it thus, although that itself would be telling, wouldn't it? - it seemed to me that this major news story should be shared as much as possible.
By now, most people accept the reality of climate change. There are serious wildfires burning right now in Canada, in Greece, in Italy, in Spain, in Algeria, and in Tunisia. In recent years, we have seen both record droughts and record floods scattered across North America, and indeed the world. We are living in an age where every year sees new records set (sometimes smashed) in various places around the world. Earlier this year, parts of the Arctic saw record hot temperatures, and much of the North American West, and the American South, are experiencing record hot temperatures. And we are hardly alone in that regard, as this has become a worldwide phenomenon:
In recent days, China set an all-time high of nearly 126 degrees Fahrenheit, while Death Valley hit 128 degrees, two shy of the highest reliably measured temperature on Earth. Phoenix experienced a record-breaking 19th consecutive day at or above 110 degrees Tuesday. And in the Middle East, the heat index reached 152 degrees, nearing — or surpassing — levels thought to be the most intense the human body can withstand.
Yeah, given how extreme this summer has felt - and I live in the Northeast, which has been largely spared the scorching temperatures and conditions experienced in much of the rest of the continent - maybe it's time we begin to actually take this stuff seriously. And at least spread the news when we see headlines like this. Because by now, it seems safe to say that the debate about whether or not climate change /global warming is real or not is over. It's real, and we are only beginning to see the proof of that now.
Below are the articles used in writing this particular blog entry:
Gulf Stream could collapse as early as 2025, study suggests A collapse would bring catastrophic climate impacts but scientists disagree over the new analysis Damian Carrington Environment editor @dpcarrington Tue 25 Jul 2023 11.00 EDT
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/25/gulf-stream-could-collapse-as-early-as-2025-study-suggests
The heat index reached 152 degrees in the Middle East — nearly at the limit for human survival By Scott Dance Updated July 18, 2023 at 4:13 p.m. EDT|Published July 18, 2023:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/07/18/extreme-heat-record-limits-human-survival/
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