From campaign finance reform to gun violence to poverty to education to LGBTQ rights, lots of important subjects were ignored by corporate media debate moderators in the presidential (and vice-presidential) debates. All of these topics are urgent and deserve a spotlight on the national stage. But one topic stands out as a non-factor: climate change.
Climate change—or, more accurately, climate disruption—is the greatest existential threat of our time. It threatens the economy, national security and health, exacerbates poverty and racism, and threatens to undermine or compound virtually all other issues discussed on the stage tonight.
Scientists say that burning the oil, coal and gas in currently operating fields would warm the Earth by more than 2 degrees Celsius, considered (probably optimistically) to be the limit of catastrophic change (New Republic, 9/22/16). That means that to avoid global disaster, the only appropriate response is to conduct no further digging or drilling at all. To transition to a post-fossil fuel future is a monumental endeavor with lots of pieces we need to talk about. Elite media’s evident notion that they can whistle past it—as thousands of people put their lives on the line in Standing Rock, as the Wayuu disappear—is the height of irresponsibility.
Despite this, and despite the fact that the world has endured 16 consecutive months of record-breaking heat, not one of the debate moderators saw fit to ask about it in any of 2016’s general election debates.
Making this omission even worse: In the 2012 presidential debates, there were zero questions about climate change as well. Indeed, it was not even mentioned by either Mitt Romney or President Barack Obama. In over eight hours of presidential debates spanning four years, there were only four utterances of the term “climate change” on the most important political stage. All by Hillary Clinton, all in passing. All entirely unsolicited.
Adam Johnson is a contributing analyst for FAIR.org. You can follow him on Twitter at @AdamJohnsonNYC.
This was 3rd and Final presidential debate between two presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. All the debate was on blaming each, No one ask about how to change the environment or climate. They are just asking to each other, you have done this, you have done this.
I think, its total waste of time when they not share their strategies how they can lead.
Whistling past our prospective graveyard
I wasn’t expecting Fox News host Chris Wallace to ask a question about climate change. He would have had to admit that it is a ‘thing.’ We already know that Donald Trump says he believes it is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese.
Ken Bone asked about energy policy and environmental issues. He doesn’t explicitly mention climate change, but i think it should be mentioned here? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFUNJ2TA9II
Exellent FAIR observation, and more broadly, the media have yet to face up to the greatest danger that has ever faced mankind. Our scientists are telling us that unless we cut back drastically on fossil fuel emissions, all life on earth will become extinct, and the two candidates for President are clueless on the subject because the whole nation is clueless on the subject.
This is a mass psychology problem. Read George Marshall’s “Don’t Even Think of It: Why Our Brains are Wired to Deny Climate Change.” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/23/why-our-brains-wired-ignore-climate-change-united-nations
There’s a conspiracy of silence as we hurtle towards doom. It’s up to us all to speak up and speak out — loudly, often and courageously. Only when media and politicians sense public interest will they begin to address this threat.
Is climate change a hot topic on the Jerry Springer show?
Who knew?