cap and trade explained

The Washington Post created this graphic explaining the “Cap and Trade” we keep hearing about…. so take a look so you know what is going on.

i’m doing my part

Last night, I watched the first two hours of Manufacturing Consent.  This is a documentary about Noam Chomsky, based on his book of the same title.

A main discussion point, and something not new to me, is that the elite controls major media outlets, which then dictate to smaller outlets what is considered important news. 

And then this morning, I saw this:

Climate Change Is Not Taken Seriously Because Media Is Not Highlighting Its Significance, Expert Says, via ENN

Dr Neil Gavin, from the School of Politics and Communication Studies, believes the way the media handles issues like climate change shapes the public’s perception of its importance. Limited coverage is unlikely to convince readers that climate change is a serious problem that warrants immediate and decisive action.

The research company lpsos-MORI found that 50% of people think the jury is still out on the causes of globalwarming. The limited amount of media coverage – which tends to be restricted to the broadsheets – means that this statistic is unlikely to alter in the short-term.

One reason I found this interesting is because of something mentioned in the documentary: the two leading newspapers are The Washington Post and the NY Times. These papers are known for their stance against global warming.  In fact, just last week, the editor of the Washington Post wrote about his disbelief of global warming.

So… if other news outlets follow these two papers as to what is a leading story and these two papers downplay the truth about climate change… there should be no surprise that the public does not understand the severity of what is going on.

It makes me slightly pleased that the NY Times may be closing its doors….