One letter to the editor in the Jan. 12 Sunday Monitor is titled, “Climate change action is getting attention.” This led me to reflect on something I’ve noted for some time. As an issue, it would help to raise consciousness of this pernicious problem if the TV news were to report on the various instances of global warming in greater depth. And perhaps the TV news in general could take its cues from one station in particular that does an excellent job of keeping this topic front and center.
Never mind granting 30 seconds or one minute to newscasts about a particular instance of global warming, as is true of most TV stations, PBS’s The Newshour features whole segments about such that may last as long as 10 minutes or more.
With respect to the recent fires in Australia, koala bears and kangaroos were shown by PBS to be cared for and nursed back to health by specially trained teams of veterinarian helpers. This left me with a clear and unambiguous idea of just how severe our problem with climate is. An estimate of one billion animals, it was said, have been destroyed by the fires. Can you imagine the upheaval and distress it will cause people, who stand to lose their homes, if not their lives, in future fires?
Of all the issues our nation is currently faced with, I stand alongside Tom Steyer and Greta Thunberg who say global warming should come first.
TIMOTHY LANGLAIS
Boscawen