Noam Chomsky: 'In a couple of generations, organized human society may not survive.'

[applegrove]

Noam Chomsky: 'In a couple of generations, organized human society may not survive.' 

By Robert Hackett at the National Observer (Canada)

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/02/12/features/noam-chomsky-couple-generations-organized-human-society-may-not-survive-has-be

"SNIP......


What would be the alternative for journalism? How should it operate differently in addressing climate change?

Every single journal should have a shrieking headline every day saying we are heading to total catastrophe. In a couple of generations, organized human society may not survive. That has to be drilled into people’s heads constantly. After all, there’s been nothing like this in all of human history. The current generation has to make a decision as to whether organized human society will survive another couple of generations, and it has to be done quickly, there’s not a lot of time. So, there’s no time for dillydallying and beating around the bush. And pulling out of the Paris negotiations should be regarded as one of the worst crimes in history.

But isn’t there a risk of disempowering people by just giving them bad news?

There is. Bad news should be combined with discussion of the things that can be and are being done. For example, a very good economist, Dean Baker, had a column a couple of weeks ago in which he discussed what China is doing. They are still a big huge polluter, but they are carrying out massive programs of switching to renewable energies way beyond anything else in the world. States are doing it. Or not. Take Arizona here, you drive around here, the sun is shining all the time, most of the year; take a look and see how many solar panels you see. Our house in the suburbs is the only one that has them nearby. People are complaining that they have a thousand dollar electric bill per month over the summer for air conditioning but won’t put up a solar panel; and in fact the Tucson electric company makes it hard to do. For example, our solar (array) has some of the panels missing because you’re not allowed to produce too much electricity.

That’s unfortunate. Where would you see the kind of journalism that combines urgency with a sense of what can be done? Where do you see that in our media system?

Well, you find it in small journals. The point is, global warming should be emphasized. You’re quite right when you say you just can’t keep pouring in the bad news; people turn around. But if you combine the bad news with the positive steps that could be taken, and the urgency of taking them, then I think it can have an effect.


.......SNIP"

[mr_lebowski]

1. Noam being 100% correct and insightful, as usual, good read, rec'd ... (nt)

[Snackshack]

2. He is absolutely right.

410ppm is the current number for CO2 in the atmosphere. A number not seen for millions of years here on Earth. The temp will catch up and Earth will be vastly different and not in a good way for humans or most other life forms. Chris Hayes and Joe Rogan recently did podcast with David Wallace Wells who wrote a book about climate change and it is a pretty bleak and depressing outlook.

[applegrove]

3. I like the part where he says you have to couch doom on climate talk with

hope and action. That is what the Green New Deal does. I'm sure democrats will toss it around and adjust it and come up with something great for 2020.