The Facts and the Solutions
If you had to guess which industry is the biggest culprit for the destruction of our planet, what would you say? The oil, gas, and coal industries? Or maybe cattle ranching, timber cutting, industrial fishing, mining, roads, the chemicals industry, or even those companies that manufacture useless junk? Well, you might be surprised to hear that the real bad guys are actually the media. It sounds crazy, but hear me out.
You see, all those industries that are causing the damage couldn't keep doing what they're doing without the support of newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV. Most of the time, the media has given them the green light they need to keep on destroying the planet. They've even attacked and vilified people who try to challenge the economic system that's driving us toward catastrophe.
The media has misled us about the choices we face, distracted us with trivial news, and pointed fingers at the wrong people to prevent us from seeing where our real problems lie. They've even tried to justify a political economy that only benefits a few super-rich people and allows them to grab and destroy natural resources.
Even public service broadcasters have caused more harm than good, like the BBC in the UK, who rejected almost every environmental proposal that came their way. And when they did air environmental documentaries, they made catastrophic mistakes.
Climate deniers were given the same or even more airtime than climate scientists, and advertisers have convinced us to consume more than we need, causing Earth systems to suffer.
Without the media's support, governments would be forced to act, and industries wouldn't be able to fend off demands for change. But, thankfully, some outlets have consistently drawn attention to our environmental crisis, like The Guardian, Al Jazeera, and El País.
We need more newspapers and broadcasters to prioritize coverage of our existential predicament and stop misleading us on behalf of damaging industries. But it's also crucial that we keep building effective alternatives, like Mongabay, Democracy Now!, and the Tyee.
And that's what we need right now because, let's face it, we're not doing enough. The COVID-19 pandemic showed us how quickly the world can change when people are scared and want to protect their loved ones. And the same should be true of the climate crisis. If we don’t start treating the climate crisis like the crisis that it is, we're going to be in big trouble.
Effective movements need people to bring their skills together to press for change, and communication is among the most important. By refocusing the world's attention and changing the narrative, good media, alongside campaigners working powerfully in other fields, can force governments to act and help prevent environmental collapse.
The Climate Book (2023) unites dozens of voices in a compelling and eye-opening exploration of the complex relationships between climate change, politics, and media. Offering insights into the interconnectedness of various global issues and the urgent need for systemic change, it contains practical, actionable steps towards a sustainable and equitable future.
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Blink 3 von 12 - Eine kurze Geschichte der Menschheit
von Yuval Noah Harari
