While Congress is busy chasing the next great conspiracy in Benghazi or voting to repeal Obamacare for the 37 millionth time – the arctic icecap is quickly disappearing.
In early April, Carlos Duarte warned that the Arctic summer sea ice was melting at a rate faster than predicted by conventional climate models, and could be ice free as early as 2015 – rather than toward the end of the century, as the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projected in 2007. He said:
“The Arctic situation is snowballing: dangerous changes in the Arctic derived from accumulated anthropogenic green house gases lead to more activities conducive to further greenhouse gas emissions. This situation has the momentum of a runaway train.”
American media is busy reporting on issues important to us, such as Umbrella-gate or the British Royal family.
The disparity was greatest on ABC World News, which dedicated 43 segments to the royal family and only one to climate change. NBC Nightly News wasn’t much better, devoting 38 segments to the royals and only 4 to climate change. CBS Evening News covered climate change the most — in 7 segments — but still less than its 11 segments on the royal family.
This ongoing imbalance was illustrated just last week when scientists announced that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is set to surpass 400 parts per million, likely for the first time in human history. ABC World News and NBC Nightly News ignored the story, even as NBC found time to cover Prince Harry’s visit to the United States.