A p ril 9, 2014
$Iortlanh (Obaeruer
Page 9
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Changing Our Climate of Indifference
The media has a
duty to inform
by
J ill R ichardson
A new scientific re­
port predicts more dire
and irreversible conse­
quences of the climate
crisis than ever before.
“N o one on this
p la n e t w ill be u n ­
touched by climate change,” de­
clared Rajendra Pachauri, the chair
of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, which the UN runs
jointly with the World Meteorologi­
cal Organization.
Even though it wasn’t news to
me, I welled up with frustration when
this news broke.
I have struggled with the exas­
perating realization that I have so
little power to make the big changes
needed to fix the problem. Sure, I can
change my light bulbs. I even drive where the effects of climate change
food for everyone on Earth. And the a 10-foot Australian snake ate a
a Prius.
were just as shocking.
problems already hitting the tropi­ crocodile. The images were abso­
But I can’t make my city have
Why should things that happen cal areas I’ve visited could be a
lutely captivating, but it’s not im ­
better infrastructure for biking and half a world away matter to us? Our
harbinger of what’s to come here at portant news.
public transportation, or put link to their misery is simple: The
home in the coming years.
I wish there were more happy and
solar panels on my apart­ United States has arguably ben­
Trying to tell these stories as a hopeful angles to the climate crisis.
ment, or influence the larger efited more from industrialization
journalist makes me sometimes won­ The climate story is, and always has
policy environment that im­ and greenhouse gas emissions than
der why I even bother. I’ve been been, a huge bummer. Or, as A1 Gore
pacts our climate much more any other nation on earth. People in
told flat out by editors that then- says, “an inconvenient truth.”
than my light bulbs.
these far-flung places are suffering readers are burnt out on depressing
Journalists aren ’t entertainers,
However, my discourage­ for it.
climate crisis stories. They don’t and the m edia has a duty to inform
ment runs deeper. I became
That won ’ t matter to some people, want to print a story that contains
the public about what they need
a journalist to find and tell important s o l’ll add this: Violence, instability,
nothing but bad news.
to know. Perhaps if m ore rep o rt­
stories. I didn’t go to Bolivia look­ and disease don’t have borders.
Since readers would presumably ers had done their jo b right from
ing for a story on the climate crisis,
In Kenya, I met Andrew Githeko, prefer a hopeful story about the
the start, we would have m ade the
but I found one when I got there.
a scientist who has documented climate crisis, they suggest that I
changes we needed years ago.
In a million ways, the changing how malaria has already moved to
find an inspiring angle. Like how Had that happened, m aybe the
climate is ruining lives there: chang­ new areas as the climate warms up.
someone is adapting to the chang­ latest reports on clim ate change
ing rain patterns, floods, mudslides, The people in these places have no
ing climate.
would instead describe how we
crop failures, and more. As if that immunity to the disease. When an
Entertaining readers is not my dodged a bullet.
wasn’tenough, reduced glacial melt epidemic occurs, as Githeko put it,
job. I became a journalist to tell
OtherWords colum nist Jill
in the Andes means decreased hy­ “the bodies pile up.”
people what they need to know. But Richardson is the author o f Recipe
droelectric power. All of this is hap­
Newer projections find that the it seems most publications are more
for America: Why Our Food System
pening now.
changing climate will jeopardize the interested in what sells than what’s
Is Broken and What We Can Do to
My research later led me to Kenya, world’s ability to produce enough
important. Like that story about how Fix It.
Report Underscores Urgency of Jobs Crisis
The racial
dimensions of
economic
inequality
’ I n a
by M arc
H. M orial
O ur Constitution,
Declaration of Inde­
pendence and Eman­
cipation Proclamation
all speak of equality and unity as
bedrock principles of American
Democracy. But the truth is we have
always been battling a Great Divide
o f race and class that has kept the
American Dream out of reach for
millions and that now threatens the
very future of our nation.
That fact is the central finding of
the 38th edition of the State of Black
America — One Nation Underem­
ployed: Jobs Rebuild America.
This year’s report underscores
the urgency of the jobs crisis - both
unemployment and underemploy­
ment - and offers ideas from the
National Urban League and leading
voices
tizutl
J . city
. has
. . its . . . .
voices across
across thp
the mmnratp
corporate, aca
While each state and
the black unemployment rate hov­ Wage Act, which would raise the
demic, political, civil rights and arts own story to tell, the consistent
ering above 13 percent for much of minimum wage to$10. lOforall work­
arenas about how African Ameri­ refrain is that there is an urgent and
the past year.
ers with an index to inflation there­
can and other communities of color growing disparity between the few
Further, with a black-white in­ after.
can forge a path to economic stabil­ who are reaping the rewards o f eco­
come equality of only 60% and with
This year’s publication also in­
ity and upward mobility.
nomic recovery and the majority black households having just $6 in
cludes thought-provoking, solu-
Our 2014 Equality Index, who are still reeling from the after­
wealth for every $100 in wealth of tions-focused essays from jazz great
one of the most critical and shocks of the Great Recession.
white households - or a median Wynton Marsalis, Xerox Chairman
respected tools for tracking
This year’s report again sheds wealth of $6,314 vs. $110,500, re­
and Chief Executive Officer Ursula
racial equality in America, light on the racial dimensions of
spectively, what we see emerging Bums, author and scholar Dr. Tho­
finds that the state of Black economic inequality in America. Our
from the rubble of the Great Reces­ mas Shapiro, Housing and Human
America stands at 71.2 per­ economics index, which compares
sion is a state of black America in S e rv ice s S e c re tary K ath leen
cent o f the state of white such factors as income, poverty,
severe economic crisis.
Sebelius, actor and philanthropist
America in the areas of economics, employment and wealth, finds that
But the 2014 State of Black Hill Harper and many others.
social justice, civic engagement, the economic status o f African
America report also points to solu­
H alf a century after President
health, and education. W ith an Americans is only 55.5 percent of
tions. The National Urban League Johnson declared the W ar on Pov­
equality index of 75.8 percent, a simi­ that of whites, meaning that blacks
continues to move forward with our erty, the 2014 edition o f the State
lar divide exists between Latinos are still missing almost half of the
Jobs Rebuild America initiative - a o f Black Am erica calls us to take
and whites, with Latinos experienc­ economic pie. Hispanics are at 60.6
$ 100 million, five-year effort bring­ im m ediate steps to address the
ing only three-quarters of the full percent. The growing racial and eth­
ing together resources from the fed­ incom e and wealth divides that
benefits America has to offer.
nic d iv id e s in e m p lo y m en t, eral government, business and non­
threaten our nation’s econom ic
For the first time, the Equality homeownership and mortgage and
profits to reduce unemployment, recovery and our ability to com ­
Index also includes rankings of U.S. home improvement loan denials
create jobs and expand economic pete in the global m arketplace.
cities in a new metropolitan section, drove losses in the economics index
opportunity in 50 com m unities We m ust act now. As Am erica
ranking cities from most-to-least for both groups.
throughout the nation.
was rem in d ed d uring an o th er
equal via the black-white index (77
Our economics index also shows
We also continue to press Con­ great crisis, “A house divided
cities) and Hispanic-white index (83 that unemployment inequality be­
gress to pass the Urban Jobs Act, against itself cannot stand.”
cities) - providing a revealing look tween blacks and whites has wid­
the Project Ready STEM Act, a
Marc H. Morial is president and
at the local dynamics beneath the ened, with the white unemployment
transportation infrastructure bill and chief executive officer o f National
national trends
rate dropping below 7 percent and the Harkin-Miller Fair Minimum Urban League.
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