Chris Haynes’s podcast, “Exploring the Wicked Problems of Climate Change with Andrew Revkin” is a behind the scenes unfiltered experience. It was refreshing to hear a newscaster (Chris Haynes of MSNBC/NBS News) be so honest about why stories concerning climate change are seldom on the news. Like all media sources, television shows are all about ratings. And according to Chris Haynes, any news segment about climate change is an instant rating’s killer.
The overall conversation between Haynes and Revkin was very casual and informative. The tone drew-in the listener wanting to know more. Revkin did an excellent job of explaining why there still is an overall apathy concerning climate change. It turns out, it is because of human nature (which agrees with the overall conclusion of The New York Times Magazine article “Loosing Earth”). Some say that climate change is still a problem because of the oil companies, some say it’s the politicians, others say it’s because of the lobbyist. The truth is, it is all of these. And that’s because the problem is too big and spans several decades. It took thirty years to get to the point where we are now. According to Revkin, even if we all got it in gear and took every necessary means to stop global warming, it would still take another thirty years to see the effects. In short, we are a culture of NOW. If we can’t see the results now, we don’t want to be bothered. That is why so many Americans do not have any retirement savings; because you have to save for over twenty years consistently before you see any significant results.
Near the end of the podcast, Revkin tells a story of how he was at the Vatican for a meeting called, “Sustainable Humanity”. There he asked Walter Munk, “What do you think is going to get us through this century?” His response was, “A miracle of love and unselfishness.”
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