Media Options for May 11, 2023
Democracy NowNov 28, 2022
The Facts
According to the Earth Commission, a Sweden-based group of international scientists, seven of eight scientifically established safe boundaries for human life have been surpassed, with Earth entering "the danger zone" not only for a warming planet but also for "justice" for the people it inhabits.
The study, published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, aims to establish several "safe and just" measures for the planet, diagnosing ailing environmental issues such as water flow, phosphorus use, and lack of land conservation.
The Spin
Narrative A
Access to life necessities like water, food, and shelter cannot be separated from the ecological devastation observed throughout the world. The evidence shows that for the world to reverse its growing trend of health inequality, the planet that sustains human lives must be conserved and protected to a far greater degree than it currently is. As the share of livable land shrinks, the number of people able to enjoy its benefits — most often the wealthy — shrinks along with it. If this doesn't change, soon enough no one will enjoy its bounty.
Narrative B
Because the fossil fuel industry has been behind many of the climate reports of the past few decades, fear-tactic terms like "fighting" or "combatting" climate change have actually decreased our individual sense of agency. Humanity should address issues like natural disasters and the warming planet, but to exclude the word "adaptation" from the discussion is as harmful as doing nothing at all. Everyone has to do their part, but we don't have to sit idly in fear as those in power preach their one-size-fits-all mantra.
