Perspectives Details

Climate Change – the Story of This Century

Can you do any media report today without factoring in climate change? Unlikely. Are you covering a fashion show? Talk to the designers and they will tell you about the problems of getting good cloth; first because cotton and silk productions have been hit by climate change and second because higher temperature means threads keep tearing on the loom more often. Covering foreign affairs? You cannot get away from the squabbles over legal and illegal migration and visas, all worsened because more and more people are finding it impossible to earn their livelihoods from agriculture – a direct impact of climate change. Covering a Test match? The international cricket season has shortened in tandem with the shortening winter. Covering the budget? Look at the amount that has gone into renewable energy. Covering a fight between two groups in a village? Chances are high that the fight is over water or crops, both hit by climate change. Doing a feature on folk songs? Find a contemporary folk song that does not talk of climate change impacts, though it is very likely that the phrase climate change will not be used. Report on high blood pressure? You will find the worst cases are along the coast, among people who cannot afford bottled water and have to drink water that is increasingly becoming saline due to rising sea levels, another impact of climate change.