Take Responsibility … Get Informed!
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Getting the news isn’t as easy as it used to be. You might think that is absurd, considering all of the venues, including the good old newspaper, radio, television, and more recently, the internet and cell phones. The sheer number of media venues create a false impression that we are well informed. The reality, in our opinion, is that the media is not as independent as we think, and there are more factors influencing their message than we know.
Take politics for example. The next time you see an “exclusive” on something concerning politics, we encourage you to take a closer look. In the media industry this “exclusive” is called a “drop”. A drop shows only one side of the issue and, believe it or not, there is usually a condition attached to this drop. The drop is two-fold: a mutually beneficial deal between politicians and the media. For the politician, the drop, statically placed in a Saturday or Sunday paper, is a vehicle to influence the public. For the media, they benefit by securing the media agenda for the following week and gaining a marketing edge over their competitors.
Truly, politicians and the media are the only beneficiaries of the “drop”. The public ends up being the “big loser” because (let’s face it) many of us still perceive most of the news to be just that—news. Granted, news it is, but the perspective is most often lacking the full story and the impartial integrity. And come on, surely we already know this with the controversy we have been fed over the years from war to beef. We need to take more responsibility for the formation of our opinions. And there really is no excuse with the vast scope of “information” that is available to us.
Take the internet for example. This “information highway” has opened up an unlimited abundance of knowledge shared by others who have basically taken the responsibility for the formation of our opinions for us. We encourage you to take advantage of this outlet. You will be amazed at the varying opinions and views, shared from both those qualified to back their thoughts and those speaking from passion. This insight will empower you to think outside the box. Take the initiative and utilize the power you wield by becoming an informed citizen.
Martine
China: World’s Top Polluter?
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The magnitude of China’s growth as an economic power can be seen through the growth of its greenhouse gas emissions. In 1950, China’s greenhouse gas emissions were about 1% of the global total. But in 2006, a Dutch study said that China overtook the United States as the world’s biggest greenhouse gas polluter.
Historically, China has been present at climate change discussions but has been exempted from targets because of its status as a developing country. With all of the new attention being paid to it as the world’s largest atmospheric polluter, China is becoming sensitive to its global profile as an environmental citizen.
Anyhow, like the U.S. and current Canadian governments, the Chinese regime admits that climate change is serious and real, but refuses to take committed global leadership. China’s National Climate Change Programme (their first) was released in June 2007; it proposes “carbon intensity” reductions as well as investing in new technologies and reforestation, but doesn’t indicate any hard targets.
Just to keep track of things, the country gets over two thirds of its energy through coal.
Since third world poverty still affects a few hundred million people in the country, meeting economic goals with environmental realities is going to require some radical new thinking.
See www.ccchina.gov.cn
Martine
Nobel Nods at Gore, IPCC on Climate Change
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Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have been awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
With the award, Gore, former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the USA, and subsequent winner of an Emmy (Current TV) and an Oscar (An Inconvenient Truth), has earned the international spotlight that few former politicians have.
For a man who could not defeat George W. Bush in a television debate in 2000, it’s an interesting transformation. In the United States many Democrats are now calling on him to make a bid for President in 2008, but as this would position him as a rival to Hillary Clinton, the current leading Democrat contender, it may be a fight that he does not want to fight. Gore’s opportunities for influence and to take the lead on climate change may be far greater outside of office. We shall see.
Co-winner IPCC is also a significant choice. Now 20 years old, the IPCC involves hundreds of scientists from across the planet who have worked on assessing and measuring the impacts of global climate change. Their science is the baseline from which all global atmosphere treaties have been and will be based on.
The Nobel Peace Prize was first awarded in 1901. Alfred Nobel was the inventor of dynamite and an armaments manufacturer who left his fortune to reward more constructive pursuits.
Find out more at www.nobelprize.org
Martine
Eco-Entrepreneur Passes On
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Anita Roddick, the gutsy entrepreneur who mothered the global success known as The Body Shop, died in September from a sudden brain hemorrhage. She was 64 years old.
Roddick was one of the first eco-entrepreneurs, and one of the first to move big onto a global stage. In 1976, she started The Body Shop in Brighton, England next door to an undertaker. That little “hippie” niche shop grew into a global chain, with 2,000 stores in 50 countries and grosses of over $1.5 billion.
The Body Shop pioneered all natural body care products and Roddick was a persistent retail crusader for causes and ideals. She fought for a multitude of issues including cruelty-free products, human rights, oil drilling in Nigeria, climate change, hemp, fair trade, organics and social justice. As has been said, Roddick’s career and life came down to helping people feel good and to do good.
Learn more at www.anitaroddick.com
Martine
