I had an idea one day in December. The new year was coming up, and I wondered if I had what it took to sustain a daily discipline that wasn't about practicing music or doing the dishes (not that I necessarily do those every day, nowadays, but...).
For a few years I had been following the news about climate change. JohnnyRook was the person who woke me up. Reading his diaries and learning about him was transformative. Unfortunately, it seemed to transform me at first into a pretty gloomy guy, because all I ever saw was politicians squandering opportunities and media figures abandoning their responsibilities, while the scientific evidence mounted higher and higher.
Understand: I am the child of scientists. While I am by profession a musician, I know enough about science to know that when scientists say something like, "Well, we have observed significant correlations between atmospheric CO2 and increased global mean temperature," in a soft, calm, slightly hesitant voice, what they are doing is screaming is "HOLY SHIT!!! EVERYBODY!!! WAKE THE F**K UP!!! NOW!!!" That is, phrases like "significant correlation" and "robust" are scientists' way of shouting.
Before JohnnyRook died, I asked him what I could do, and he told me, "Go to www.350.org." So I did, and I was inspired and motivated (thanks be to Bill McKibben, who in my opinion deserves a Nobel Prize). Which has resulted in two Climate Concerts so far (with another one scheduled in November), raising a total of $2350 for 350.org.
Not bad. But the cessation of Liberal Guilt and Climate Worry brought about by producing a concert lasts about 20 days: 10 days before the concert (when I'm too busy to be worrying) and 10 days after the concert (when I'm basking in the warm glow of success). That's not enough.
So around mid-December, I had this idea, see? What if I made a New Year's Resolution to write a letter a day on climate issues — to newspapers, magazines, broadcast media and politicians? Would I be able to sustain it?
I didn't tell anyone. I didn't want to jinx myself (like Neils Bohr, I am not superstitious, but I understand those things work even if you don't believe in them). During the last days of December, I revved myself up, getting ready.
On January 1st, 2010, I sent the following letter to the Boston Globe.
The failure of our national media to cover the worsening climate crisis is surely the most important and tragic story of our time. An intrepid journalist could earn a Pulitzer, nay, a series of Pulitzers, by doing the in-depth reporting which revealed the extent to which our broadcast and print media have been coopted by the deep pockets of climate-change deniers. Alas, it’s not going to happen. As with all stories in which the media establishment has been a participant, there will never be any meaningful investigation. As glaciers melt, oceans become acidified, droughts become endemic, and local weather patterns become increasingly erratic and unpredictable, only one thing is absolutely certain: our media will continue to perpetuate the false notion that "there are two sides to every argument," and the way to practice journalism is to give equal time to both parties.
Thus journalism becomes a travesty of itself.
Would an article on medicine be required to give equal column space to a proponent of the medieval theory of "humours"? Would an article on air travel be required to give equal column space to a turn-of-the-twentieth-century scientist’s assertion that heavier-than-air flight is impossible?
The decline in the number of Americans who believe global climate change is caused by human beings is not an abstract phenomenon, to be reported "impartially" in the pages of the nation’s press and on the news programs of our networks. No — that decline is the product of decades of irresponsibility on the part of that press and those networks. Our descendants (if there are any) will not be kind to the American media of this time, and with good and tragic reason.
The letter wasn't in response to any article in particular; it was more along the lines of a general chastisement. I had no expectation that it would see print. The next few days saw more of the same.
January 2nd's letter was to the New York Times, again without any hope of publication, and continuing along the same theme.
The terrifying implications of current climatological research are diluted by the measured language of scientific discourse. The relatively neutral term "climate change" is grossly misleading. A more appropriate word would be "climaticide." The facts are readily available, but what is needed in the public sphere is not measured language, but a clarion call, an alarm warning all of us of a looming catastrophe. And here is where the print and broadcast media of our culture have profoundly failed humanity.
By insisting on a specious policy of false equivalence in which the statements of a few corporate-funded denialists "balance" the overwhelming majority of scientific evidence, our media have abdicated their responsibility to the truth. The simple fact is that if the world’s industrialized cultures do not radically and rapidly change their behaviors, the lives of our children, our grandchildren, and their children in turn will be unimaginably and horrifyingly different. By failing to inform the public, by failing to take this threat seriously (all the while exaggerating other, less significant problems), the media are now enabling the most serious threat that our planet has ever faced. Generations to come will look back at the excesses of the twentieth century in shame; they will see the media’s blind indifference to our toxic behavior for what it is: a crime of terrible magnitude.
Ignorance is excusable; willful refusal to engage with facts is not. The job of the news media is to engage with facts. Please do your job, so that we (all of us, everywhere) can do ours: trying to change our culture’s direction in time to preserve our world.
And finally, the third day saw me sending something to the local Murdoch rag, the Boston Herald.
Another blizzard will surely bring another round of blather from climate-change denialists: "Look! It's snowing! That means there is no such thing as global warming!" It is difficult to find words to describe this level and degree of willful ignorance. One of the oft-repeated and oft-verified predictions of climate scientists is that as the global climate crisis worsens, local and regional storms will increase in intensity and frequency. Climatologists also predict that anomalous weather events (snow in May, seventy-degree days in February) will occur more often. While it's not in the purview of scientific prognostication, it's a sure bet that as long as the fossil-fuel industry continues funding denialist research, we will be subjected to increasing levels of mendacity and gullibility from their paid spokespersons. Our national media has completely abandoned any pretense of being "on the side of truth," and in the long run, the human race will be the loser.
By the 4th of January, I was starting to get into the swing of things. I sat down in a coffee shop and wrote a short letter to President Obama on the back of a previously used piece of paper. When I got home I faxed it to the White House, typed it into the WH email form, and put the paper in an envelope and sent it to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.
Dear President Obama,
The urgency of the climate crisis is without a doubt increasing by the day. Yet our national media persists in fostering the misconception that there is doubt about the causes, effects and possible remedies for anthropogenic global warming. And (tragically) they appear to be succeeding.
If meaningful climate-change treaties are to be ratified, if meaningful legislation is to be passed, it will be because you fought for it in the arena of public opinion. Please, sir — use the presidential "bully pulpit" to make the case for America's full participation in global efforts to combat catastrophic climate change. We must lead; if we cannot lead, at least let us lend a hand, rather than hinder the efforts of others.
Thank you,
WarrenS
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By the end of the first fortnight, I'd written to all my local papers, to the NPR ombudsman, John Kerry, Ed Markey (twice), President Obama (three times), the Washington Post, the New York Times and Newsweek magazine.
And you know what?
I was still a pretty gloomy guy, because once you start reading climate-disaster news it's a crisis of conscience every time you tear yourself away from the computer — but I felt a little better.
I was, by Darwin's Beard, actually doing something. I was doing something I was good at, and I appeared to be able to sustain it.
And the days rolled by. After Scott Brown won the MA election I sent this to the Boston Globe:
Massachusetts has officially elected a climate-change skeptic to the Senate. Among other things, this illuminates an unbelievable lack of scientific literacy in our schools, in our media, and in our politics. It is long past time for the White House to point out that denying something doesn't change scientific facts. The Earth's biosphere is in serious danger from decades of unregulated emissions of greenhouse gases; it's not just humans who are moving rapidly toward a catastrophic evolutionary bottleneck, but millions of other life-forms as well. The Bush administration addressed climate change by denying its origin, its severity, and sometimes its existence — while passing cynically titled anti-environmental legislation with a bare majority in the Senate. The Obama administration seems to address climate change in the opposite way: by acknowledging its origin, severity and existence, while timidly refraining from using the Presidential bully pulpit to educate the public about the most severe existential threat ever faced by humans. Scott Brown may think atmospheric CO2 concentrations soaring to Mesozoic Era levels is a sign of economic growth, but his descendants, and ours, will judge us very harshly for our failure to act effectively while we still had the time.
WarrenS
I still had not really figured out how to write a good LTE, but I was going to start getting some traction pretty soon.
Al Gore's Op-Ed in the New York Times prompted me to write a letter in response. I worked on it very carefully, and got it down to 150 words (the Times' limit)...and lo and behold, they printed it, almost verbatim:
That same week, I was sitting at the computer, and here's what happened...
Busy day tomorrow. I sat down at the computer but couldn't think of anyone to write to. I wrote to Obama on Saturday, and Harry Reid on Sunday, and John Kerry & Scott Brown late last week...I know! I'll write directly to Al Gore!
I imagine his secretaries have to throw out a lot of abusive rubbish from denialist teabaggers. Maybe they'll be happy to read a letter of genuine appreciation. Maybe they'll pass it along to the former President-Elect. I brought back the "swollen belly" analogy. I really want that one to gain some traction somewhere. If Al starts using it, remember where it came from!
Dear Mr. Gore — As one of your long-time admirers, I wish to thank you for all that you have done to wake up the world to the dangers of climate change. Your recent Op-Ed in the New York Times was a beautifully crafted and heartfelt wake-up call to the world. Unfortunately, it is becoming ever clearer that the Republicans in Washington don't care if the planet burns, as long as they can ensure the failure of the current administration. While this was obvious from the beginning to any observers who were paying attention, it seems to have caught both the Obama administration and Democratic legislators by surprise. Furthermore, it is (sadly) indisputable that many in our party are either unimaginably naive, unimaginably pusillanimous, or unimaginably corrupt.
There are three things I need to say.
First: Don't Give Up. Your grace and steadiness in the face of ignorance and abuse is an example for all of us who are trying to wake up our fellow citizens.
Second: Emphasize to your colleagues in the political arena that the opposition party is not operating in good faith. The current Republican party does not have the best interests of our country at heart; they need to be publicly stigmatized as traitors to America and to humanity. "Making nice" with these people simply won't work. Democrats are not bullies by nature, I suppose — but at this time, in this crisis, we need to get things done rapidly and well. If the fate of the planet depends on the state of the Senate, we are in an extremely precarious position.
Third: I wish to offer an analogy which I think works well in combating the fallacious statements of Senator Inhofe and those of his ilk, especially in the light of the recent snowstorms that have buffeted Washington — and which the denialists claim are a conclusive proof that global warming is a "hoax."
Saying a freak snowstorm in Washington "disproves global warming" is like saying the swollen belly of a starving child "disproves world hunger."
Again, thank you for all that you have done and are doing. You are an inspiration to me and to countless others who are hoping against hope that our beautiful planet may yet be saved.
Yours Sincerely,
WarrenS
And y'know what?
Two days later, my inbox pinged at me, and I read this:
Dear Warren:
Thank you for your kind words regarding Mr. Gore and his piece in the New York Times. Mr. Gore’s work on environmental issues is critically important to him, and he welcomes your comments and suggestions.
We’re always pleased to hear that others are taking the time to better inform themselves about the environmental challenges we are facing. The political climate in Washington is indeed disturbingly divided on an issue which should easily cross party lines. We must continue in this effort to educate ourselves and others not only for the future of our children, but for the future of our planet. Certainly, each one of us will benefit from a cleaner, more protected earth.
Again thank you so much for your warm comments - Mr. Gore deeply appreciates your sincerity and dedication to solving the climate crisis.
Sincerely,
Anna Katherine Owen
Office of The Honorable Al Gore and Mrs. Tipper Gore
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And here it is, Day 200. I've written two hundred letters so far. You can read them all at my blog. I've written a piece on How To Write A Letter, because by now I've gotten good at it.
I've gotten form letters back from lots of people, and I've gotten in the New York Times twice, the Boston Globe twice, and in my local newspaper multiple times. I'm pretty sure that the letter I sent to James Inhofe resulted in my getting put on Republican mailing lists, which means that Republican letter-opening personnel now get to process envelopes full of shredder waste. I hardly ever write to the broadcast media, because I don't watch TV; the emissions of those vacuous talking heads don't register on my radar screen. If you have suggestions, please write an ACTION diary and I will read it and turn your work into a letter, and then post a copy of my letter in your comments.
I don't have the foggiest idea whether what I'm doing is helping the world. Some days I'm gloomy and I think it's all useless. Some days I'm gloomy, but writing a letter makes it a little less so. I live for the hope that other people will steal my work and make it their own.
There is still the constant feeling of, "not enough, not enough." I have to make a living, have to play with my daughter and hang out with my wife. I have to do music, because it's what keeps me sane.
My daughter is five and a half years old, and the most beautiful kid in the world. She still thinks everything's just fine. She loves penguins and polar bears.
Penguins. Polar bears. Penguins and polar bears. Sometime soon, she's going to learn that the grownups have killed all the penguins and polar bears.
I'm definitely not doing enough. But right now, I'm doing what I can. Please do what you can, too.
Here's some music to write a letter by. This piece is called "Welcome Home," and it was inspired by the emotions I felt when I returned to my second home in Pune, India, in September 1990. It's from a CD I recorded in India in 1990 and 1991, performed by the Indian version of my bi-continental ensemble "Antigravity." I hope you enjoy it.
"Welcome Home"