'Harvey' did not come out of nowhere

 

Naomi Klein. FLIPBOARD

09/03/2017 12:36 Updated: 09/03/2017 12:36

NAOMI KLEIN *

  @NaomiAKlein

Now is the time to talk about climate change and all other injustices - from making systemic detention and interrogation based on racial profiling to economically transform austerity disasters like  Harvey  in human catastrophes.

Seek media coverage of Hurricane  Harvey  and flooding in Houston, and hear about how this kind of rain is unprecedented. You will hear about how no one saw it coming, so no one could prepare properly.

What you hear very little about why these historically unprecedented weather events occur so regularly, to say historic and became a weather cliché. In other words, you do not hear talk much, if anything, about climate change.

This, they say, is because it seeks not to politicize a human tragedy that is still under development, which is understandable, but here's the thing: every time we make as a weather event comes from nowhere, like some action god no one could predict, reporters take an extremely political decision. It is determined not to hurt feelings and avoid controversy at the expense of the truth, however difficult it may be. Because the truth is that these events were predicted long ago by climate scientists. Increasingly warm oceans create more powerful storms. Increasingly high levels of the oceans mean that those storms come to places that were not reached. The increasingly warmer temperatures cause increasing rainfall extremes:

A resident walks through flood waters during Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, USA.- REUTERS / Jonathan Bachman

Breaking records year to year- and is drought, storms, wildfires or just warmth occur because the planet is noticeably hotter, more than ever since records began. Covering events like  Harvey while these facts are ignored, not to offer a platform for climate scientists can explain it simply, while the decision of President Donald Trump to withdraw from climate agreements Paris is not mentioned, it involves failing the most basic duty of journalism: offer important facts and relevant context. Leaves the public with the false impression that these disasters do not have a source, which also implies that there could have done something to prevent them (and you can not do anything to prevent that in the future it worse).

Also worth noting that media coverage has been highly politicized Harvey long before the storm made landfall. There have been endless discussions about whether Trump took the storm seriously enough, long speculation about whether this hurricane will be his "moment  Katrina"And they have won political points (with good reason) with the fact that many Republicans voted against supporting Sandy but now cater to Texas. That's called politics a disaster It's the kind of partisan politics that is in the comfort zone of conventional, a policy that opportunistically, ignores the fact that put the interests of media companies fossil fuels the need for decisive control of pollution is a deeply bipartisan affair.

In an ideal world, we should all pause to politics until the emergency has passed. Then, when everyone was safe, we would have a long, meditative and informed public debate about the policy implications of the crisis we had just witnessed. What should imply for the kind of infrastructure that we build? What should imply for the type of energy on which we depend? (A question with tremendous consequences for the dominant industry in the region, which he is hitting harder Hurricane: oil and gas). The hipervulnerabilidad the storm of the sick, the poor and the elderly, what tells us about the kind of safety nets that we weave, given the rough future and ensure ?.

Since there are thousands of displaced, we could even discuss the undeniable links between climatic change and migration-from the Sahel to Mexico and seize the opportunity to discuss the need for an immigration policy that starts with the premise that the United States has a good part of the responsibility of the main forces that draw millions from their homes.

But we do not live in a world that allows such serious and measured debate. We live in a world in which the ruling powers have been too willing to exploit the diversion of attention of a large - scale crisis; and many are willing to use emergency life threatening to impose its regressive policies, policies that take us further down the road correctly described as a form of climate apartheid. We saw after Hurricane  KatrinaWhen Republicans wasted no time and promoted a completely privatized education system, weakened labor laws and tax, increased oil and gas drilling and refining industry, and opened the doors to mercenary companies like Blackwater. Mike Pence was a key architect of this project immensely cynical and we should not expect less after  Harvey , now that he and Trump are in charge.

Hurricane Harvey in the Texas coast as seen from the International Space Station NASA./REUTERS

We saw Trump used as a cover to Hurricane  Harvey  to achieve the highly controversial pardon of Joe Arpaio and further militarization of US police forces. This is especially ominous movements in the context of that posts migration monitoring are still operating with flooded roads (a serious disincentive for migrants evacuate) and in the context of municipal officials talking about applying penalties maximum looters (it is worth remembering that after  Katrina , several African - American residents were shot by police in the middle of this kind of rhetoric).

In short, the right not waste time to exploit  Harvey  and no other disaster like this to spread ruinous and false solutions, such as military police, more oil and gas infrastructure and privatized systems. This means that people informed and that matters is the moral imperative of naming the true roots of this crisis -connect the dots between climate pollution, systemic racism, reduced social services funds and excess funds for police. We also need to seize the moment to propose inter - sectoral solutions that dramatically reduce emissions while we struggle against all forms of inequality and injustice (something we have tried to raise in  The Leap  and groups like the  Alliance for Climate Justice  have driven long).

And it has to happen now same -just when the enormous human and economic costs of inaction are in full public view. If we fail, if we doubt due to a misconception of what is appropriate in a crisis, we leave the door open to ruthless actors exploit this predictable disaster for evil purposes.

It is also a hard truth that the window for these debates is getting closer. We will not have any public policy debate after passing this emergency; return to media obsessively cover Trump tweets and other intrigues. So, although it would seem indecent to be talking about the root causes while people are still trapped in their homes, this is realistically the only time we have the media attention to addressing the issue of climate change . It is worth remembering that Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris-action climate agreement that will impact on a global scale for decades received more or less two days of decent coverage. Then they returned to Russia to talk about 24 hours.

Just over a year Fort McMurray, village in the heart of the oil boom in Alberta oil sands, almost was reduced to ashes. For a time the world was stunned by the images of vehicles they were lined up on a road, with flames coming from both sides. At that time they said it was insensitive and scapegoats are sought only if they talked about how climate change exacerbated wildfires like this. Was even more taboo make any connection between our world, getting hotter, and the industry that energizes Fort McMurray, which employed most of the evictees and produces a particularly high carbon oil. The timing was not right; It was to show compassion, support and not ask difficult questions.

The Beacon Hill neighborhood, after being ravaged by wildfire Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, on May 13, 2016. REUTERS / Jason Franson

But, of course, and when it was appropriate to raise these issues reflectors it means that much had been done. And today, while Alberta try to get at least three new pipelines to cover its plans to increase production from tar, that terrible fire and the lessons that could have contributed almost not mentioned.

It is a lesson for Houston. The window to provide a meaningful context and draw important conclusions is reduced. We can not afford to spoil it.

Talk honestly about what fosters this era of serial disasters even as occur- no disrespect to people who are on the site in question. In fact, it is the only way to really pay tribute to their losses, and our last hope to prevent future with countless more victims.

* Naomi Klein  is the author of  This changes everything: capitalism against the weather.  His new book is  No, it is not enough: Resisting shock policies Trump and get the world we need . 

Translation: Tania Molina Ramirez 

This article was published in  the intercept  and the day . 

Source: http://www.publico.es/opinion/naomi-klein-harvey-no-salio.html