An American in Lima

Tonight NBC Nightly News airs a special report on Peru’s melting glaciers and their downstream effects. (Click here for times and stations across the United States.)

NBC Nightly News Chief Environmental News Correspondent Anne Thompson interviews glaciologist Marco Zapata at Pastoruri Glacier, Oct. 2009 (photo c. Barbara Drake)

Tune in to see footage of dying Pastoruri Glacier and to hear correspondent Anne Thompson talk with experts on how Peru is struggling to adapt to a world without glaciers, a scenario that may be realized within the next quarter century.

Kudos to the NBC environmental news team for bringing this important story to the attention of U.S. viewers during Copenhagen 15. What happening in Peru is dramatic evidence of the catastrophic effects of global warming and rapid climate change. And although people in North America may not be experiencing such drastic climate effects yet, experts point to dire consequences if no action is taken on climate shifts.

(See “Manhattan floods, Chicago heatwaves and withering Californian vines: how scientists see the US in 75 years.” Guardian, June 16, 2009.)

Click here for my recent blog post on the report and additional video footage to be featured on MSNBC.

I was fortunate to work with the NBC team as a fixer while they did their investigations in Peru. Anne Thompson was fast-thinking and insightful in the field, as well as an excellent listener. She took in the stories of campesinos struggling to water their crops with the same degree of attention that she gave to Antonio Brack when the environmental minister told her that it was “very hard” to regulate environmental abuses in Peru.

“Yes, but that’s your job,” she pointed out to him several times. The reporter’s message was clear: Stop passing the buck.

That message applies equally to the United States, I’d add. It’s time for America to commit to reducing emissions. For those flat-earthers who still deny that global warming is bad for humanity, take a look at tonight’s broadcast and hear what the campesinos in Ancash have to say. Their struggles show that adaptation to climate change is part of our future as well.

Related posts:

1. NBC Nightly News to Report on Peru’s Melting Glaciers and Water Crisis Next Week A heads-up to viewers in the United States: My sources...
2. Goodbye, Pastoruri  Once upon a time, the easiest way for a visitor...
3. Soy Andina Film Premieres on New York PBS Tonight Cynthia Paniagua (R) in Chincha (photo: Florencia Castello) Peruvian culture...

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