Recently, during one of our daily news meetings, Rachel and the staff were trying to figure out why the mainstream media (and people in general) aren't more motivated by pressing environmental stories (like for instance, the proposed Keystone pipeline and the heated protests against it). We weren't able to reach a consensus, aside from a lingering sense that politicians tend to believe it's always OK to punch the hippies. But here is a chart confirming that yes, there really is less interest in planetary concerns, and it's not just Americans.
The research firm Globescan polled 22,000 people in 22 countries. TreeHugger reports that the number of people who consider various environmental problems including climate to be "very serious" is the lowest found in two decades of surveying.
Which isn't to say that air pollution, water pollution, species loss, automobile emissions, fresh water shortages and climate change are one iota less serious than 20 years ago. Quite the opposite. So, is it the media? Is it us? Do we all have Planet Fatigue Syndrome?
