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CNN - the Coal News Network - is largely silent on fossil fuels and abrupt climate change, chortling at the threat of tar sands ecocide shown above  (link)

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CNN's constant fossil fuel advertising bombardment is offensive and bad for climate

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Mr. Anderson Cooper, CNN Dear Mr. Cooper, I am writing to express deep concern with the degree to which CNN depends upon fossil fuel funding, which leads the network and you to under-report on how fossil fuels are changing our climate. There is something deeply wrong with covering a climate change intensified disaster like Hurricane Sandy, while bombarding viewers with coal and other fossil fuel industry propaganda lies. CNN's coverage of Frankenstorm Sandy continues to virtually ignore abrupt climate change, and fails to adequately question leaders regarding their silence on the matter. Anderson, here is the story you need to tell: There exists strong scientific consensus that climate change is occurring, that it is serious, and that rapid emission cuts are the solution. Greenhouse gas emissions must be massively and urgently cut starting NOW to prevent dangerous climate change, by more than 90% ASAP. The US has been a constant barrier to international climate negotiations, obstructing efforts since 1990 for a global solution to climate change. Climate change is essentially an ethical and moral issue of justice, equity and ecology, which has profound significance for policy formation. Further, for decades the fossil fuel industry has waged a climate change disinformation campaign, delaying climate policies that save lives and nature, for profit. We need CNN to facilitate a global discussion regarding how to rise to the global ecological emergency of abrupt climate change. There is no other entity with the global reach of CNN to do so. However, this is difficult, as CNN is mostly ignoring ecological issues associated with coal, fracking, and tar sands because of the advertising revenues it derives from these practices. CNN thus shares in the responsibility for hurricane Sandy and all extreme weather going forward. I demand CNN stops airing fossil fuel industry propaganda, and begins more fully covering abrupt climate change as a contributor to Hurricane Sandy. The degree to which CNN has become a platform for fossil fuel industry propaganda and greenwash is shocking, and puts perceptions of your independence and non-bias at risk. If society ignores climate change, uninformed by regular CNN news coverage, and misled by your endless barrage of coal propaganda, ecological collapse won't go away. What will go away are ecosystems and stable atmospheric processes all life depends upon, aided and abetted by CNN. Virtually every news story has ecological aspects and implications which CNN is not covering. America remains in the grips of an epic drought enhanced by climate change, that covers 2/3 of the nation, and threatens global food supplies. CNN is virtually ignoring ecocidal tar sands production in North America - from carbon intensive clearcut mining of old growth forests, to transport through leaky pipelines, to its burn which assures abrupt and runaway climate collapse. Limited reporting on this massive ecocide - and thousands that are protesting it - have been met with mockery by on-air reporters, after which CNN cuts to coal industry lies to pay the bills including your salary. Besides abrupt, runaway climate change, Earth is undergoing numerous other related environmental crises – including food, water, forests, oceans, nitrogen, soils, toxics, over-population, and inequity – which together constitute a global ecological emergency. CNN increasingly has become a source of misinformation and greenwash on these matters, rather than a regular source of scientifically valid news to help with ecology awareness, policy development, and public support for sustainable development and other solutions. Mr. Cooper, please inform us on your program what steps does CNN have in place to ensure your coal and fossil fuel funding does not impact news coverage, your editorial slant, and Presidential debate questions. It is vital that CNN has stricter guidelines and limits upon advertising – that are deeply politically and scientifically misleading – from your newscasts, to stop the barrage of misinformation you broadcast during every commercial break. Further, please inform us, does CNN have any ecologists on staff, people that could provide daily inputs into environmental aspects of just about every news story? You have commentators of every political persuasion, why not greens? You need ecological science correspondents on staff to inform your coverage that economic recovery and return to historic growth is stalled because humanity has hit limits to growth, there are fewer ecosystems standing to destroy for resources, and the need for steady state economics. Humanity is systematically dismantling Earth's life support for brief unjust, inequitable and unsustainable growth followed by collapse. Daily, new scientific findings and visible evidence of abrupt climate change and ecosystem collapse go unreported. There remains hope that if pressure is reduced and eventually removed from ecosystems and the biosphere, we can fully recover, but we must end emissions and ecosystem loss. This will require an informed and empowered public. CNN's business model should not depend upon greenwashing abrupt climate change for financial advantage. Like the rest of the nation and world, it is critical to global ecological sustainability that CNN wean itself from the fossil fuel industry. We demand immediate reductions through tightened guidelines, and the eventual elimination of fossil fuel propaganda from CNN NEWS. We also demand that you hire correspondents to more fully provide ecological commentary upon daily news stories. Please - as one of CNN's only free-thinkers, willing to cover truth wherever it leads - cover this on your awesome program Anderson. The world is watching and holding CNN responsible for fossil fuel greenwash. With grave concern,

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