From The Guardian, 2016: Why has climate change been ignored in the US debates?

[pnwmom]

What many seem to forget is that moderators decide what questions they're going to ask, and moderators have never been eager to ask questions about climate change. However, if we had a whole debate allotted to the subject, they couldn't avoid it.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/19/where-is-climate-change-in-the-trump-v-clinton-presidential-debates

Climate change has been the elephant in the room during the past two US presidential debates. Ignoring this issue would be more understandable if this metaphorical pachyderm weren’t about to rampage through the lives of Americans, causing upheaval on a scale not seen since the start of human civilization.

“I’ve been shocked at the lack of questions on climate change. It really is fiddling while the world burns,” said Kerry Emanuel, a leading climate scientist. “This is the great issue of our time and we are skirting around it. I’m just baffled by it.”

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have yet to face a moderator question on climate change during two debates in which time was found to grill Clinton repeatedly over her use of emails and to ask Trump about a series of late-night tweets he sent about a former Miss Universe’s sex tape. Lester Holt, the moderator of the first debate, was reportedly set to ask a climate question but ran out of time.

Wednesday’s final debate is set to retread the same ground, with the debate referee, Chris Wallace of Fox News, planning to prod the candidates on immigration, the economy and “fitness to be president”.

SNIP

“It’s like a sort of collective cowardice,” said Emanuel of the omission. Michael Mann, another prominent climate scientist, added: “One has to wonder if television networks are compromised by the millions of advertising dollars they take from fossil fuel interests.”

[jalan48]

1. Also, there have been huge climate protests across Europe by young people. The protests have

received little attention in the US media.

[pnwmom]

2. That's right. Those protests have been mostly ignored. nt

[jalan48]

3. The MSM doesn't want the protests to spread to the US is my guess. Better to obsess on Trump tweets.

[pnwmom]

4. In Switzerland they're about to have a Women's strike -- concerning, among other things,

a gender pay gap of 20%. They probably don't want the idea of a Women's Strike to spread either.

I heard about it from a friend who is participating, not from the news. But I did find this Reuters report.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-swiss-women-portraits-factbox/factbox-swiss-women-to-strike-in-call-for-equal-pay-and-rights-idUSKCN1TD1O5

GENEVA (Reuters) - Ahead of a strike planned for Friday by women in Switzerland, Reuters spoke to nine women about their concerns, including the need for equal pay and pension rights and for action on discrimination and sexual harassment.

[JI7]

5. those are countries Trump would have no chance to win in

[jalan48]

6. We don't seem to have that sense of solidarity that the Europeans do. We're in La La land here.

[zentrum]

7. Inslee wants a debate

....between candidates on nothing but the climate. The DNC turned him down. Won't do it.

[pnwmom]

8. 15 candidates have come out in favor of the debate so far, including Inslee, Biden, Sanders,

and Warren.

The DNC is wrong.

[zentrum]

9. Ah, thanks.

It's being reported that on MSM news that Inslee is the spearhead and only one.

[pnwmom]

10. Inslee was the first but he won't be the last. Biden just declared a couple days ago.

[zentrum]

11. Excellent.

[pnwmom]

12. More here.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-joins-the-call-for-a-democratic-candidates-debate-on-climate-change/2019/06/11/fa35748a-8c90-11e9-adf3-f70f78c156e8_story.html?utm_term=.cd9ed6a8e160

OTTUMWA, Iowa — Joe Biden told a climate change activist Tuesday he supported the idea of a presidential candidates’ debate focused on climate change, an idea pushed by climate activists that so far has been rejected by the Democratic Party.

“That’s what we should be doing,” the former vice president told a Greenpeace activist on a rope line after a speech here. “I’m all in, man. Take a look at what I’m talking about – and by the way, the first climate change plan in the history of the Congress? Biden.”

Biden has been at pains to emphasize his devotion to climate action, especially since an aide was quoted as saying Biden would take a “middle road” to fighting climate change — a characterization he strongly disputes.

Biden’s comment Tuesday made him the 15th Democratic candidate to endorse a debate focused specifically on climate change, a project of the Sunrise Movement and other green groups that has been championed by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who’s built his presidential campaign around the climate issue.

[zentrum]

13. Thanks again.