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larger impact. People are working all over the world to lower the level of carbon particles in the atmosphere in an Every American knows of the disastrous earthquakes attempt to eliminate threats of disasters like this. Recent that took place in Haiti last Ja.nuary. Every person above Peace,Justice,and socialchangeclassvisitorfromBhopal, the age of lo can remember the grief our own country felt India, Devdas shrisunder is among the group working on forlndonesiawhenthetsunamiof2004wreckedtheirland. this campaign. In the meantime, however, the damage in The U.S. government sent large amounts of aid to each Palcistan is done, and needs to be repaired as quickly as of those areas when they were in trouble, and our media possible in order to keep the 2000 person death toll from covered the damage incessantly. rising any higher. Itis clearthatAmericans care deeply aboutthese other Although it is apparent that the u.S. government is areas and when they are affected by such major disasters, sending a lot of aid to pakistan, it has received little media ourgovemment is there to help. So why haven'tthe floods, coverage. This lack of attention has contributed to a lag in which began in pakistan this July, received nearly as much donations from u.S. citizens. Donation amounts to pakistan attention from the united states? have been significantly lower than donations were to both The floods are the worst natural disaster in pakistan's Haiti and Indonesia during their times of crisis, a problem history. With a fragile civilian government and dangerous exacerbated by tensions between the u.S. and pakistan. extremist groups wandering the land, Pakistan was in no Whether the lack of media attention is due to cutbacks position to defend itself from the massive floods. Hardly in newspapers or just a general lack of interest in the subany news coverage,however,has cometo the united states ject, our country needs to learn more about these types of from the scene of the disaster. disasters that occur under our radar all around the world. So far the floods have caused over two thousand The cost of the floods has been estimated at over $43 deaths and have left more than twenty-one million people billion USD. The uN asked for an initial $460 million in injured or homeless. At one point, approximately one-fifth foreign relief, but the damage shows that that amount will ofpakistan's land area was submerged due to the disaster. not be enough. "I haven't heard anything about the floods in pakistan. The response is lacking enough support,both economic
I didn'tevenknowthere was anythinggoingonthere," says and social, from the united states. "I think that the reason Cavender salvadori, ' 13. Senior Jermaine Young adds, "I thatthefloods inpakistanhaven'tgotten alotofattention in haven't heard anything about floods in Pakistan. I don't the united states is due to ourtunnel vision. Being focused think that people here care very much about what happens on our own problems and national issues does not allow there, so why would our media cover it?" us to focus on other world problems," says peace teacher Even though students at Friends school haven'theard Scott Rhodewalt. "I had not known anything about floods about the disaster, the u.S. government certainly has. The in pakistan but I wish that I had," says virginia Dewees, U.S. government has responded by sending $150 million '12. Pakistan's corrupt governmental system is leaving in flood-related aid to the disaster area. them further beyond recovery than they can afford to be This environmental disaster can be attributed to right now. Powerful countries like the united states need changes in the climate which have lead to more extreme to see and act upon these fixable issues. It is our duty to
wRthieintdandc[anhngic;matiwir'twid:njabn,n|gtt,h;st:g:o:I-;,oba,warming, Katy Barrett '12 News writer
350.org is leading an initiative for october loth ( 10/10/ 10) to spread the word about their goal to lower the carbon concentration to three hundred and fifty parts per million. By now, most of our readership will likely have read Last year, the global team was able to initiate over the subtitle of this article and skipped over it. We have two hundred actions in 181 countries and hopes to exceed heard extensively about climate change over the last few that number this year. Citizens and organizations were years,and,frankly,thetopicappearstobegettingold.350. encouraged to undertake a project on that day to initiate org is trying to alter that view worldwide. Bill MCKibben, change , either by taking direct action or simply spreading author of Ec[czrffe, and his stuthe word about the issue. For exdentsatMiddleburycollegein g ::cP]]eet}t::dDtiLea¥eara:uHe°oftf;#:rea: Vermont helped to found the website,andareattheforefront headed an initiative to plant three of the movement to reduce hundred and fifty trees in two locathe carbon concentration in tions within Delaware , the Middle the atmosphere. Beginning in Run Natural Area in Newark and 2007,MCKibben,theauthorof the Nature Conservancy's Milford oneofthefirstbooksonglobal Neck Preserve. They also hosted warming geared towards the a climate workshop as a portion of the event. At press time, the event generalpublic,andhisuniversity colleagues began a series had not yet occurred, but a postofralliespromotingthecause. ing on the website announces that Check out the rrrovement: 350.org Two thousand rallies in iconic no more volunteers were needed, natural places in each of the implyingthatallthreehundredand fiftystatescaughttheattentionofamultitudeofpoliticians, fifty trees were planted. including then-Senator Barack Obama. The site explains Thismovementisnot,however,limitedtothedomestic that the Earth's atmosphere can safely hold three hundred front. Devdas Shrisunder, a recent visitor to Rhodewalt's and fifty parts carbon per million. Our atmosphere today Peace classes, has taken up a letter-writing campaign to exceeds this limit by a full forty parts per million. If we individuals in his hometown of Bhopal, India, as well as to maintainsuchahighcarbonconcentration,ourenvironment members of the Indian Parliament in order to better infomi as a whole will be adversely affected. In areas with rain, Indiancitizensofthecrisis.TheschoolengineeratRamallah Friends School in the West Bank, which the current precipitation will increase to the point of flooding. In dry areas, a state of perpetual drought will occur. junior class will recall as the home school of Dalia Eidda, Accordingtopeace,Justice,andsocialchangeteacher a visitor to last year's Peace classes, is also involved with Scott Rhodewalt, who has read Eaczrffe , our planet is , "not the project. The issue of climate change is not one that can the same planet," as that of our ancestors , and the changes be addressed all at once, but the more educated citizens we have made "may soon be irreversible." are about the issues at hand, the better chance there is of As a follow-up to an event held on October 24, 2009, a solution in our near future.
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