Shame on PBS (2) - Record-Searchlight (blog)

In the past six years, I have purchased over 200 books and over 20 documentaries on the science of global warming and climate change. I spent hundreds of dollars on the PBS website for most of my DVDs about the climate crisis. I bought them in the hopes that KIXE would allow me to underwrite a special hour on climate change to show the PBS documentaries but several overtures regarding this idea were ignored and I gave up.

One of those documentaries is NOVA's "Extreme Ice": "Follow photojournalist James Balog to some of the most remote and beautiful places on Earth as he documents the disappearance of an icy landscape that took thousands of years to form. An artist, scientist, explorer, and former mountain guide, Balog braves treacherous terrain to site his cameras in ideal locations to record the unfolding drama."

And there is "Global Warming: The Rising Storm". "The signs are alarming and everywhere. Storms are more intense, heat waves are more severe and long-lasting, polar sea ice is thinning and shrinking, and more and more animal species are in danger of extinction. Where are we headed with climate changes caused by global warming? Get a glimpse of the future and see what's in store for us in the years and decades to come."

And the Frontline/NOVA special, "Global Warming, What's Up With The Weather?" "The overwhelming majority of scientists agree: earth's temperature has risen during the past century. But is it due to man's use of fossil fuel energy? And if so, how can we prevent the catastrophic results that some scientists predict if global warming continues? In 'What's Up with the Weather?' NOVA and FRONTLINE join forces to investigate the science and politics of one of the most controversial issues of the 21st century: the truth about global warming."

And then we have the PBS Home Video on "e2/energy, the economies of being environmentally conscious."

"Global in scope and comprised of six 30-minute chapters filmed in HD, e² energy features the engineers, policymakers and innovations that are transforming energy availability and consumption. Each episode covers viable policy and technology alternatives to the fossil fuel culture. Episodes explore: California as a world leader in emissions control; transportation and the need for greater efficiencies; ethanol in Brazil and its future in the United States; distributed solar energy as a means to poverty alleviation in Bangladesh; community wind in Minnesota and its role in regional economic development; and the role of coal and nuclear power in our future energy mix. Solutions-oriented, the series illustrates the trials and trade-offs that any evolution in our global energy system will demand. e² energy is narrated by Morgan Freeman."

And then we have the American Experience/Frontline/NOVA special: "Becoming Green, Growing Environmental Awareness." "What will the car of the future be like? Can solar power help save the Earth from the ravages of global warming? Deadly flooding in Africa, catastrophic hurricanes in the U.S. record high temperatures worldwide, are these natural, temporary glitches in our global climate, or is the devastation the result of global warming? Join NOVA as they explore these topics."

And finally this: NOVA's "Solar Energy, Saved by the Sun." "Solar power has long been effective for small electronic devices and for a certain kind of individual who grooves on the sun. But as worldwide demand for electricity increases, so does the burning of fossil fuels to create it, which is contributing to global warming and the dangerous climate conditions that may result. This is forcing us to take a fresh look at a clean energy source with the potential to revolutionize power production."

Many PBS affiliates take their responsibility to educate the public about environmental issues very seriously. For example, the Oregon Public Broadcasting and Boise State Public Radio, Idaho Public Television, KCTS 9 Seattle, KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio, Northwest Public Radio and Television, Southern Oregon Public Television and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting all promote "EarthFix, News Fixed on the Environment."