Friend, Last week I watched the first Republican Presidential debate on the Fox News Network with many members like you. And while I certainly wasn't expecting any groundbreaking climate policy proposals, since the candidates mostly deny it's real, I did expect to at least hear something. Turns out there was not one single question in prime time about the greatest threat to humanity -- only a shot from Jeb Bush regarding the Keystone XL Pipeline.1 But we can't only blame the candidates since they weren't even asked about climate change by the debate moderators. You might expect this type of behavior from Fox News moderators like Megan Kelly, who once interrupted a Presidential speech on climate change to interview a climate denier with ties to the Koch Brothers;2 or from Brett Baier, who broadcast a special report that aimed to debunk the science of global warming.3 The bad news is the the same Fox team will be moderating three more debates, but there are also four other networks moderating future Republican Presidential debates -- we have to stop similar climate censorship during their debates as well! The American people deserve to know where all the candidates stand on this issue, and what they're going to do about it. That's why we're launching Operation Climate Conversation to demand that every news network moderating debates make climate change and the environment a key topic. Sign here to demand news networks stop climate censorship in future debates. A recent poll conducted by Yale University indicates that 52% of registered Republicans believe that climate change is happening and that we should do something about it.4 The same poll revealed that a majority of GOP voters believe that their elected officials are unresponsive to their views on climate change. But that didn't stop Fox News from denying climate change just as much as the GOP candidates themselves. It's almost as if they're taking a cue from governors, including one who's running for president, that flat out forbid state employees from saying the words "climate change." Nearly 66% of Americans say that they are more likely to support a candidate who campaigns on fighting climate change.5 And 80% of Latinos, the fastest growing voter bloc in the country, overwhelmingly favor governmental action to fight climate change6 -- which is particularly important because one of the upcoming debates will be moderated by Telemundo. All of these voters want to see a discussion on global warming instead of questions about if which candidates will run as an independent or whether God talks to them. Since we can't count on these networks to do it themselves, it's up to us to take action and make Operation Climate Conversation as much of a reality as climate change. We need to let these networks know that if they don't address climate change, we're gonna change the channel for good. Click here to demand news networks put global warming front and center in future debates. |
You can support our work today by making a secure online contribution. |