PBS Frontline: Hot Politics http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/hotpolitics - Essay Example

Hot Politics Hot politics is a report produced by FRONTLINE assisted by the Centre for Investigative Reporting. The lead correspondent, Deborah Amos, scrutinizes political action on climate change. Climate change as understood by the public is epitomized by hurricanes, rising temperatures and expanding deserts. Much of these thoughts have been informed by scientific findings which have been funded by the government through such agencies as NASA. The basis for such expenditure is to come up with ways and means through which extreme climate change can be averted.

However, as Deborah Amos explains the very government that initiated these studies has discredited them. They now regard the findings as dubious and have reneged on the promise they made to the public, that of taking counter measures to avert the looming crises. In February 2007, a United Nations Report ascertained with 90℅ confidence that greenhouse gases resulting from human activity are the main cause of global warming. Similar findings were made by NASA, unlike the UN Report dissemination of these findings was stifled.

This is attested to by James Hasen a top NASA climate scientist who appears in Hot Politics. He is cited saying that for his entire life in government service he has never witnessed so many constraints to communicate with the public as there are now. Such constraints are largely seen as an attempt to withhold the truth from the public. The report takes us through the actions or apparent inaction of three presidents, George H.W. Bush, President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush. Senior Bush pushed that the treaty enforcing controlled emission of Carbon dioxide be made voluntary, Bill Clinton failed to pass the energy tax and was reluctant to have the Senate ratify the Kyoto Protocol. George W. Bush in 2001 reneged on his promise to press for mandatory limits on Carbon dioxide emissions and spearheaded the country’s withdrawal from the Kyoto treaty.

All through, the report highlights lack of political goodwill to spearhead actions aimed at arresting a situation which will harm humanity and whose extremes we continue to witness. The most informative and equally captivating part is revelation of the single most influence of those broken promises. The report reveals that fossil fuel companies funneled millions of dollars to parties who poked holes and spread criticism on scientific findings attributing climate change to emission of Carbon dioxide.

The report uses the voice of climate scientists such as James Hansen and Fredrick Seitz to clarify issues and explain government inaction and negation from a major issue. In summary, it is unfortunate that governments which ride on promises to protect humanity play a part in withholding information that would safeguard our future. Most worrying is the government’s inaction, even when overwhelming evidence points at the distressing trends of climate change. Global warming spells a disaster for mankind.

It is encouraging to see individuals take action in little ways to arrest the rate of carbon dioxide emissions. However, unless the government steps in, stops these underhand dealings with commercial firms little will be achieved. It is time the government steps forward and carries out its mandate of safeguarding out future and that of future generations. ReferenceFRONTLINE. (2012). Hot Politics. Retrieved November 27, 2012, from PBS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/hotpolitics