Sudan, global warming should not be forgotten

Fact: The two most talked about issues on college campuses nationwide are genocide and… Fact: The two most talked about issues on college campuses nationwide are genocide and global warming.

Fact: I made up that last “fact.” But it could be true, if you think about it. And although I really do care about the aforementioned issues, I get a little bored and subsequently a little apathetic after hearing everyone harp about them.

Fact: I don’t have cable this summer. But I do get PBS. And one evening, I learned two things from PBS that renewed my caring capacity when it comes to genocide and global warming. These two things, mere clips of programming snuggled in between “Antiques Roadshow” and “Craft in America,” might have seemed insignificant to a person who already dedicated time to the genocide and global warming soap boxes, but since I was looking to spark my activism fire, I found them very helpful. For those of you who have run out of reasons to care, I present these two little tidbits.

When it comes to the atrocities in Sudan, the reason people keep telling you to care is because it’s your moral duty.

Another reason to care: China takes away everything Cassidy loves, keeping in mind that “everything Cassidy loves” refers to “one friend of Cassidy’s who is studying there for a few weeks, and, oh yeah, they support the genocide in Darfur.”

This might seem like kind of a non sequitur, but it really is a valid reason. I’m used to Asia being very alluring for things and people I care about. I mean, Halliburton relocated its headquarters to Dubai, in turn relocating a company that provides me with a lot of Dick Cheney/nepotism jokes. American jobs are outsourced every day. And Tiffany ‘ Co., inspiration for one of the best American movies of all time, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” is opening its first jewelry store exclusive to men – in Japan.

But last week on PBS, I heard quite a bit about China’s involvement in Sudanese business. It turns out that the Chinese government prefers the oil trade between themselves and Sudan over the prospect of saving hundreds of thousands of lives. Both countries have gotten around trade sanctions that include the exchange of money, fuel and weapons.

Also, as part of the U.N. Security Council, China has one-fifth the veto power in U.N. decision making and has done a good job of persuading the United Nations to act in a way that does not favor those suffering the devastation in Sudan. I personally don’t want my friends studying in a place that would support such atrocities so openly.

When it comes to global warming, the reason people keep telling you to care is that the planet is heating up, causing a number of disturbing climate trends that, if left alone, will cause irreversible, and probably apocalyptic, destruction.

Another reason to care: The glaciers are melting, causing polar bears to eat you and Ernest Hemingway to turn over in his grave.

Were you aware that polar bears kill for pleasure? Well, they do. And if the Earth continues to heat up like it has been, if the ice caps and glaciers continue to melt, the polar bears are going to lose their natural, isolated arctic habitats and start heading for south of the border. Forget about the sadness of this already-endangered animal being forced to find alternative food and shelter. This displaced, blood-thirsty beast of massive proportions is knocking at your door, driven into your neighborhood by the disappearance of her natural habitat. And it’s dinnertime.

But I already knew the stuff about the polar glaciers melting. What PBS taught me that is truly shocking is that the glaciers are melting on Mt. Kilimanjaro. According to a pleasant British narrator, the glaciers, melting at their current rate, will be gone by 2015. This means the actual snows of Kilimanjaro will be gone in less than a decade.

For those unfamiliar, these snows happen to be part of the source of inspiration for Hemingway’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” by far one of the greatest short stories of all time. Thank goodness Papa Hemingway isn’t around now to see the demise of the famous white-capped peaks; I think his heart would melt right along with them. If you have no inclination toward preserving nature for its inherent beauty, how about preserving it for the literary beauty born from it?

Both of these issues are huge, important things. And the fact that they are treated with such widespread apathy is ridiculous. There are a plethora of reasons to care about them, but so often do we feel untouchable in our comfortable hierarchy that there just isn’t any impetus to take action. My PBS-inspired reasons may seem silly and trivial, but if what we need is a personal kick in the pants, then I don’t really think they’re too far off.

What have you learned from public broadcasting? E-mail Cassidy at cassidygruber@gmail.com