(C) Common Dreams
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Only 5% of national TV news segments on the record-shattering heat wave that scorched Texas mentioned climate change [1]
['Written By']
Date: 2023-07
The heat dome that parked over Texas and neighboring states, including Louisiana, kept temperatures in the triple digits for days on end and pushed heat indexes past 120 degrees.
Repeated and lengthy exposure to heat can increase the risk of health impacts over the long-term but can also be deadly in the short-term, especially to vulnerable populations. As The New York Times reported: “Outdoor workers and older adults have been deemed particularly vulnerable, but the latest Texas heat wave is gripping everyone in some way.”
Several deaths have already been attributed to the extreme heat, while hospitals across the region are reporting a rise in heat-related illnesses. NBC correspondent Sam Brock reported on June 29, “In Texas and Louisiana alone, so far at least 11 confirmed fatalities. It’s a figure that we almost certainly think, tragically, will be rising.” Notably, Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean has repeatedly pointed out during her coverage that heat is responsible for the highest number of weather-related deaths — dispelling the false narrative often pushed by right-wing media (including other Fox personalities) that cold is more deadly than heat, a talking point used to undermine the danger of our warming planet.
Public health is not the only issue exacerbated by extreme heat. Severe and prolonged heat has once again exposed the vulnerabilities of Texas’ independent and loosely regulated power grid, which hit a record for demand in June with the grid operator issuing calls for conservation to keep the teetering grid from faltering. But while the Texas grid has so far been able to keep up with demand, it is coming with a hefty price that will likely be passed on to consumers.
As CNN News Central reported on June 28, “With these temperatures hitting records and spiking, that also means energy prices are spiking as well.” Correspondent Rosa Flores added that the cost to generate power is about 100 times more than normal, and that these additional costs could hit consumers. Energy expert Ed Hirs of the University of Houston noted: “They may see it in the next bill as a surcharge, a weather-related and grid-related surcharge coming down from ERCOT, and they will certainly see it in higher rates reflected for next year.”
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[1] Url:
https://www.mediamatters.org/media-matters-studies-climate-change-coverage/only-5-national-tv-news-segments-record-shattering
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