CRITIQUE of the June 2021 AARP Bulletin: “Climate Change and You”

Robert W. Endlich

A few months ago, I picked up the June 2021 issue of the AARP BULLETIN. What greeted me was inch-high letters blaring the title of their feature article: “CLIMATE CHANGE AND YOU; Extreme Weather Is Affecting Older Americans’ Daily Life…”

On the front cover, four huge images, vivid color photos: white-shirted man on rooftop looking into a wildfire in southern California, flood victims of Hurricane Florence in an overloaded boat in South Carolina, woman in jeans and white shirt in Mississippi assessing damage after Hurricane Katrina, and a view of slushy streets in Texas, February 2021.

 

Figure 1. Screenshot of the AARP BULLETIN’s front cover graphics for the feature article, ”What You Need to Know About Climate Change.” The authors don’t know it but, what they are really describing is wild weather, part of the climate we have. AARP’s ignorance starts right here, with this cover graphic.

The photos are dramatic, of course, classic emotional appeals by the media. But I thought,

“Is AARP subliminally trying to tell us that wildfires are new Continue reading “CRITIQUE of the June 2021 AARP Bulletin: “Climate Change and You””