>>> MILLIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS THE NATION INCLUDING SOME
RIGHT HERE IN THE PIONEER VALLEY AND BERKSHIRES, WILL BE SENDING
A MESSAGE TO WASHINGTON, DEMANDING LAWMAKERS TO ACT ON
WHAT THEY CALL A CLIMATE CRISIS. STUDENTS FROM WESTERN
MASSACHUSETTS WILL BE HEADING TO BOSTON TOMORROW TO PARTICIPATE
IN THE CLIMATE STRIKE. THERE ARE SISTER CITIES
PARTICIPATING, INCLUDING NORTHAMPTON AND ACROSS THE
GLOBE. ACCORDING TO NATIONAL
ORGANIZERS, THEY'RE CALLING FOR AN END TO THE USE OF FOSSIL
FUELS. >>> THE BIRTH OF ROYAL BABY
ARCHIE TO PRINCE HARRY AND DUCHESS MEGAN MARKLE HAD MORE
COVERAGE IN A WEEK THAN CLIMATE CHANGE HAD IN AN ENTIRE YEAR ON
SOME NEWS OUTLETS, AND SOME THINK THAT'S A BIT OFF.
SO COVERING CLIMATE NOW WAS LAUNCHED.
IT'S A GLOBAL COLLABORATION OF MORE THAN 250 NEWS OUTLET'S
INCLUDING THE DAILY HAMP SHISH GAZETTE, MEANT TO INCREASE
REPORTING ON CLIMATE CHANGE. >> I WAS ON TWITTER LATE AT
NIGHT AS JOURNALISTS ARE WANT TO DO, I STUMBLED ACROSS A TWEET
THAT THEY WERE PUTTING TOGETHER THIS INITIATIVE TO INCREASE
COVERAGE OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS, BECAUSE THE MEDIA HASN'T DONE
ENOUGH TO REPORT ON THIS URGENT CRISIS.
I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT IDEA. I SEPTEMBER IT IN A MESSAGE TO
OUR EDITOR, AND SHE IMMEDIATELY JUMPED ON IT AND SAID THIS IS
SOMETHING WE NEED TO BE DOING, IT'S OBVIOUSLY AFFECTING OUR
AREA AS WELL AS EVERY OTHER PLACE ON PLANET EARTH.
AND IT WAS SOMETHING WE WANTED TO PUT A FOCUS ON.
>> YOU'RE SORT OF A LITTLE OVER HALFWAY THROUGH THIS COVERAGE.
YOU'VE COVERED A LOT OF DIFFERENT TOPICS, A RANGE OF
COMMUNITIES. ONE OF THE THINGS YOU LOOKED AT,
GRETA, WAS HOW YOUTH HAVE TAKEN THIS UP AS SOMETHING THEY WANT
TO BE INVOLVED IN. ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU
ASKED THEM WAS DO THEY WORRY ABOUT THEIR FUTURE.
WHAT DID YOU HEAR FROM KIDS? >> YES.
SO I HEARD A LOT OF WORRY. FROM KIDS ABOUT THEIR FUTURE.
QUESTIONING IF THEY WANT TO HAVE CHILDREN, THINKING A LOT MORE
ABOUT THE PRESIDENT AND WHAT THEY CAN DO ABOUT CLIMATE
CHANGE, AS OPPOSED TO THEIR LONG-TERM FUTURE, WHICH WAS
PRETTY SCARY. >> ANOTHER THING THAT YOU SPOKE
WITH THEM ABOUT IS THE FACT THAT THEY'RE ALL BANNING TOGETHER FOR
THIS FRIDAY STRIKE, WHICH IS HAPPENING NOT ONLY IN THE UNITED
STATES BUT THE WORLD OVER, INSPIRED BY GRETA THUNBERG FROM
SWEDEN, SHE'S RECENTLY COME TO THE UNITED STATES TO RAISE THE
ALARM HERE AS WELL. WHAT ACTIONS DO THESE STUDENTS
WANT AS THEY HEAD TO BOSTON ON FRIDAY AND HAVE OTHER EVENTS
THAT SORT OF MIRROR THAT ACROSS THE WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS AREA?
>> YES. SO A BUNCH OF STUDENTS FROM
WESTERN MASS ARE GOING TO BOSTON FOR THE MAIN CLIMATE STRIKE
THERE. AND SKIPPING SCHOOL, WHICH IS
SORT OF THE POINT OF THE STRIKE, LIKE THEY'D RATHER SKIP SCHOOL
AND STRIKE THAN SIT IN SCHOOL AND DO NOTHING IS HOW THEY SEE
IT. >> AND THEY'VE BEEN VERY
PASSIONATE ABOUT THE FACT THAT THEY'RE NOT JUST QUITTING SCHOOL
FOR THE SAKE OF IT, BECAUSE SOME TEACHERS COULD THINK THERE ARE
MANY CLEVER WAYS TO SKIP SCHOOL. >> WHEN YOU TALK TO THEM, I
COULD SEE HOW YOU WOULD THINK THAT HEARING THE IDEA.
BUT WHEN YOU TALK TO THEM YOU SEE THAT IT'S REALLY NOT ABOUT A
WAY TO GET OUT OF SCHOOL, THAT THEY ARE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT
THIS ISSUE AND WORRIED ABOUT THEIR FUTURE.
THERE'S ALSO SOME ACTIONS GOING ON LOCALLY IN NORTH HAMPDEN.
BUT THE MAIN THING THEY WANT IS JUST FOR POLITICIANS AND MORE
ADULTS TO TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY AND TO LISTEN TO THEIR MESSAGE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THEY REALLY SUPPORT IS A GREEN NEW
DEAL SPECIFICALLY. >> DUSTY, ONE OF THE THINGS
YOU'VE LOOKED AT IS WHO STANDS OUT IN THE REGION AS SOMEONE, AS
A COMMUNITY THAT'S REALLY LEADING THE WAY WHEN IT COMES TO
GREEN INITIATIVES, AND HOLE WOKE POPPED UP TO THE TOP OF THE
RADAR. >> THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON IN
HOLE WOKE. FOR STARTERS, AFTER HURRICANE
MARIA DEVASTATED PUERTO RICO, THE CITY WELCOMES 2,000 PLUS
FAMILIES INCLUDING SOMETHING LIKE 240 ODD KIDS INTO THE
SCHOOL SYSTEM, WITH OPEN ARMS, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S THE BROTHERS,
SISTERS, PARENTS, FRIENDS, OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS OF A LOT OF
PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN HOLE WOKE, OF COURSE HAS A LARGE PUERTO RICON
POPULATION. THEY ARE RECOGNIZING HOW
MUNICIPALITIES DEAL WITH ABSORBING DISPLACED PEOPLE, AND
AS CLIMATE CHANGE GETS WORSE AND WORSE, EXPERTS PREDICTED THAT
STORMS LIKE HURRICANE MARIA AS WELL AS DROUGHT AND OTHER THINGS
ARE GOING TO MAKE CONDITIONS WORSE FOR SOME PEOPLE IN CERTAIN
PARTS OF THE GLOBE, AND THERE'S GOING TO BE MORE DISPLACED
PEOPLE BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
SO THEY HAVE UNDER TAKEN A STUDY TOGETHER WITH THE PEOPLE OF THE
STATE LOOKING AT, AND IT'S SET TO BE RELEASED IN OCTOBER,
LOOKING AT HOW MUNICIPALITIES ADDRESS THE INFLUX OF PEOPLE AS
A RESULT OF CLIMATE CHANGE. BUT OF COURSE THERE'S ALL SORTS
OF OTHER THINGS, THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN HOLE WOKE IS
FASCINATING, THEY HAVE SOME OF THE LOWEST ELECTRICITY RATES IN
THE STATE BECAUSE OF THE CANALS THAT RUN THROUGH THE CITY.
SO THEY ALSO HAVE A PUBLICLY OWNED GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY,
WHICH ALLOWS THEM TO REALLY PUSH HEAD ON INTO MAKING SURE THAT
THEIR ENERGY SYSTEM IS CARBON AND GREENHOUSE GAS-FREE.
>> THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS YOU POINTED OUT IN YOUR REPORTING IS
THAT HOLYOKE IS A VERY INTERESTING COUNTERPOINT TO HOW
THAT CITY BEGAN AND THE WAY THAT IT INITIALLY PUT ITSELF ON THE
MAP IN THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, AND HERE THEY ARE IN
2019 TRYING TO LEAD THE WAY IN GREEN INITIATIVES.
>> YES, IT'S FASCINATING. THIS IS A CITY THAT AT ONE POINT
PRODUCED 90% OF ALL THE PAPER IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, IT WAS AN
INDUSTRIAL POWER HOUSE, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE FACT THAT
IT WAS SMALLER THAN SOME OTHER INDUSTRIAL CITIES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY. AND OBVIOUSLY THE INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION HAD A LOT TO DO WITH WHY WE'RE IN THIS CLIMATE CRISIS
NOW. THE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
THAT WE ALL SEE, AND OUR ECONOMY NEEDS SERIOUSLY CHANGED.
THE U. N. PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE SAYS THAT WE NEED CHANGE
THE LIKES OF WHICH HAVEN'T BEEN SEEN IN HISTORY YET, RIGHT.
SO IT'S INTERESTING THAT HOLYOKE, A CITY THAT GROWS UP
BECAUSE OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND BECAUSE OF THE
INDUSTRY IN THAT CITY IS NOW TAKING A LEAD ON HELPING TO
ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE PROBLEMS THAT THAT CREATED.
>> YOU'VE SPOKEN ABOUT THIS SEVERAL TIMES, THAT'S HOW THE
PAPER IS REPORTING IT AS WELL, BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THIS
COUNTRY WHO DON'T BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A CRISIS.
AND GRETA, YOU TOUCH ON THIS IN AN OP ED, WHICH IS RARE FOR A
JOURNALIST TO DO. YOU SPOKE ABOUT THIS IDEA THAT
YOU TAKE ISSUE WITH LANGUAGE AROUND PART OF THAT, AND
SPECIFICALLY THE WORD BELIEVE. WHAT'S BEHIND THAT?
>> YES. I DECIDED TO WRITE AN OP ED,
WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT STRANGE, I'VE NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE FOR
THE NEWSPAPER, BUT I FELT IT WAS RELATED TO OUR COVERAGE AND ALSO
RELATED TO MY PROFESSION AS A JOURNALIST, IT'S ABOUT WORDS AND
HOW TO PRESENT, LIKE YOU SAID, NOT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS CLIMATE
CHANGE. WHICH IS WHAT I WAS WRITING
ABOUT, HOW I FIND IT FRUSTRATING WHEN MOSTLY WHEN NEWS OUTLETS OR
JOURNALISTS SAY SO AND SO DOESN'T BELIEVE IN CLIMATE
CHANGE, BECAUSE TO ME -- >> THE PRESIDENT AMONG THEM.
>> YES, EXACTLY. I FIND THAT FRUSTRATING BECAUSE
IT'S A SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN CONCEPT.
VAST MAJORITY OF SCIENTISTS SAY THAT IT'S HAPPENING.
BELIEVE IN IT TO ME IS JUST SORT OF REENFORCES THAT IT MIGHT NOT
BE TRUE, DOESN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE TO SAY THAT.
AND I THINK IT'S BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A POLITICIZED ISSUE IN THIS
COUNTRY. >> TO THAT POINT, HAVE YOU HEARD
FROM READERS THIS WEEK WHO HAVE SAID HEY WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH
THIS COVERAGE? WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD FROM
READERS? >> WE'VE HEARD NOTHING BUT
PRAISE FOR HAVING TAKEN THE CRISIS SO SERIOUSLY.
THE WHOLE REASON WE WANTED TO DO THIS AND WHY 250 ODD OUTLETS
AROUND THE COUNTRY AND WORLD HAVE WANTED TO DO THIS IS
BECAUSE, LET'S FACE IT, A LOT OF PROFESSIONS, JOURNALISM BEING
ONE OF THEM, HAVEN'T PUT DUE FOCUS ON WHAT IS A VERY SERIOUS
EMERGENCY THAT THREATENS IN THE WORST OF SCENARIOS OUR VERY
EXISTENCE ON THIS PLANET. SO WE WANTED TO PUT INCREASED
FOCUS ON THAT, AND HEARING BACK FROM READERS, THEY ARE VERY
APPRECIATIVE WE DID. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAUSES A
LOT OF ANXIETY, AND THE VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS REALIZE IS
A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT THREATENS US AND NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED.
>> YOU CAN READ ALL OF THE DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE'S CLIMATE
COVERAGE ONLINE AT GAZETTENET.COM.