>> THE MEDIA TENDS TO FOCUS ON INTERNATIONAL CRISES THAT TEND TO BE
QUICK AND VISUAL, USUALLY LITERALLY EXPLOSIVE.
THOSE OF THE EVENTS THAT
WILL GET COVERAGE.
BUT THERE ARE TRAGEDIES BREWING AROUND THE GLOBE
THAT IS NOT AS VISUAL BUT WILL BE LIFE-AND-DEATH ISSUES.
ONE EXAMPLE
IS THE GROWING DROUGHTS IN AFRICA.
IN INTERVENING YEARS WE HAD
PARTICULARLY HARSH EL NIÑO EVENTS IN THAT REGION.
IF FLIPS THE WEATHER
AND THAT CAN CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DROUGHTS.
WE ARE SEEING THAT IN
AFRICA.
AND TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA IT IS NOT JUST IN AFRICA, IT HAS SPREAD
TO OTHER COUNTRIES.
WE HAVE SOME STATISTICS ON MONEY THAT IS BEING
RAISED BY ORGANIZATIONS, BUT I WANT TO TURN IT OVER TO THE PANEL.
THIS
IS THE SITUATION THAT VERY OFTEN WE ONLY HEAR ABOUT BECAUSE AN
OSCAR-WINNING MOVIE IS MADE ABOUT IT YEARS LATER OR MAYBE AN EDITORIAL.
PEOPLE DON'T GENERALLY COVER IT EVEN THOUGH THE NUMBERS ARE
STAGGERING OF
THE PEOPLE AFFECTED OR KILLED.
>> 37 MILLION PEOPLE AFFECTED IS A GIANT NUMBER.
I WANT TO GIVE YOU
SOME CONTEXT.
THAT IS FOR 2017, AND WE SEE THE DROUGHT COMING.
YOU CAN
DOUBT IT, BUT SCIENTISTS ARE USUALLY RIGHT.
WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED
IN 2011.
WHEN WE HAD THE LAST DISASTROUS DROUGHT 260,000 PEOPLE
DIED.
I HAD OUR PRODUCER LOOK UP HOW MANY PEOPLE DIED FROM TERRORIST
ATTACKS IN OUR COUNTRY IN THAT SAME YEAR.
AND 2010, FOUR FATALITIES IN
THE US.
2011, ZERO.
SIX PEOPLE DIED IN 2010, AND 2011 THREE PEOPLE DIED.
NINE PEOPLE DIED FROM TERRORIST ATTACKS – YOU SAY THAT IS WORLDWIDE.
THE WORLDWIDE NUMBER IS BIG WORLDWIDE.
LET ME GIVE YOU THE
LATEST NUMBERS WE HAVE, THAT INCLUDES SYRIA. 2015 WAS TERRIBLE
FOR TERROR ATTACKS ACROSS THE WORLD, DEATHS WERE 28,328.
VERSUS 260,000
FROM DROUGHT.
IT'S NOT TO SAY WE SHOULDN'T CONCERN OURSELVES WITH
TERRORISM, OF COURSE WE SHOULD.
IT SEEMS LIKE IT HAS NOT BEEN SOLVED,
IT HAS BEEN DECADES IN ALL WE DO IS BOMB.
YOU THINK THERE IS NOTHING WE
CAN DO ABOUT DROUGHTS.
THAT IS NOT REMOTELY TRUE.
I'M NOT EVEN TALKING
ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.
WE KNOW THERE WERE DRUGS IN AFRICA BEFORE.
CAN WE
JUST HELP THESE FOLKS A LITTLE BIT?
THERE IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO TO HELP
AND IT DOESN'T TAKE AS MUCH MONEY AS YOU THINK TO SAVE LIVES.
THE KIDS
DIE FROM MALNUTRITION, DEHYDRATION, DIARRHEA, AND SIMPLE PREVENTABLE
THINGS.
IF WE GOT THE MEDICAL CARE, FOOD – THE UN GETS DEMONIZED ALL THE
TIME.
BUT REALLY WHAT THEY DO A LOT IS TRY TO SAVE ALL THESE LIVES.
EVEN
IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE UN FOR POLITICAL REASONS, HELP THEM TO HELP
THESE PEOPLE.
WE CAN DO THIS TOGETHER AND SAVE AN
UNBELIEVABLE
AMOUNT OF LIVES.
>> I JUST WANTED TO ADD SOMETHING REGARDING THE CLIMATE CHANGE
COMPONENT.
WE DO KNOW THAT DROUGHT IS CYCLICAL IN CERTAIN REGIONS OF
THE WORLD AND IT WILL HAPPEN REGARDLESS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND
CLIMATE CHANGE.
HOWEVER, WE ALSO KNOW THAT CLIMATE CHANGE EXACERBATES
IT.
IN SOCAL, WHILE CLIMATE CHANGE WAS NOT
THE LEADING FACTOR IN WHY
THE DROUGHT WAS OCCURRING, IT IS EXACERBATING THE PROBLEM.
WHAT WE
NEED TO KEEP IN MIND IS WHAT IS A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY IS
CLIMATE CHANGE.
AS FAMINE BECOMES AN INCREASING PROBLEM WORLDWIDE WHAT DO
YOU THINK PEOPLE WILL DO?
THEY WILL GO TO WAR FOR LIMITED RESOURCES.
THAT IS SOMETHING ALL OF US NEED TO KEEP IN MIND.
IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT
COAL JOBS, FRACKING OR STUFF LIKE THAT.
>> MANY IN THE GOVERNMENT HASN'T GONE THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS A
SERIOUS PROBLEM.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE HEARD ABOUT IS THAT
YOU WILL
SEE MORE CIVIL WARS IN NATIONS THAT WILL BE FIGHTING OVER THE LIMITED
WATER SOURCES THAT REMAIN.
WE MIGHT NOT KNOW THAT THE IMPETUS FOR THESE
WARS IS YEARS OF DROUGHT, BUT THAT WILL BE WHY IT IS HAPPENING.
WE SAW
RECENTLY DONALD TRUMP WAS ATTACKING THE UN SAYING WHAT HAS IT EVER DONE
FOR ANYONE.
AS CENK POINTED OUT IT DOES HELP AROUND THE WORLD.
IT IS
THE UN COORDINATING WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.
THAT IS NOT THE MONEY
REQUIRED TO NULLIFY THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF THESE DROUGHTS, THAT IS
THE MONEY THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AVAILABLE TO TEST FOR MALNUTRITION
AND TREAT DISEASES.
THEY ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY COMING UP WITH
THE MONEY.
>> I THINK WE CAN WORK TO HELP THEM.
CONSERVATIVES SAY THE UNITED NATIONS
SHOULD NOT BE FUNDED.
IF YOU DON'T FUND THEM A LOT OF THOSE KIDS IN
AFRICA WILL DIE.
THAT IS THE REALITY, IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH
THAT, OKAY.
MY IDEA IS IF THERE ARE PARTS OF THE UN YOU DON'T LIKE, THEN
YOU LOOK TO FIX IT.
I PROBABLY HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEW THAN A LOT OF YOU
OUT THERE, THAT IS PERFECTLY NORMAL.
ALMOST THE ENTIRE WORLD AGREES WITH
THE DECISION WE MADE WITH ISRAEL.
BUT THESE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HELP
CHILDREN IN AFRICA, WE CAN DO
THAT TOGETHER.
IF
WE ARE UNITED WE CAN
ACCOMPLISH THOSE THINGS.
IS THERE ANYONE AGAINST SAVING
THESE LIVES?
I
KNOW A LOT OF
PEOPLE THINK IT IS
NOT MY COMMUNITY, IT IS SO FAR AWAY.
DON'T BE THAT PERSON.
NO CONSERVATIVE OR LIBERAL OR
INDEPENDENT THINKS THAT IS A GOOD GUY.
NO ONE LOOKS AT THAT GUY AND
SAYS THAT GUY IS A GOOD GUY, THAT IS A GOOD CHRISTIAN OR GOOD ANYTHING.
LET'S FIGURE OUT A WAY TO FOCUS ON THE REAL PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD.
ISN'T IT INTERESTING THAT WHAT THE MEDIA CHOOSES TO FOCUS ON – IF IT IS
A TERRORIST ATTACK, IN FACT ON THE UN ISSUE THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN
VOTE WAS VERY IMPORTANT, BUT A TON OF MEDIA ATTENTION.
THE UNITED
NATIONS SAVING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF LIVES IF WE WORK TOGETHER, HARDLY
COVERED.
YOU DON'T HEAR ABOUT THE GOOD WORK THAT HUMANITARIAN MISSIONS
ARE DOING.
YOU DON'T HEAR ABOUT HOW THESE PREVENTABLE DEATHS ARE
IMMINENT.
WE TALK ABOUT ONE OR TWO DEATHS, BUT NOT THE 260,000
DEATHS.
>> IF IT IS AN EARTHQUAKE OR TSUNAMI WE WILL COVER THOSE THINGS BECAUSE
THEY ARE QUANTIFIABLE, YOU CAN TAKE A PICTURE OF IT.
BUT WHEN IT IS A
SLOW THING, HUMANS ARE JUST NOT WELL-EQUIPPED TO NOTICE CHANGES
OVER
TIME EVEN IF THEY HAVE DRASTIC CONSEQUENCES.
>>WELL, WE JUST TOLD YOU SO NOW YOU KNOW
WHAT IS HAPPENING.