Yesterday, the New York Times reported on page 6 that the United Nations secretary general, Antonio Guterres, on Monday, urged world leaders to do more to battle climate change, going so far as to warn that “If we do not change course by 2020, we risk missing the point where we can avoid runaway climate change” (Somini Sengupta, “Climate Crisis Is Near Point Of No Return, U.N. Warns” Sept. 11).
With 2019 just months away, that doesn’t leave much wiggle room. Clearly, it might already be too late. So why did the Times put this on page 6? That’s a good question. The Times, in my view, dropped the ball. This article would have made a perfect companion piece alongside their cover story about how “The Trump administration, taking its third major step this year to roll back federal efforts to fight climate change, is preparing to make it significantly easier for energy companies to release methane into the atmosphere” (Coral Davenport, “White House Set To Weaken Rules Curbing Methane” Sept. 11).