New York Times posts YouTube video about climate change and global warming in "Virtual Graduation Speech to the Class of 2099" by Danny Bloom

PRESS RELEASE

May 18, 2009 -- 2099

The New York Times has posted a popular YouTube video link to Danny Bloom's Virtual Graduation Speech to the Class of 2099.

This video was produced and directed by Aremac Chuang, 21 years old, in Taiwan. It was posted by Andrew C Revkin of the New York Times science desk on his blog, Dot Earth. It can be seen for all eternity, or however much of eternity is left to the human species, at this link.

The actor in the video is Danny Bloom, climate activist, public relations consultant and compulsive worrier. He worries that the human species is headed for self-destruction through the over-use of coal and other fossil fuels.

The New York Times does not agree with Mr Bloom, nor does it disagree with him. It just posted his video for all to see here:

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/your-dot-meet-the-neighbors/?apage

As you can see, it's an unfinished story. It might become a real graduation gift book in ten or 15 years, although it's not funny or humorous like "Wear Sunscreen" by Mary Schmich. It's more serious and worrisone. It probably won't sell. But not all books or speeches are made to sell. Some are made to tell an important story, to impart some important wisdom. In this case, it is the very important wisdom of Dr Jesse Ausubel of Rockfeller University who first uttered the words -- "we must tighten the noose around coal" -- in 1988.

Now it's 2009.

What will the world say in 2099? Will there still be a New York Times in 2099?
Will there still be a YouTube website in 2099? What will the impact of climate change and global warming be like in 2099?

These are all questions for the future to answer -- and for the present to think about now. For what we do -- and don't do -- at this time in human history will be very important.

Listen to Bjorn Lomborg? Listen to Marc Morano? Listen to James Lovelock or Jim Hansen or George Monbiot or Mark Lynas or Fred Pearce? By all means listen to actor Danny Bloom in this rather boring (yet important) 4-minute video created in 2009 and posted online by the New York Times.

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/your-dot-meet-the-neighbors/?apage