Rape, suicide bombings, civilian slaughter, and balmy temperatures: according to CNN opinion columnist, John Sutter, these are all the side-effects of global terror.
On Sunday, Nov. 29, Sutter posted an entirely serious, angsty opinion piece in which he bemoaned that “the threat of terror” may “infect” and distract from the upcoming climate summit in Paris.
“The recent terror attacks are tragic, and many lives will never be the same because of them,” Sutter wrote, “But climate change is another form of terror -- and it's one we're wreaking on ourselves.”
Nevermind the need for public safety; the only tragedy Sutter now sees is that “massive public demonstrations at COP21 have been canceled, and a malaise hangs over the entire process.”
Sutter’s preposterous opinion piece is part of a larger CNN climate activism project known as Two Degrees.
Since April 2015, Sutter has spearheaded the project which “explores climate change, and the importance of one number: 2 degrees Celsius.” According to Sutter, the project was created as a lead-up to the Paris climate talks, which started this week.
The Code of Ethics established by the Society of Professional Journalists states that journalists are to “avoid conflicts of interest,” not give preferential treatment to special interests, and “label advocacy and commentary.” Yet Sutter brings a decidedly biased view of climate change to CNN’s Two Degree project.
Not only does the Two Degrees project seem to be ignoring journalism ethics, but it’s also logically offensive.
Sutter has previously used the Two Degrees platform to argue that climate change helped start the Syrian war and ISIS, and answer pressing questions like, “does eating bugs help fight climate change?” (spoiler alert: nobody knows).
The Two Degree project also partnered with Climate Central to create an interactive quiz that to see if people can “beat the 2-degree target.” If you don’t guess right, “your grandchildren likely won’t be thanking you,” CNN quips.
The CNN quiz then asks for quiz-takers to “share your results with diplomats who are meeting November 30 to December 11 in Paris.”
Activism, much?
