This Video Perfectly Captures How the US Failed to Combat Climate Change

“I’ve been trying to tell this story for 30 years.”

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After a week of near-nonstop, dire climate news, Vox published a 12-minute video today that painfully illustrates how repeatedly the US failed to make an effective stand against global warming. Beginning, fittingly, with Al Gore—”I’ve been trying to tell this story for 30 years”—the video traces the history of broken promises, failed legislative efforts, and obfuscations since 2006, with cameos from George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, and, of course, Donald Trump. 

The chronology extends to the landmark UN climate report that was released last week, which dims hope that planet will avoid the looming catastrophe because of its likely failure of meeting the 1.5 degree warming benchmark set in the 2015 Paris agreement. 

While featuring clips from news reports and interviews with politicians on the left side of the screen, one graph illustrating an increase in global average temperature and the other charting how much sea ice is melting are on the right—clear evidence what the years of stalling and missed opportunities has caused.

Watch the video here:

More Mother Jones reporting on Climate Desk

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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