Remember the Ladies?

When I was visiting my daughter at her college, she asked me about a terrifying story that ran in this newspaper on Oct. 2, reporting that the Arctic ice cap was melting “to an extent unparalleled in a century or more” — and that the entire Arctic system appears to be “heading toward a new, more watery state” likely triggered by “human-caused global warming.”
“What happened to that Arctic story, Dad?” my daughter asked me. How could the news media just report one day that the Arctic ice was melting far faster than any models predicted “and then the story just disappeared?” Why weren’t any of the candidates talking about it? Didn’t they understand: this has become the big issue on campuses?
No, they don’t seem to understand. They seem to be too busy raising money or buying votes with subsidies for ethanol farmers in Iowa. The candidates could actually use a good kick in the pants on this point. But where is it going to come from? From today's NYT column by Thomas Friedman

It sounded so quaint when Abigail Adams reputedly wrote to her husband John as our nation was born-remember the ladies.

When women are outraged, they attract a lot of attention. Particularly mothers. Women can often simmer for a long time, but when they have finally had enough of war and corruption and venality in politics, their indignation can help bring down governments and change policies.

Our energy policies are changing the world's climate in a way that is already affecting us, and will incrementally make life more challenging for our children and grandkids.

In his article today (see link above), Tom Friedman wonders why college students aren't more involved in raising their voices and taking it to the streets on issues like global warming which ought to be of great concern.

But what about us? Global warming is an issue every mother-every woman-should be concerned about for the sake of her kids, if not herself.

I can't understand why we aren't womaning the barricades to challenge industry and government on the sickening way they have dealt with the unreeling terrors of global warming. How many of you really believe this is a Democratic plot? How many still argue that the evidence isn't strong enough? How many would argue that promoting clean energy and building and buying green isn't the right thing to do?

And yet I have seen no feminist move to organize around global warming, nor have I gotten the sense that mother's are particularly worried. I don't see it as a peculiarly feminist issue-dads should worry about their children's future, too. But I have to wonder what it will take to awaken our consciences-and our voices.