Sep 04 2009
Bad Headlines Dept.: A Schizo Chicken Little
In my opinion, the writer of the title to this news release ought to have an anvil dropped on his/her pen:
The Sky Is Not Falling: Pollution In Eastern China Cuts Light, Useful Rainfall
Of course “the sky is falling” comes from the story of chicken little. A chick gets hit in the head with a falling acorn — something natural — and concludes the sky is coming down. The chicken later learns that she was wrong.
She. Those women, always prone to hysteria! Was that part of the moral of the story?
Beyond the sexism in the story, it is basically about a misperception of reality and unfounded fear.
What is the article about? The headline certainly caused me pause. The Sky Is Not Falling: Pollution In Eastern China Cuts Light, Useful Rainfall. Huh? I am the only one who found that confusing.
What researchers did discover is that air pollution in China is likely responsible for a reduction in rainfall and days of light rain over the past 50 years. In parts of China.
The results suggest that bad air quality might be affecting the country’s ability to raise crops as well as contributing to health and environmental problems.
So, in a sense, the sky actually is falling, by rain not falling, in terms of a human-induced climate change and fear of lurking harmful consequences.
Can a sky fall by not falling? As soon as I stop the gawd-awful sound caused by my one hand clapping, I’ll let you know.
