IN THE LIFE of a politician, few things are more humbling than defending yourself to a roomful of upset constituents. This is especially true when those peeved citizens are precocious 12-year-olds. That was the scenario Martin Heinrich, New Mexico’s junior senator, faced this past April while speaking to a group of 30 sixth- to eighth-grade students at Santa Fe’s School for Arts and Sciences. While evoking the importance of addressing climate change, Heinrich, who is often talked about in conservation circles as the second coming of Teddy Roosevelt, had bragged to the class that he’d recently helped secure a pledge from New Mexico’s utility companies that they be fully renewable by 2050, making his state a national leader in curbing greenhouse gas emissions. The kids were having none of it.
“The United Nations says that we have 11 years left to limit carbon emissions and prevent irreversible damage from climate change,” one boy responded. “How will zero emissions by 2050 help us?”
The senator, wearing jeans, cowboy boots, and a suit jacket, sat rigid on a stool. Behind him was a pie chart of emission percentages—transportation, buildings, energy—that he’d drawn in an attempt to explain an earlier point. He hesitated slightly, then realized it was time to go off-script. “Well, a lot of bad things are going to happen no matter what we do,” Heinrich said frankly. “But we still need to stay focused on the long-term decarbonization of our economy.”
“What is causing the immigration crisis?” a fifth-grade girl asked.
Denne historien er fra December 2019-utgaven av Men's Journal.
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Denne historien er fra December 2019-utgaven av Men's Journal.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Fantasy League
Inflation, war and endless political campaign ads got you down? Hollywood wants to take you far away.
The Tug Trip
Chasing grizzlies and pushing deep into coastal British Columbia aboard a uniquely Canadian touring vessel.
Death, Incorporated
How Putin's mercenary army known as the Wagner Group does the Kremlin's dirtiest work in Ukraine and in conflict zones around the world.
Cynthia Addai-Robinson
The British-born actor trades the Shire's misty mountains for a fantasy island in Amazon Prime's prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Idris Elba – Been Around the Block
Superstar actor Idris Elba hits 50 in September. But we might have not seen his prime yet.
American Ruins
This country's unmatched and unlimited industrial might helped define the 20th century. But that was then, and this is now.
NICK KROLL
The comedic powerhouse and man of many voices behind Big Mouth and Human Resources returns to the big screen in the star-studded thriller Don't Worry Darling.
HAIL TERRY
Four-time Super Bowl champion, avuncular television football analyst and all-around entertainer TERRY BRADSHAW's secret to career longevity? Letting it rip.
EVOLUTION OF Z REVOLUTION
How Nissan reinvented the smart, soulful sports car.
PLUNGE RIGHT IN
Mallorca's cliff-lined coast is the peak playground for deep-water soloing-as grippingly demonstrated by the emerging sport's top climber.