Sunday Morning Rage
I was lounging in bed on a lazy Sunday morning recently when a friend emailed me a news article. It was an LA Times investigation into the long-term impacts of the United State’s nuclear and biological weapons testing program in the Marshall Islands, and how rising sea levels are poised to amplify those impacts. About 30 minutes later, my sister sent me the same article.
Vaporized islands. Displaced communities. Acute radiation poisoning … Not exactly relaxing weekend reading. But my sister and friend both know that I’m a sucker for a deeply reported story. And they might remember that this issue is especially close to my heart. I researched and wrote a report on the impact of nuclear testing in the Pacific as an elementary school student. The catastrophic toll it took on both people and the environment pulled at my heartstrings — and my rage-strings — and helped spark my interest in the environmental movement.
This isn't a happy story, but it's an important one. And, in the spirit of this coming Thanksgiving: I’m thankful for the in-depth journalism done by the LA Times team to help shine a light on it. I'm thankful, also, for being part of a magazine team that strives to cover underreported stories, and for readers like you who generously support our work.
Zoe Loftus-Farren
Managing Editor, Earth Island Journal
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