To believe that the facts we are taught are false and that behind our ordinary beliefs there is an insidious idea of a controlling group or entity designed to deceive or deceive us for some purpose.
There is no doubt that much of the climate denial can be attributed to human paranoia not wanting to be deceived. Supporters will be glad they know more and they won’t be fooled by the scam.
The established science behind climate change also presents an opportunity for deniers to be seen as outsiders and independent thinkers who are not drawn to groups or “groupthink.”
scientists
Some politicians have embraced climate denial because it fits their worldview. Brexit’s most prominent supporters see it as the logical next movement for its political identity.
Just as the EU is “run by an unknown bureaucracy”, climate collapse was “passed to us by a “globalist” UN and a group of “awake” environmentalists.
In the UK, the new campaign has realised that outright denial of climate change will lose its audience, so tactics focus more on undermining climate solutions, or advocating for delayed climate action.
This can be keenly felt by a group of backbench Conservative MPs who recently created the Net Zero Review Group. The group is willing to have national newspapers repeat lies about clean energy or the cost of transition.
It also has strong ties to the Global Warming Policy Foundation, which itself has tried to discredit the work of climate scientists for years. The foundation has now been renamed Net Zero Watch to give the impression that its work is about accountability.
doctrine
Many of these groups break away from existing currents in the culture. These currents have grown stronger with denials from the president and prime minister.
Donald Trump has claimed science doesn’t know the truth about climate change and that “it’s going to start getting colder”.
Before becoming prime minister, Boris Johnson often quoted climate deniers Pierce Corbyn in his newspaper columns.
The articles would be openly questioned, claiming that warm winters “have nothing to do with conventional wisdom on climate change.” Labeling climate science a “doctrine” is a clear signal of opposition.
These views have been accepted and repeated in our culture, a hallmark of an unhealthy public discourse.
unstable
Its devastating effects can be seen in recent research showing that people across Europe have been skeptical of the scientific consensus around climate change.
A report from the Institute for Policy Studies at King’s College London surveyed 12,000 people across the continent and found a stark difference between perception and reality.
On average, respondents believe that 68% of scientists agree that climate change is caused by human activity. The average Briton is estimated at 65%, which is at the bottom of the ranking. The actual figure is over 99%.
Even more worrying is how far-right political identities are responding to trends in climate dismissals. Author Mary Annaïse Heglar links climate delays to white supremacy.
If the effects of climate change bring chaos and instability, it will be communities of color that will be most affected.
acute
“From a white supremacist perspective, climate change can actually be seen as a boon by getting rid of all those ‘undesirable’ non-whites,” she wrote.
This view is that as the crisis intensifies, we will need to close borders to protect national resources. It’s a very familiar argument that could be weaponized by delaying climate action.
As a symptom of recession, climate denial will continue to play a role in our political culture.
It will become a sharper political tool as the need for action becomes more urgent. Only by addressing the root causes of distrust can we move beyond it.
this author
Adam Wentworth is a freelance writer and communications professional based in London.He has worked in renewable energy and climate change for eight years, including in climate action.
