Decades of climate change misinformation have left their mark and lead many people to doubt the scientific evidenceresearchers say on the subject.
Harvard University academic Naomi Oreskes, who has written on the history of climate change disinformation, considered “a tragedy” realizing that “millions of Americans think scientists are lying, even about things that have been proven for decades“.
“They have been persuaded by decades of misinformation. The denial is very, very deep,” Oreskes said.
An example was the memorandum made public by the The New York Timesin 1998, which revealed the aggressive strategy of American companies of fossil fuels to react to the signing of the Kyoto Protocolin which nations committed to reducing carbon emissions, betting on disinformation to generate doubts in the public debate.
Fossil fuel companies have spent heavily in an effort to counter support for emission reductions.
Now, even as these same companies promote investments in renewable energy, the legacy of all this climate misinformation remains. and contributes to greater skepticism in relation to scientists and scientific institutions.
“It was the opening of a Pandora’s box of disinformation that was difficult to control,” said Dave Anderson of the Energy and Policy Institute, an organization that has criticized oil and coal companies for withholding information they had access to about risks. of climate change. .
In the 1980s and 1990s, as awareness of climate change grew, fossil fuel companies poured millions of dollars into public relations campaigns. to refute the evidence that supported the changes that are occurring on the planet.
One strategy was to finance groups of supposedly independent experts who sifted through scientific data and promoted dissenting opinions designed to make it appear that there were two legitimate sides to the argument.
Since then, focus has slowed as the impact of climate change has become more apparent and fossil fuel companies have started to hype renewables. such as solar and windor initiatives designed to improve energy efficiency or offset carbon emissions.
Stanford University researcher Ben Fanta, also a lawyer, stressed that “the debate [sobre as alterações climáticas] it was made by the fossil fuel industry in the 1990s, and we’re living with that history right now.”
“We live within a multi-decade long campaign led by the fossil fuel industry,” Franta added.
The impact of this strategy is reflected in public opinion polls, which show a widening gap between Republicans and other Americans when it comes to views on climate change.
Although the percentage of Americans overall who say they are concerned about climate change has increasedRepublicans are increasingly reluctant to accept the scientific consensus that human pollution is driving climate change.
Fossil fuel companies deny any intention to mislead the American public and point to investments in renewable energy as proof that they are serious about climate change.
In a statement sent by email to the The Associated PressAmerican Petroleum Institute spokeswoman Christina Noel said the oil industry is working to reduce emissions while ensuring access to reliable and affordable energy.
Source: Observadora
