Making sense of climate denial tactics

April 4, 2024 9:44 AM

Fake experts, Logical fallacies, Impossible expectations, Cherry picking, and Conspiracy theories (FLICC) and a Denial101 video trilogy (Part 1, 2, 3). From climate science communication researcher John Cook of Skeptical Science (with old school website layout!). See also the Cranky Uncle game based on the theory of inoculation: There may be no way to cure existing zombies, but we can reduce the number of people who are infectable by zombies.

Skeptical Science's The Debunking Handbook (now updated!) previously on MeFi.

posted by spamandkimchi (7 comments total)

Thank you; this will be useful for a course I am hoping to build.
posted by humbug at 10:24 AM on April 4

First link isn't working for me, here's an archive link.
posted by thatnerd at 10:32 AM on April 4

Another sneaky but very effective technique is to always talk like their is a huge mass of people who think Climate Change is fake and don't want to do anything about. Pretend like climate deniers are the true "hidden majority". At the very most, you might admit it's a 50/50 proposition - with lots of people supporting climate measures, sure, but an equal number opposing them.

Of course, that is the exact opposite of where public opinion on climate change really stands.

The vast majority of the population accepts that climate change is real and that we should be doing something about it. It's only a small but very vocal minority that somehow have managed to convince themselves that it's a steaming pile of fake.

Somehow that small but vocal minority translates to 50% or a little more of elected officials who completely deny climate change or the need for any action.

It's one of those things that billions of dollars of corporate money aimed towards PR and lobbyists will do.

When you think you're in a minority, you tend to keep your opinion to yourself and are not too surprised when no action is taken.

When you realize you are actually part of an overwhelming majority whose opinion is somehow just ignored and steamrollered by the ruling elite, you're likely to be far more emboldened to speak up, and far more likely to be incensed that nothing is being done about the issue.

Here is just one study (of many) showing that a whopping 3/4 of Americans support climate change action.

Here is another interesting example of this same phenomenon I recently ran across: In Germany when the pandemic was at a peak, they surveyed people about whether the public health measures taken were too relaxed, too stringent, or just about right.

Then they asked the same people: How do you think OTHERS are going to respond to this same question?

Survey results summary German - English (bad AI translation)

Result was: In reality, just 32% of the populace thought the measures were too stringent.

However, people estimated the percentage of people opposed to the covid safety measures at 51% - far higher than it actually was.

And for that small, but apparently rabid, group of people who thought the measures were too stringent, it was even worse: They thought 60% or even 66% of the population was on their side - double or more the actual percentage on their side.

I think that dynamic is quite similar to climate deniers. They are going around believe they are in a super majority whereas in reality they are in a rather small minority.

Meanwhile the rest of us believe were in a superminority, or at best a 50/50 situation, when in reality WE ARE THE SUPERMAJORITY.
posted by flug at 7:49 PM on April 4 [11 favorites]

In my particularly vindictive moments I'm at the point of needing to know the names of execs, scientists, marketing & pr peeps that worked diligently through the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's to deliberately cast doubt on the reality of the situation. People need to be held accountable, and their names need to be etched in stone for future generations to find and marvel at the nature of evil.
posted by phigmov at 1:42 AM on April 5 [4 favorites]

We can now add carbon capture as a "false solution", as an advanced form of denial mixed with tax fraud
posted by eustatic at 10:11 PM on April 6 [1 favorite]

The other side of this is how the oil industry spends huge piles of money - some say nearly $1 billion annually - on PR, lobbying & astroturf groups to spread the narrative that climate change isn't happening.

Which I don't understand: if the richest industry on the planet is spending this kind of money, wouldn't people suspect that something underhanded was going on?

Also I believe this flood of money acts as an incubator for a whole range of other denial activities from the same people.
posted by sneebler at 4:57 PM on April 8 [1 favorite]

Which I don't understand: if the richest industry on the planet is spending this kind of money, wouldn't people suspect that something underhanded was going on?

Right, thank you!

How many times do people need to be misled by Exxon regarding climate before they should assume that Exxon is lying? Aren't we past that point yet?

We will always need oil workers to fix these portals to he'll we have opened. But hang the oil companies, and why is an oil lobby allowed to exist?
posted by eustatic at 7:11 PM on April 8