Dark free speech wars: Climate science and the environment

CONTEXT

I post a lot about the stunning power of dark free speech or demagoguery to create false visions of reality, and foment flawed reasoning about what people think they see. That leads many people come to false beliefs. That leads to actions based on false beliefs. Some of those actions are lethal or harmful to the actor or other they interact with, e.g., anti-vaccine crackpots who infect other people, who then die. All forms of dishonest speech are being employed in modern politics. That includes dark free speech, demagoguery and propaganda, all of which rely heavily on lies, slanders, divisive bigotry, disinformation, crackpot conspiracy theories, irrational emotional reactions like unwarranted fear, anger, moral outrage, hate, etc. 

Deceived people lose power because they believe and act on the basis of lies that usually benefit the liars and special interests at the expense of the public interest.

Dark free speech is the single most powerful non-kinetic weapon* that authoritarians, including kleptocrats, autocrats, plutocrats, and theocrats, have to create sufficient support for them to rise to power in business, government and/or society generally. From what I can tell, dishonest speech has been the most powerful non-kinetic weapon in human warfare and politics generally since the evolution of modern humans.

* A kinetic weapon is a traditional weapon that inflicts damage by physically impacting a target with a projectile, like a bullet, missile or a nuclear bomb. A non-kinetic weapon uses methods other than direct physical impact to cause damage, most importantly by manipulating information, infrastructure or other systems without a physical projectile involved. Cyber attacks, electronic warfare, and dark free speech or demagoguery are prominent, probably dominant, among non-kinetic weapons in modern warfare.

At present, the democratic, rule of law-governed US is in a full-blown non-kinetic war against powerful, corrupt American authoritarian interests. The corrupt authoritarians are ferociously attacking our democracy and our rule of law. We really are at war and arguably have been at least since the 1980s, maybe since the founding of the Republic. 

NON-KINETIC CLIMATE SCIENCE WAR

Our friends at the U. Sydney in Australia write about some fun research there about special interests who profit from polluting the environment are using disinformation and demagoguery against us to disinform, divide, polarize, create unwarranted distrust and generally bamboozle the entire country:

Energy sector shifts responsibility for climate crisis to consumers, research shows

Energy sector casts individuals as 'net-zero heroes', reducing pressure on industry and government to take action

The energy sector is creating a myth that individual action is enough to address climate change, University of Sydney research claims.

Analysis of hundreds of public reports and media releases from the Australian energy sector identified a common story of the "net-zero hero" – a consumer who, through careful choices, becomes a champion in the fight against climate change.

"Our research found this idea was constantly perpetuated by players across the energy sector," said Associate Professor Tom van Laer from the University of Sydney Business School. "If consumers buy the right car, switch off their appliances, use off-peak hot water, install solar panels – you name it – then they can play a key role in saving the planet.

"If they can just understand, monitor and manage their energy consumption, they can really make the difference. It’s a nice story, but it ignores the bigger picture of the corporate and regulatory changes that are essential to address this issue."

Associate Professor van Laer is an expert in how storytelling can influence actions and decisions. He analyzed material published between 2015 and 2022 on the websites of 44 Australian energy market players, including energy providers, non-government organizations and policy makers. His findings have been published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.

"These narratives seem aspirational, but without adequate support systems [i.e., government regulations], consumers may struggle to fulfil the role of net-zero hero," he said. "There is a risk that the overwhelming responsibility placed on individuals could lead to feelings of helplessness and disengagement, rather than empowerment."

Among developed nations, Australia has the highest per-capita emissions (14.51 tonnes/capita), followed by the United States (13.64). Australia’s energy sector produces 47.3 percent of these emissions. Internationally, industry is the largest user of energy, burning more than one-third of global fuel.

Closer to home, ExxonMobil's advertising materials and documents from 2007 to 2019 consistently deflected attention from the company's role in fueling climate change by emphasizing consumer demand and dependency on its products. This approach effectively individualizes responsibility for the problem, downplaying ExxonMobil's significant contribution to global carbon emissions. Chevron's 2007 campaign asked consumers to make pledges like carpooling or using energy-efficient appliances, subtly shifting the blame for climate change onto individual actions. This campaign was part of a broader industry tactic to portray companies as environmentally responsible while encouraging consumers to take on the burden of reducing emissions.

The fossil fuel industry's dark free speech efforts to create false public perceptions have been effective in convincing a portion of the American public that individual actions can significantly combat climate change. This misperception is fueled by the industry's climate science denial and lobbying efforts, which have historically downplayed the role of fossil fuels in climate change.

The energy sector non-kinetic war is multi-pronged. It relies on any myth or lie that can be made to sound plausible, thereby creating confusion and discord among the public. I recently posted here or on my blog about the lie the energy sector is spreading about solar and wind power being unreliable and causing energy prices to go up. Although both assertions are flat out lies, most people are not informed so they consider them to be plausible. 

By Germaine: An antiauthoritarian, anti-dark free speech warrior!

No, not that kind of warrior

(the idiot on the right 

. . . . . 

or the other two idiots)