The Climate Change Conspiracy

  NO. 1

Climate Change has been widely talked about subject since the late 19th century. It is the rise of the average temperature on Earth’s climate system, and while there have been past periods of global warming, the rate at which it is going on right now is at an unprecedented level. But many conspiracy theorists believe that climate change must be a hoax or has been invented for financial and ideological reasons.  Climate change denial ‘is a latecomer to neoliberal anti-environmentalism, it now becomes the countermovement’s pivotal issue in battles against environmental regulations. Neoliberals hold that the issue provides a license for wholesale intervention everywhere. Anti-environmentalism has been, from the start, a keystone of neoliberal anti-regulatory politics.’’  Many politicians, celebrities, and magazines have stated that climate change is a hoax, scam, or elaborate conspiracy. This is dangerous because it convinces the public that climate change is a hoax, especially because the more power a person has, the more convincing they become.

NO. 2

Donald Trump, in 2012, has stated that,  "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive." Really? Climate change is not a scam created by a neighboring country, it is something real that affects everyone on the planet. ‘’The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that ‘human influence on climate has been the dominant cause of observed warming since the mid-20th century. These findings have been recognized by the national science academies of major nations and are not disputed by any scientific body of national or international standing. Impacts include the extinction or relocation of many species as their ecosystems change, most immediately in coral reefs, mountains, and the Arctic.’’

NO. 3

  Unfortunately, economic stability will always be the reason for ignoring or abusing the environment. Conspirators and those who deny climate change will also see it as changing the jobs they’ve taken, the lives they’ve led, and the politicians they’ve followed, not to mention that getting the American public to understand and care about climate change is a challenge, even with the many conspiracies out there. ‘’Reeling from conservative attacks over liberal bias, ‘mainstream media’, seeking ‘editorial balance,’ often grant parity to ‘climate skeptic’ news releases and policy papers, from right-wing think tanks and their bought experts and pundits, with peer-reviewed science. Having increased leverage in recessions and periods of economic insecurity, many Americans are receptive to conservative views--that regulating fuel efficiency, and thereby vehicle size weight, increases energy prices and taxes ‘kills jobs,’ violates freedom of choice and threatens overall liberty.’’

NO. 4

    The way the media frames climate change doesn’t help inform people either on how to safely combat climate change, where every frame somehow includes a doomsday scenario, so much that it disempowers how people will react, and respond. Tropical storms, rising oceans, heat waves, reduction of snow and ice, and high carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will only increase if we choose to do nothing and believe that science is wrong. When Hurricane Irma hit Houston, it showed the real-life consequences to climate change--as ocean temperatures increase, more hurricanes will become more severe and catastrophic. But those who reported and interviewed people, mainly conservatives who deny or deflect climate change, are in the wrong for even presenting that to their audience. ‘’Those supplying the media with information--scientists, politicians, and NGOs--share some of the blame. The way they media frame climate change will affect how audiences respond. Challenges include making stories more relevant to audiences, raising the profile of adaption and the perspectives of the poor, and reporting on ways to address climate change that brings additional benefits.’’

NO. 5

  Conspiracies can be fun, cause drama, and bring people together---they can also bring disarray and be wildly inaccurate. They can also be dangerous to the general public for fueling theories over science; climate change is real, and whether these theorists believe it or not, is based on whether or not human influence. We have the power to change the way the world has become.