Insights

How should the scientific community address climate change denial and disinformation?

Steven Hartman, environmental humanities scholar

Environmental humanities researcher Steven Hartman reflects on the challenges facing scientists and educators as they face the growing dilemma of science obfuscation, disinformation and organized climate change denial from the fossil-fuel industry and, increasingly administration the U.S. federal government under the Trump. This dilemma, he notes, is one that affects other sectors in society as well and there are lessons that can be learned from how these challenges are being met.

The Disinformation Playbook

Bifrost gratefully acknowledges the leadership of the Sigtuna Foundation and the research network NIES for all their valuable support and work behind the scenes that helped make the interview excerpted in this video possible. Grateful acknowledgment is also made to Sigtunastiftelsen, where the interview was filmed.

How should the scientific community address climate change denial and disinformation?

Environmental humanities researcher Steven Hartman reflects on the challenges facing scientists and educators as they face the growing dilemma of science obfuscation, disinformation and organized climate change denial from the fossil-fuel industry and, increasingly administration the U.S. federal government under the Trump. This dilemma, he notes, is one that affects other sectors in society as well and there are lessons that can be learned from how these challenges are being met.

What can be done when governments fail to act on climate change threats?

Environmental humanities researcher Steven Hartman discusses the Our Children’s Trust case, Juliana vs. the United States of America, as the kind of innovative thinking and novel approach necessary to counteract government failures to act on climate change. Author Naomi Klein has called the lawsuit, now set to go to trial on 5 February 2018, “the most important case in the world.”

How can ordinary people help mitigate climate change?

Environmental humanities researcher Steven Hartman reflects on some of the ways that individuals can have far-reaching effects globally in climate change mitigation efforts by banding together with neighbors, friends, family and colleagues to focus on smaller and more manageable local challenges.

Credit: Hartman, Steven and Peter Norrman. How should the scientific community address climate change denial and disinformation? Originally published in bifrostonline.org, 30 November 2017 (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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What can be done when governments fail to act on climate change threats?

Environmental humanities researcher Steven Hartman discusses the Our Children’s Trust case, Juliana vs. the United States of America, as the kind of innovative thinking and novel approach necessary to counteract government failures to act on climate change. Author Naomi Klein has called the lawsuit, now set to go to trial on 5 February 2018, “the most important case in the world.”

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Why is public debate on climate change so infected?

Climatologist Michael Mann is nearly as well known for his pushback against fossil fuel industry-funded distortions of climate science as for his iconic “hockey stick” graph showing the dramatic rise in global temperatures during the 20th century, which first appeared in a 1999 scientific study published by Mann, Bradley & Hughes in Nature that presented global reconstructions of annual surface temperature patterns over the previous six centuries. Mann discusses how the fossil fuel industry has promoted distortions of science in public discourse and debate to protect their own economic interests, following the playbook of other industries (Big Tobacco and Big Pharma) that have previously attacked science and scientists when their studies and knowledge advancements challenge industry products and profits.