The Great Reset conspiracy theory is a hotbed of climate denial

Controlling agriculture and meat

Another climate-related tenet of the Great Reset conspiracy theory is the idea that those in power want to control food production and police what people eat. 

In reference to the Dutch farmers’ protests, The Post Millennial tweeted out a quote from Posobiec on July 7, which said, “The government of the Netherlands perhaps should be listening to their farmers … instead of listening to the WEF and pushing the Great Reset green agenda upon them.” 

In a discussion on general problems facing the U.S. on the September 3 edition of Newsmax’s Wendy Bell Common Sense, right-wing radio host Jeff Kuhner stated, “It’s the Great Reset. … Many of these left wing global – they want food shortages. They want energy rationing. They want to break the back of the middle and working class of this country.”

Great Reset conspiracy theorists also imply that people will be forced to eat insects. In July, pseudo-journalist and Holocaust denier Peter Sweden got over 12,000 likes on a tweet saying, “In Belgium there are now talks about an ‘environment tax’ on meat. They want you to eat bugs and be happy. Are you enjoying The Great Reset?”

Dog whistling about the Great Reset

Oftentimes, the term Great Reset won’t be directly referenced, but certain keywords and allusions are used as dog whistles. In September, Peter Sweden and Morano baselessly claimed people will be forced to eat bugs. 

Another example comes from right-wing writer Joel Kotkin in Newsweek, who, on September 19, suggested that coronavirus lockdowns are a test run for coming climate lockdowns, and both are “top-down edicts over how people live.” 

Fox News star Tucker Carlson also alluded to the Great Reset conspiracy theory on the September 9 edition of Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle. Discussing the energy crisis, Carlson suggested that transitioning away from fossil fuels is about control. He claimed, “Energy is civilization. … People don’t understand how threatening this is and how close we are to being under the complete and total control of people who wish us ill.”

Additionally, if a speaker references “globalists,” Klaus Schwab, Davos, or the World Economic Forum within a climate denial context, that’s generally a sign they are referring to the Great Reset. For example, on the September 9 edition of Newsmax’s Real America, Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA) suggested that global elites are pushing climate policies to make money at the expense of the poor. She said, “They want the climate crisis to continue because they make money off of it. … They’re so disconnected. And they truly are globalists and they’re more interested in the World Economic Forum and what Klaus Schwab has to offer.”

Key drivers of the Great Reset conspiracy theory are popular figures within the right-wing media ecosystem

One such narrative-shaper is Morano, a longtime climate denier and frequent Fox News guest who recently wrote a book titled “The Great Reset: Global Elites and the Permanent Lockdown.” In addition to various Newsmax appearances, Morano appeared on two separate OAN shows on September 16 to discuss the Great Reset. In July, his book was promoted on Tucker Carlson Tonight. On October 8, he appeared on Fox News’ Unfiltered with Dan Bongino and said the Great Reset is about “collapsing our energy, food, transportation, and our free speech rights.” He’s also been doing right-wing radio interviews promoting his Great Reset conspiracy theory book. 

Hosts on Newsmax are also promoting the Great Reset conspiracy theory. Bolling has devoted several segments to climate denial and the Great Reset in recent months. On the October 13 edition of his program, Bolling lied about President “Joebama” waging a “war on our own oil independence,” and that he is making people “suffer for the Great Reset. Control us for the Great Reset.” He said this all alongside a chyron that stated, “You shall eat no meat.”

Newsmax anchor Rob Schmitt also pushed this idea on the September 29 edition of his show Rob Schmitt Tonight, stating, “In 50 years we will still be burning fossil fuels on this planet. … No person is actually going to gut their quality of life to help John Kerry implement a Great Reset that will do nothing to save the climate and insidious plan that really just rapidly socializes our country and the world, which is what they really want.” Newsmax anchor Chris Salcedo also mentioned the Great Reset on his show on September 15. 

Popular alt-right media personalities are also driving much of the Great Reset chatter. One example is Peter Sweden, whose regular tweets about climate denial and the Great Reset receive significant engagement. One tweet, which racked up tens of thousands of likes, stated, “The Great Reset is another word for Global Communism.” Two other tweets with significant engagement also exhibit climate denial and link the Great Reset to “global communism.”

Jack Posobiec is another right-wing figure pushing Great Reset talking points. In September, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) hosted an event in Phoenix called “Defeating the Great Reset.” Notable speakers included Posobiec, Charlie Kirk, and Steve Bannon. The description of the event lied about the WEF’s plan, saying they want people to “own nothing and be happy” (a Reuters fact check from early 2021 disputed this claim). Conference speaker James Lindsey invoked this phrase and insinuated that powerful elites will come after our modes of transportation. Additionally, Charlie Kirk interviewed guest attendee Alex Jones about banning meat, with Jones saying that meat is a “symbol of freedom” and that “globalists” want to ban it.

What’s worse, the September 22 of Kirk’s podcast was entirely devoted to climate denial, using the title “Exposing the Great Climate Change Hoax.” The Great Reset was mentioned multiple times in this episode. He also alluded to climate lockdowns, stating, “How do you stop a virus? You lock down everything. How do you stop climate change? You lock down everything.” He also claimed that dictators use crises “to get their tyranny, their power, their control implemented.” He then called climate change “the next crisis and the perfect one.” He also suggested that the transition to clean energy is all about a transition to more global government and less freedom. Finally, Kirk used violent rhetoric to describe climate activists, noting that the “​​enviro-fascist movement” is “the greatest threat to civilization.”

Tenets of the Great Reset conspiracy theory have also popped up on Fox News, which is the most-watched cable news network in the United States. In addition to the examples above, the September 7 edition of Tucker Carlson Tonight featured a segment on the growing threat of climate lockdowns. Ingraham also mentioned lockdowns on the October 30 edition of The Ingraham Angle, where she insinuated that the climate crisis, much like the pandemic, is made up, and that it will be an excuse for elites to “extend emergency powers” over the population.

This conspiracy theory will only get worse from here – news outlets should pay attention 

Given the growing proliferation of the Great Reset conspiracy theory in right-wing media, it’s worth noting that there are legitimate critiques of the WEF’s vague proposal outside of unhinged conspiracy theories. The BBC deep dive referenced earlier found that the lack of clarity around Schwab’s screed provided fertile breeding ground for conspiracy theories to grow. Writing in The Intercept in late 2020, climate writer Naomi Klein argued that people have a right to be skeptical of wealthy and powerful figures introducing bold new ideas, stating that the Great Reset “is an attempt to create a plausible impression that the huge winners in this system are on the verge of voluntarily setting greed aside to get serious about solving the raging crises that are radically destabilizing our world.” Finally, writer Ivan Wecke argues the real issue with the Great Reset idea is that it gives corporations, and not democratic institutions, more control over our lives.

The lack of clarity around the original Great Reset idea and the real problems associated with it make the right-wing conspiracy theories related to it all the more worrying. Given the threats posed by climate change, we do need to envision a way to create a more sustainable future. Global dialogue on climate action is necessary to do this, and it’s why conferences like the upcoming COP27 are crucial: We need forums to discuss ways to phase out our deadly addiction to fossil fuels and introduce cleaner sources of energy that will allow those at the bottom to live more just and equitable lives.

The right’s Great Reset conspiracy theory flips all of this on its head: By calling climate change a hoax to advance a tyrannical agenda, Great Reset conspiracy adherents are advocating for a future with more fossil fuels which will lead to more devastating climate impacts that will disproportionately affect those at the bottom.

The Cambridge Extinction Rebellion Twitter account did an excellent job of explaining why this conspiracy theory should be taken seriously, noting that adherents “will frame fossil fuels around notions of freedom, claiming pro climate and anti fossil fuel policies harm freedom. They will heavily capitalize on the energy crisis this winter to advance this narrative. It is likely to be persuasive to many.” Given the rapid spread of conspiracy theories like QAnon and the belief that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump, people need to understand the danger behind climate denial and the right-wing Great Reset conspiracy theory. They can start by keeping an eye on it around COP27 discussions.