Conspiracy theories getting out of control | News, Sports, Jobs

Conspiracy theories have been with us for centuries, but they have reached a fever pitch in recent years. Whether it is the insanity perpetuated by the internet or a product of our divisive politics, it has become a sign of our times.

An overwhelming majority have been proven to be unfounded, many of them a product of bizarre, paranoid or wildly fabricated tales.

A number of today’s strange political conspiracy theories have environmental connections. As amusing as some of them have become, many are undermining science and research to which we should be paying attention.

Even before words were printed on paper, humans have tried to convince others that their point of view has merit. And fact-based debate is actually a healthy exercise in a democratic society.

A worthwhile debate is impossible, however, when the truth is stretched, exaggerations are spread or opposing facts conveniently ignored. We have all been guilty of such fact manipulation or omissions at one time or another during our attempts to win someone over to a cause or stance we think important. But such attempts at swaying perceptions, even to the point of twisting the facts, do not, by themselves, constitute a conspiracy.

Accentuating the points which give credence to your argument is quite different from making stuff up. And this is where one begins drifting toward conspiracy. One definition of conspiracy is “a scheme or secret plan by a group to do something illegal or harmful.”

Though true conspiracies with “secret plans” may be rare, it is wise to be wary of them. Most recently, both the left and right have charged the other side of executing conspiracies. But from a health and environmental perspective, three of the most egregious conspiracies in the last eighty years have been the product of corporate business interests.

Just before World War II, General Motors and Firestone were accused of conspiring to monopolize mass transit to sell more of their buses and tires. Similarly, the tobacco industry claimed cigarettes did not increase cancer risk or other lung disease. The fossil fuel industry has been challenged for their efforts to diminish its contribution to climate change in a similar way.

All three of these conspiracies faced significant legal challenges and the impacts still haunt us in 2023. In light of these historic events, it is more than slightly ironic to see environmental scientists and climatologists being accused of conspiratorial collusion.

Conspiracy theorists contend the closure of coal-fired power plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is “a war on coal” rather than a war on climate change. A small, but vocal minority believe the World Economic Forum’s “fairer outcomes” initiative “is a plot to destroy capitalism and enact a one world government under the cover of COVID-19.” In reality, the program was intended to revive the world’s economy through more sustainable practices following the pandemic, according to the Institute for Economics & Peace.

Most recently, a Paris professor who advocated for urban planning policies which would discourage auto usage in congested parts of cities was falsely accused “of being an agent of an invisible totalitarian world government,” according to the New York Times.

It may be the first time a walking and bicycling advocate has ever been accused of being a dangerous subversive.

John Frederick (www.johnjfrederick.com) writes about nature and the environment for the Mirror.