Climate change and the information war

Like many people this week, I was deeply disturbed by Senator Jim Molan’s response to questions about climate change on Q&A:https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-04/jim-molan-under-fire-for-climate-change-admission-on-q&a/11925750. When pressed Senator Molan admitted he had “an open mind” on the issue of human caused climate change and when pressed for what evidence he relied on for his views, he admitted that he did not rely on any evidence. That particular exchange exposed the fundamental flaw in conservative failure to address the climate emergency; it is not based on evidence.

The exposure this week of the influence of fossil fuel funding in Australian politics is further cause for concern; https://www.sbs.com.au/news/how-the-fossil-fuel-industry-bankrolled-australian-election-campaigns I think it is fair to assume that many in politics like Senator Molan, are getting their information from a biased lobby group and are not relying on quality evidence from authoritative sources.

I feel we are not only in the grip of a climate emergency, we are in the grip of a war, an information war, in which we as citizens are front line troops forced to fight our way through a quagmire of propaganda and distortion. Which is why it is so crucial that we all make the effort to be well informed, examine our own biases and be ready to call out misinformation when ever and where ever we encounter it. Which is why I am writing this post and sharing the following links to NASA Global Climate Change: vital signs of the Planet. I think most of us would agree that as a respected scientific organisation NASA has considerable credibility, additionally it is an American government authorised authority. Here in Australia you can check out the CSIROs Climate Information for Australia page.

When I cite news items here on the blog I only use recognised professional media organisations, usually ones noted for their professionalism and that is an important thing to consider. It should be remembered that journalists are trained professionals, with codes of conduct and while there will always be someone who will cry bias, you have to evaluate any claims and consider the professionalism of the source.

The NASA page is a demonstration of effective scientific education as it makes complex information accessible and understandable. If you want an introduction to climate science this is an excellent place to start and I urge everyone to take some time to be informed on this critical issue. If we cannot rely on our governments to take necessary action, we all need to be informed and empowered to act on the personal level only then will be able to bring about the kind of fundamental changes that must happen, if we are to preserve quality of life on this planet. It is the responsibility of all of us to be informed and to do what we can to improve the situation of life on the planet we live on.