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| One of the massive Australian bush fires this week. Most are started by lightning, some by arsonists. Few, if any, are started by activists. Photo by Glen Morey/Reuters |
One of the latest crackpot ideas I'm seeing is that climate activists are setting those fires in Australia or getting others to do that to, I guess, "prove" their climate change point or score grants from NGO's and governments. Or something like that.
I mentioned this problem of "climate activists setting fires" in a post a few days ago, but I want to dive deeper now.
I know I will never change the minds of anybody who firmly believes these conspiracies. However, I think it's my duty to do whatever little I can to counteract those beliefs, in an effort to stop the spread of really fake news.
Conspiracy theories like the arsonist climate activists is in some ways hard to fight because it's such a simple narrative. They're doing evil things to advance their agenda. Simple as that.
By contrast, the real truth is messy and complicated and sometimes ambiguous. Which is why we do need to be patient as I and others try to set the record straight, at least to the best of our knowledge.
ARSONISTS AND ACTIVISTS
Most conspiracy theories begin with a grain of truth and then go off in some odd direction. That's the case with Australia's fires.
There's no question at least some of the catastrophic fires were started by arsonists.
Back in November, as Australia's fires were getting going in earnest, the BBC reported that Australia's National Centre for Research in Bushfire and Arson said 13% of the bushfires are started deliberately and 37 percent are suspicious.
Australian research suggests that revenge is a primary motive for these arsons, says the BBC. They start a fire with the intent of destroying property belonging to a former employer or ex-partner, for example.
The BBC says other arsonists are the "weird Pete down the road" who is odd, marginalized or angry at the world in general.
Now, it's most certainly possible a handful of these "weird Petes" are extremely concerned about the climate and start fires to prove some sort of point that only their own mind can understand. Remember, no matter which group you single out - climate activists, fossil fuel executives, men, women, straights, gays, religious, atheist, you name it - there's going to be a couple crackpots among all the rest of the normal people in these groups.
So yeah, somebody outspoken about climate change could conceivably have started a few of the fires. We just don't know. At least not yet.
However, there's no grand conspiracy among climate activists.
That's not going to stop the conspiracy theorists from pushing this idea anyway.
Some odd website called Granite Grok, which looks to be a right wing activist page (which is fine!) out of New Hampshire said that four members of an climate NGO set fires in the Amazon last year. They allegedly took photos of the fires they set and sold them to the World Wildlife Federation for a pile of cash.
Supposedly, Leonardo Di Caprio donated a lot of money toward this effort.
Turns out that's not true. As Voice of America reported on December 4:
"Police last month accused several volunteer firefighters of setting forest firest to get funding throuh local NGOs in Alter do Chao, a tow of fewer than 10,000 people on the bank of the Tapajos River in Para state (Brazil). Federal prosecutors quickly said their investigation found no such evidence, the local pollice officer leading the investigation was removed from the case, and a judge ordered that the firefighters be released from prison."
But still, conspiracy-friendly publications like the obscure Granite Grok keep repeating the false narrative to a willing fan base. Right wing Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is also keeping up this story, despite the complete lack of evidence.
Pressed by reporters, Bosonaro said he could not name the NGOs involved, that he had no written records of these allegations and the accusation against the NGOs was just his feeling.
Riiiiight.
Social media is rife with the climate activists setting fires on even flimsier basis.
One Twitter user, who I don't want to identify because I don't want to give them publicity, wrote. "Hundreds of arsonists have purposely lit bushfires in Australia to perpetuate a fake linkage between #ClimateChange. The UN's #ClimateChangeHoax elites are getting desperate now, because, they know that you know, CO2-driven climate change is a hoax! Wake up."
This Twitter user did not offer a shred of evidence backing up their accusation.
MEDIA ROLE
The conspiracy theorists will tell you that these shenanigans are really happening, but the mainstream media is covering it up because they are in bed with climate change activists.
I was in journalism for more than two decades before a media corporate cost cutting move resulted in my getting laid off and deciding to take my life in a new direction.
But I'm still very familiar with how a journalist's mind works and what any mainstream newspaper or television station would do if presented with proof climate change activists and organizations were deliberately setting fires for money and using it to promote their agenda.
First of all, there would be the impulse to report with the motivation of doing the right thing. On top of that, this would be a blockbuster scoop, one that would earn a newspaper or television station more viewers, more awards, and more income.
It's called capitalism, and these big (and small) media companies would love to win the fame and fortune to find a story like that, provided it's true.
And what of those alleged climate activist arsonists? Climate activists are by definition big environmentalists. Do you really think they enjoy those photos of suffering, burned koala bears and kangaroos in Australia? Like the rest of us, those activists are horrified by those images.
Plus, a climate organization that sets fires would be exposed sooner or later. These activists know that. Even if one or a few of these groups are corrupt, that's strong motivation to keep their noses clean.
We all need to learn media literacy is thoroughly as possible. Learn what news organizations and media outlets are most professional and strive for accuracy as best as possible.
When activists on any side of any debate say something, think critically. If you follow their logic, does it make any sense? It's also worth it to check with trusted sources to verify whether these activists and organizations are really what they say they are, and not "sock puppets" for some industry or political group.
For gawd's sake, before you donate to either a climate change activist group or a climate change denial group, check to see if they are not crooks. There are sources to determine whether charitable donations for groups actually go for the intended purpose.
On social media, take things with a big grain of salt. There are plenty of bots, sock puppets, political groups disguised as regular people and charlatans out there. Learn who to trust and who not to.
All this will make you a smarter person. And maybe help solve some of world's problems instead of just yelling about them.
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