Eco-arsonists, mandatory bug diets and global warming denialism are now talking points for Canadian politicians. What’s behind the explosion of climate misinformation — and how can we combat it?

Like climate change itself, conspiracy theories and misinformation are growing crises. And where they intersect with the environment, the problem seems to spread like wildfire — one that might be caused by laser beams, eco-terrorists or the Canadian government, depending who you ask.

Year after year, poll after poll has consistently shown a majority of Canadians believe in human-caused climate change. But across the country, Conservative politicians are fomenting weariness and skepticism about climate science to appeal to their bases and undermine their opponents — and it appears to be working.

For Conservative politicians, it seems rejecting climate change policies is not about the environment at all — it’s convenient shorthand for championing individual rights, while offloading the government’s responsibility for addressing carbon emissions, by framing climate change as either a natural, benign phenomenon or a leftist plot. Instead of addressing climate change — the worsening impacts of which are impossible to ignore, no matter how deep your head is buried in the sand — our politicians argue over the inescapable facts in front of them.

Climate misinformation is exploding — and Canadian politicians are spreading it | Read more |

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