We’re entering Donald Trump’s post truth era
These days the grim contest for hottest year on record is over. If things continue as they are we already know which year will be the hottest in history. This one will. We already know which year will beat that record. Next year will. And so on.
The truly alarming thing is that not enough people seem to care. For years climate scientists and climate advocates were convinced that, once the negative impact of global warming became inescapably obvious, people and their governments would be galvanised into decisive action. I firmly believed that once. I am no longer so sure.
I dislike the term “post-truth era,” but I’ll use it for lack of another one. The post-truth era is dominated by fake news, another term I dislike because Trump has rendered it vulgar by misuse. But many people have either difficulty or unwillingness to understand when the news is fake. As a result of fake news in a post-truth era, today we are confronted by two monumental obstacles.
The first obstacle is radical conservatism. It is an article of faith of radical conservatism that global warming is a hoax, or at least of little importance. The second is fundamentalist religion, which is frequently accompanied by radical conservatism. Climate change denialism therefore fits easily into the extreme religion paradigm, because the planet is seen as headed for destruction anyway.
These two monumental obstacles are fueled by the internet. For many people, credible sources for solid information take a backseat to internet social influencers. In the United States, people like Joe Rogan have millions of Americans convinced that the earth is actually cooling! And who are you going to believe, Joe or your lying eyes?
It’s chilling (excuse the pun) to realise that many believe this man, despite the obvious evidence to the contrary. Rogan is a man wholly unqualified to hold such an opinion, let alone disseminate it to millions of — let’s call them what they are — fools.
I’m aware that I’m probably not telling you much that you don’t already know, brothers and sisters. My purpose isn’t to instruct but to reorganise what you already know into an identifiable demographic, so that you can understand that, while they are formidable, they remain in the minority. It’s not necessary for us to outnumber them, we already do that, it’s necessary that we become passionate about the truth, because the weapons they hold are formidable.
It’s unfortunate that many among us think that there is nothing we can do about climate change. Some insist on it. While that position may feel good, because having a firm opinion is often more comforting than confessing ignorance, it’s not the way forward and is poisonous to our cause. What’s more, most climate change scientists, notably including Dr Katharine Heyhoe, disagree.
Anything that we can do to ameliorate future climate change disasters we must do, and do without hesitation. Doomsayers and negativism serve no useful purpose. We have got to make care for our only home a priority.
We can begin by making climate change part of our daily conversations, our comments online, our voting decisions and the habits of our daily lives. The alternative is too horrible to contemplate, and circumstances have put this awesome responsibility into the hands of this generation and no other. Let’s be worthy of that responsibility and do our duty to our precious planet, without complaint, hesitation or excuse.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.