georgemonbiot.bsky.social profile picture

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social

Climate breakdown is driven by a storm of lies. This lying is systemic, funded and coordinated, and operates across almost all media, old and new. This week's column argues that we cannot fight the climate crisis without also fighting the epistemic crisis. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The fundamental problem is this: that most of the means of communication are owned or influenced by the very rich, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

Dark forces are preventing us fighting the climate crisis – by taking knowledge hostage | George Monbiot

The fundamental problem is this: that most of the means of communication are owned or influenced by the very rich, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

Replies

  1. casualwoke.bsky.social profile picture

    EUPaul @casualwoke.bsky.social

    That old chestnut - GREED - is fighting climate change. Vast national vested interests and investments in sourcing, drilling, mining, processing and delivery of fossil fuels: crude oil, natural gas, shale oil and even coal. Not forgetting the politics and millions of jobs tied to fossil fuels.

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  5. ianhquayle.bsky.social profile picture

    Ian Quayle @ianhquayle.bsky.social

    What I cannot understand is how anyone could think they might benefit by allowing the Earth to overheat. Even if you are fully invested in fossil fuels, why would you want to campaign for your grandchildren to suffer fire, floods, tempests and famine?

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  6. ellyblom.bsky.social profile picture

    Elkeblom @ellyblom.bsky.social

    Media constantly blurs lines between fact & fiction; between entertainment,news & politics. People entertained into a coma,baited to react viscerally to soundbites rather than seek context & nuance. Expert opinions derided as elitist. Is shared humanity even possible without a shared reality?

    1
  7. martandelus.bsky.social profile picture

    Martandelus (Cheez) @martandelus.bsky.social

    God, how i wish this knowledge was commonplace. If folks had a bit of media literacy, they'd be able to unpick the naff and we'd have some serious stuff getting done, yet more floods and damages yesterday and the media will be churning out the usual "Climate change isn't real" BS. So cringe....

    1
  8. r0bertpau1s0n.bsky.social profile picture

    R0bert Pau1s0n @r0bertpau1s0n.bsky.social

    If one believes that every aspect of society is rigged and, in fact, democracy has been corrupted by wealth/capital, the obvious conclusion would be that the country can only be reclaimed by revolution. Is that your position, or do you believe we still have time to give democracy a chance?

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  10. layer8problem.bsky.social profile picture

    Layer8 @layer8problem.bsky.social

    The infuriating thing is that it's not like transition from fossil would kill capitalism; it would just mean a particular set of investors who benefit from the current energy system would have stranded assets. And they would rather burn the world and economy they benefit from than let that happen.

    1
  11. sprorganism.bsky.social profile picture

    Andrew @sprorganism.bsky.social

    Frédéric Bastiat said that “When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.”

    I'd add, they also create a propaganda system that normalises their pillaging.

    1
  14. yaswmac.bsky.social profile picture

    yashamac @yaswmac.bsky.social

    …it would appear that the far right internationally want to appropriate the considerable funding set aside to fight climate change for their dastardly plans…

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  15. @anonperson8479.bsky.social

    There are plenty of facts and first-hand accounts at the annual COP: The G20 countries literally declare 'fuck off' and the remaining countries are "disappointed" that world leaders are more interested in a corporate profit pissing-contest.

    1
  17. tsoprano.bsky.social profile picture

    @tsoprano.bsky.social

    We need a root and branch review of all media. Sick to death of the lies they disseminate and special interests that they lobby for against the interests of the people.

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  18. peterkurze.bsky.social profile picture

    Peter Kurze @peterkurze.bsky.social

    Honest question: It’s easier to see the influence of wealth on information flows than it is to understand, at a fundamental level, what motivates the uber-wealthy to pursue their destructive agendas. Do you think it might be true that they have so integrated the perspective that maximizing /1

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  21. recombobulating.bsky.social profile picture

    r @recombobulating.bsky.social

    you still seem to be stuck in the enlightened world view where nobody was capable of questioning authority until liberalism gave (some) people permission to do that

    as if it has exclusive ownership and control of knowledge itself

    that is the driver of the epistemic crisis

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  22. peggysanders.bsky.social profile picture

    Peggy Sanders @peggysanders.bsky.social

    George Monbiot: “An epistemic crisis is a crisis in production & delivery of knowledge. It’s about what we know and how we know it, what we agree to be true and what we identify as false. We face, alongside global threat to our life-support systems, a global threat to our knowledge-support systems.”

    1
  23. sentientism.bsky.social profile picture

    Sentientism @sentientism.bsky.social

    Yep #EpistemologyMatters, but it's sorely neglected. Just caring others and about the world isn't enough. You also need to understand the world well. Using evidence and reason is the best way.

    That's why the #Sentientism worldview is "evidence, reason, and compassion for all sentient beings."

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  25. carlak.bsky.social profile picture

    Carla Kuiken @carlak.bsky.social

    It's a bunch of rich people funding misinformation about climate change, migration, disease, poverty, etc.

    A worldwide... conspiracy? There, I said it. A right-wing cabal.

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  27. progpk.bsky.social profile picture

    Paul Konstant @progpk.bsky.social

    The epistemic crisis described here is the underlying crisis of our time. From culture wars to imperialism, to all aspects of science denial, those who pay for disinformation seem to have decided that no issue is too small.

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  28. maxmoran.bsky.social profile picture

    @maxmoran.bsky.social

    Ignoring local climate change events is also part of this - Carmarthen (last week) and Abergavenny (yesterday) experienced their worst flooding in years yet there has been minimal news coverage. And while it’s not news that it rains in Cymru, the intensity of downfalls is getting more extreme.

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  30. marsflyerpaul.bsky.social profile picture

    Paul Allen @marsflyerpaul.bsky.social

    And now with the BBC scandal, we're hearing lots of lies from commentators on the right, but no data scientists showing the evidence of years of Farage bias.

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  31. m-j-murcott.bsky.social profile picture

    M J Murcott @m-j-murcott.bsky.social

    It is all about money and power and how individuals or companies try to hold on to money and power by conspiring with others to avoid the consequences of their actions. These conspiracies have happened in the cigarette and oil companies. youtu.be/HqqQdWSX8wI

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  32. amberdreams.bsky.social profile picture

    Amberdreams @amberdreams.bsky.social

    Agreed! It goes hand in hand with everything else that's going on - labelling anything that smacks of kindness in politics as 'woke', blaming small boat immigration for everything from inflation to the state of the NHS, it's all linked. We have to fight the lies on every front.

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  33. iainmac57.bsky.social profile picture

    @iainmac57.bsky.social

    But there is no one raising the rafters to protect science, the BBC (despite its present right wing bias) or even democracy. On the other hand we have Farage, Trump and all sorts of hangers on like RFK Jnr. Doing the exact opposite with success.

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  35. sanchopanzasmule.bsky.social profile picture

    HenoriusBooticus #FBPE 🇪🇺 @sanchopanzasmule.bsky.social

    Seems solar farms are destroying the very thing they are supposed to help.....

    There's no pressure from any govt to put panels on the rooves of anything, so we, joe public, are slowly fighting back against all this big oil stuff....if you believe the news even the Chinese are doing their bit

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  37. paulobro.bsky.social profile picture

    Pablobrooker @paulobro.bsky.social

    The biggest one for me is poverty and stress in the general population. How can you think long term when your tenancy agreement on your house runs out in a month and you can't afford the deposit on a new place. Solar panels are the last thing on your mind.

    1
  38. elhopkins.bsky.social profile picture

    Esther @elhopkins.bsky.social

    It’s the same on COVID, we are drowning in lies and misinformation. Frighteningly most people believe the lies.

    3
  40. cjhighland.bsky.social profile picture

    CJHighland @cjhighland.bsky.social

    There needs to be a purge of neo-liberalism from the BBC and the main political parties. The revolution needs to start with language. Common phrases that are based on fiction need to be rooted out if our knowledge is going to expand. e.g. Government services are not funded by the tax payer.

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  41. zilenaj.bsky.social profile picture

    Liz Furler @zilenaj.bsky.social

    Yes.."The fundamental problem is this: that most of the means of communication are owned or influenced by the very rich." But add to it that the very rich will own and/or influence AI...also, the Austn Govt is now keen on its own bespoke AI to provide advice, write cabinet subs etc.

    1
  42. chazzstock.bsky.social profile picture

    @chazzstock.bsky.social

    Climate is a nebulous thing, which enables an easy muddying of the waters. Is it time for those of us concerned about the climate, to pivot - to something more tangible?

    What happens when we run out of the finite resources that support our current way of life? It's much harder to "both side" that.

    1
  43. tadziomueller.bsky.social profile picture

    Tadzio Mueller @tadziomueller.bsky.social

    Dear George, big fan: but might I suggest that when looking at the market for political discourse, you don't only look at the supply-, but also the demand-side?

    We need to ask WHY such a shitty product as ignoring reality is so popular. Because in a collapsing world full of guilt, it's liberating!

    The darker reality turns in collapse, the more attractive the escape from reality offered by fascism becomes. TBH, we on the left don't really have a solution for this.

    Escape from reality: why collapse makes fascism sexy

    The darker reality turns in collapse, the more attractive the escape from reality offered by fascism becomes. TBH, we on the left don't really have a solution for this.
    1
  44. mycroft76.bsky.social profile picture

    Mycoft @mycroft76.bsky.social

    Agree. I think the least worst solution to the epistemic crisis would be a state-owned social media network. Independently governed, managed and curated. Ad free. Replacements for FB, YT, X, WA, TT, Insta & Google. Hard to admit, but this is now an essential service. 1/5

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  45. @lila7.bsky.social

    I don’t like that phrase “Dark forces “. Reminds me of conspiracy theories.

    1
  48. antiseacide.bsky.social profile picture

    seacide @antiseacide.bsky.social

    Wilfully engineering information disorder harmful to society should be illegal - a crime - therefore challengeable by law. Yet we have governments prescribing the opposite by their continuous failing to stop it happening online and pretending 'freedom of speech' is legitimate in all instances.

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  51. climatemd.bsky.social profile picture

    Scott Brassfield MD @climatemd.bsky.social

    Great column even by Monbiot’s high standards. Billionaire control of Trump regime is so complete that alongside a peer group consisting only of San Marino, Myanmar and Afghanistan the USA is a noshow at COP30 www.intellinews.com/cop30-climat...

    Climate activists deployed an empty chair at the start of the UN’s climate summit COP30 on November 10 to underscore the absence of the US, the ...

    COP30: Climate negotiators forge ahead despite loss of US delegation

    Climate activists deployed an empty chair at the start of the UN’s climate summit COP30 on November 10 to underscore the absence of the US, the ...
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  54. woodcollier.bsky.social profile picture

    @woodcollier.bsky.social

    Which will be the First nation to instruct its judiciary to outlaw corporate lies?….. Anyone?….. No? Oh well back to dreaming 💭

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  55. hellobsky13.bsky.social profile picture

    Myspace Tom @hellobsky13.bsky.social

    If we can build algorithms that promote hate a lies, we can build ones that promote honesty and compassion. But the rich do not want that. Or we can all join the #Fediverse and make up our own minds what we want to see.

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