A great article was circulated on several media platforms before this month’s solar eclipse.
It describes the famous “Battle of the Solar Eclipse” that took place thousands of years ago in what is now Turkey. While the two armies were engaged in a fierce battle, a sudden solar eclipse occurred and the sun was no longer visible. Stunned by this, the warriors stopped fighting and signed an armistice, ending six years of war and undoubtedly saving many lives.
It is interesting to read this story now, because you can imagine how ordinary people at that time were overwhelmed by the incomprehensible natural phenomenon of a solar eclipse.
This solar eclipse is also interesting in that it is said to have been predicted by a philosopher who paved the way for early astronomy. Eventually, superstitions about celestial natural phenomena gave way to science and rationality.
This process of science replacing superstition has continued throughout the history of human civilization. And that’s generally considered a good thing.
It is therefore frustrating to see sections of American society determined to turn back the clock and embrace various forms of science denialism.
It is also extremely dangerous, especially when it permeates politics as it does now.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long been anti-vaxxer. He also said Wi-Fi causes cancer, hinted that antidepressants may be to blame for school shootings, and said chemicals in water are causing children to become transgender. There is. Lately, his campaign seems to have made room for climate change deniers.
And he’s not alone. Science denialism, especially when it comes to climate change, is also embedded in Republican orthodoxy.
Donald Trump irrationally claimed that the Earth was “starting to get colder,” and he criticized climate change when he withdrew the United States from the Paris climate accord.
Now, environmentalists are deeply concerned that it will get even worse if President Trump serves another term. Not only are Trump’s views well known, but climate change denialism (along with many other horrifying reactionary ideas) runs throughout Project 2025, the far-right’s blueprint for the next Republican administration.
Project 2025 would force the Departments of Energy, Commerce, Defense, Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, National Weather Service, National Hurricane Center and others to reject climate science. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association would be reorganized to quell “climate change concerns.”
As a blow to national security, it would prevent the Pentagon from considering climate issues in its planning at a time when the climate crisis could destabilize influence in many countries and lead to unrest and war. Dew.
It is difficult to distinguish between all the factors underlying the science denialism and conspiracy theories espoused by Kennedy and certain elements of the far right. But it is not difficult to understand the motivations for the climate change denialism of today’s MAGA-led Republican leaders.
The answer is money and the deep pockets of the fossil fuel industry.
And lately, those forces have become more sophisticated. Earlier this year, CNN reported on a new trend of climate change denialism on social media, calling it “the new denial.”
The “new denial” acknowledges that the climate may be changing. But it is ineffective and encourages people to refuse action to combat climate change.
If you suspect this is a thinly disguised industry disinformation campaign, you might be right. One researcher notes that it is “very unlikely” that this widespread shift in tone is “the result of organic social media activity.”
On the other hand, rejecting science, whether in climate change, medicine, or any other field, doesn’t just make us less informed. It makes us poorer, weaker and sicker. Cancer alley, COVID-19 deaths, and other harms that occur when greed, politics, and willful ignorance combine with science denialism have left millions of people suffering and sick. He is dead.
That happened all too often during the Trump administration. Researchers at Columbia University and the nonprofit Climate Science Legal Defense Fund found that President Trump’s efforts to undermine scientific research include 154 documented cases of federal censorship of scientists. It is reported that
That is horrible and we cannot allow it to happen again.
We need leaders who embrace science. It seems like the most American idea. For example, our space program has always been a great source of national pride.
What we need is leaders who recognize that America will not be globally competitive unless we develop the next generation of scientific innovators. Children are smart. If adults treat science with contempt, his STEM in school will have no meaning to them.
We watch an awe-inspiring solar eclipse that not only reminds us of how far we have come in understanding the world, but also how much further we still have a path to scientific discovery. We need leaders who remind us.
We need leaders who will lead us down the path, not close the door. The choice is ours.
Svante Myrick is the president of People for the American Way.
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