REMEMBER when the only place to get news was newspapers, the TV or radio? Now we're bombarded with news, some true, some half-true and much blatantly un-true.
Behind many of these truths and un-truths are an ulterior motive. We have our credibility stretched in order to win votes, or to buy things we don't need. Although we may be aware this is going on, it's often so complicated to work out what the truth is it's easiest just to pick the one that is most closely aligned to our personal beliefs.
And now we don't even need to trawl through the many sides of a story to find the one we'll like the best, because clever algorithms are ceaselessly working behind the scenes and picking up the 'truth' we will find attractive.
This spreading of misinformation has been going on for a long time. In his book Storms of My Grandchildren James Hansen, who was the director of the NASA Goddard Space Institute from 1981 until 2013, talks of his struggles to be heard. Despite being a well-respected scientist, his voice has been consistently silenced by corporations and government departments with financial interests in fossil fuels.
James was noticing catastrophic changes and talking about them in the 1980s, calling for a carbon tax and a cessation of coal mining. Imagine if we had acted then how much simpler life would be now? The events in Spain have illustrated the human cost of disregarding the science and continuing with business as usual.
An excellent, but hard-hitting, video on the truth behind the Valencian Floods, and how it was woefully under-reported on news channels, can be found on YouTube. Look for The Truth About the Flooding in Valencia by Polyglot Panda. It is an eye-opener on the power of communities to rally round with support when local government systems fail to do so.
Communication is the subject of the latest Cornwall Climate Care film, #ClimateScam?, which is showing in venues in Cornwall and Plymouth over the next few weeks. The film asks “Who's Shaping the Climate Debate?”
A synopsis for the film reads: “As the world faces increasingly devastating climate-related disasters, a growing number of people - especially young people - are beginning to believe that the climate crisis is nothing more than a hoax. In Cornwall Climate Care's eye-opening documentary, Jaz, a social media-savvy member of the TikTok generation, embarks on a journey to uncover the truth.
From interviews with leading climate scientists to conversations with climate sceptics, she seeks to unravel the web of online misinformation and conspiracy theories. Along the way, Jaz explores who stands to gain from spreading these falsehoods and how they may undermine our collective ability to confront humanity's greatest challenge: the climate crisis.”
#ClimateScam? premieres in Falmouth on Monday, November 18, followed by Plymouth Arts Centre on the November 21, The Savoy Cinema in Penzance on November 28 and the Truro Plaza Cinema on December 5.
The film is 40 minutes long, and after each showing there will be a panelist Q and A. Guest speakers are impressive and include experts on climate science and communication, as well as director Bryony Stokes and producer Claire Wallerstein. If it's anything like Cornwall Climate Care's other films, you can expect an insightful and informative evening that will leave plenty of food for thought.
If you are unable to get to the showing in person, the film will be online from early 2025. You can also see Cornwall Climate Care's other films at cornwallclimate.org.
And, as my mother would say, “take everything you read with a pinch of salt.”