A questionable choice by one of the country’s most respected newspapers sparked backlash over its role in spreading climate misinformation.
What’s happening?
The New Republic wondered why The New York Times invited Kevin Roberts to a one-day climate conference in September. Roberts is the head of The Heritage Foundation and coordinator of Project 2025 and has argued that climate action and environmental activism are merely vehicles to influence companies and their investment strategies in the name of diversity, equity and inclusion, plus environmental, social and governance issues. .
He has also written a book about the need for a violent “second American revolution” so that the political right can install its ideologies across the country. It was supposed to be released in September, but was pushed back to November 12, perhaps to avoid further links Project 2025 to Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy just before the elections, as TNR speculated. Project 2025 would eliminate environmental regulations and eliminate or cripple climate agencies, among other government changes.
In the book, Roberts said that ESG “is actually a system for punishing the lawful and empowering the unlawful. In fact, it is anarcho-tyranny for company.”
A Reddit thread that emphasized one Media matters The story about the Times’ choice to use Roberts caused bitter consternation among commentators, many of whom wrote that the Times was abdicating its responsibility to make more money by catering to an audience interested in unbridled economic growth at the expense of the environment.
Why is this important?
Speaking at Climate Forward in September, Roberts dismissed proven science, in addition to concerns about how Project 2025 would install conservative loyalists in positions traditionally held by career scientists, as the Times reported. Using the platform, Roberts spread lies about the consequences of the climate crisis, including that the number of deaths due to rising temperatures is falling, while this is expected to rise to 14.5 million per year by 2050.
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
Your personal guide to a cleaner, cooler future
He said recent catastrophic natural disasters exacerbated by global warming were caused by “a warm year.”
“Events like these are hardly the only way the news media have undermined their credibility on climate topics in recent years,” TNR said.
Another problem with Roberts’ speech at this event – billed by the Times as “bringing together newsmakers trying to influence climate and political policy for a day of rigorous, provocative interviews” – is that Project 2025 calls for abandoning the development of clean energy in the world. in favor of doubling dirty energy. ExxonMobil is one major financier of the Heritage Foundation for many years.
Do you think misinformation is a big problem in America today?
Certainly
Only for some people
Only for certain problems
Not really
Click on your choice to see the results and give your opinion
The United States and the rest of the world are already under siege from the effects of rising global temperatures caused by the burning of coal, gas and oil. Vegetable technology such as solar energy promises to reduce warming and its associated effects, which are more common and severe extreme weatherwater and food insecurity and negative health outcomes.
What do people say?
‘No matter how rigorous the interview may be – power the key word is – giving him the mic feels like a throwback to the days when cable news programs felt the need to balance climate scientists with outright lunatics who denied that the climate was changing,” TNR said. “… It was terrible then, and it’s terrible now.”
There is nothing wrong with opposing viewpoints, and discussing them in an open forum with respect should happen more often. This also requires transparency and a willingness to base opinions on facts. Sharing values and finding solutions is also essential for productivity. says climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe.
“This is a weird guest choice,” says one Redditor wrote about Roberts.
Someone else joked: “The planet you live on counts for nothing! My wallet that needs more filling is what matters here!”
Join our free newsletter for good news And useful tipsand don’t miss it this nice list of simple ways to help yourself and help the planet at the same time.
