In late February, I interviewed an ardent climate denier. I'd reached out to the B.C. homebuilder after seeing him attack proposed provincial regulations to limit the use of natural gas to heat homes. As a reporter covering climate disinformation, I was curious. With Canada crying for new homes – regardless of how they are heated – why was he so determined to eradicate rules which would have such a minor impact on his business?
It was a rough call. It is not unusual in this job for sources to talk enthusiastically about their subject of expertise, but this man was different. He talked nonstop and most of the so-called "facts" about the climate and fossil fuels he used to build his argument were demonstrably false. After nearly forty minutes, we were getting nowhere and I had another call but I asked him to send me his sources.
Minutes later, the email landed. His primary source? Jordan Peterson, an ex-University of Toronto professor, far-right talk personality and – as I've reported before – one of the Internet's most prominent climate deniers. Peterson has cited discredited researchers paid by conservative groups with tight links to the fossil fuel industry to justify his position.
I regularly think back to that interaction as a golden example of the way that climate misinformation can infect a wide audience. With online personalities like Peterson spreading false online material, our local and regional climate efforts, including B.C.'s plans to phase out the use of natural gas in homes, are at risk of being scuppered. Even the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has identified the risk of misinformation and warned in 2022 the problem is delaying vital climate action.
This is why Canada's National Observer's effort to report on climate disinformation is key. Peterson's ilk have vast money-printing online platforms; fossil fuel companies and their lobby groups can spend millions on PR campaigns and misleading online ads. Whereas, Canada's National Observer has you: a group of committed, climate-conscious readers whose support we need to continue our work.
People across the country depend on our journalism at Canada’s National Observer to navigate what’s working in the race against climate change and how to fight back. Will you join us in this fight by donating to our annual spring fundraiser? We rely on support from people like you who value in-depth, fact-based reporting. Every donation, no matter how big or small, fuels our mission so we can continue to deliver the news you rely on.
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I am so proud of our work, but the powerful forces we are up against are daunting. A rapidly shrinking media landscape, extractive tech giants banning news on their platforms, and a flood of climate misinformation sweeping our feeds.
What strengthens our mission in the face of our challenges is our community of donors. Our journalism is only possible with support from readers like you.
Ask yourself this: if we are not able to fund journalism that holds climate misinformation accountable, who else would do it?
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