Climate Denialism Heats Up as Temperatures Soar to “Uncharted Territory”
It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Stupidity
By Kevin Howley, July 17, 2023
Between the Canadian wildfire smoke blanketing swaths of the lower forty-eight and the heat dome double-parked atop the American southwest, there’s no avoiding the subject of climate change. Unless, of course, you’ve been living under a rock. Or reading conservative news sites.
In recent weeks, climate scientists have issued dire predictions that 2023 is on track to be the hottest year in recorded history. According to CNN, as the earth shatters climate records, experts “are not holding back – ‘extraordinary,’ ‘terrifying’ and ‘uncharted territory’ are just a few of the ways they have described the recent spike in global temperature.”
But the denial is strong in conservative circles. And no, I’m not referring to the results of the 2020 presidential election. With few exceptions, right wing media have hit peak stupidity this summer.
Climate Panic Porn
There was a time, not that long ago, when mainstream media refused to “connect the dots” on extreme weather and climate change. No more. This summer, it’s common for local news outlets to make that connection crystal clear.
Not so, right wing media. The best thing you can say about Breitbart, for instance, is that it’s actually covering the extreme weather, albeit with a rosier attitude than most. Two reports from July 10, demonstrate the effort to downplay the climate crisis in real time.
Headlined, “Florida In Hot Water As Ocean Temperatures Rise Along With The Humidity,” Breitbart factually acknowledges the record ocean heat, but offers readers this reassuring conclusion about the dust particles from the Sahara Desert that have settled in over Florida recently: “One plus: sunlight bouncing off those dust particles produces vivid sunrises and sunsets.”
Meanwhile, reporting on the torrential floods across New England, Breitbart relates the severity of the storms with this headline: “Heavy Rains And Flooding Pummel US Northeast, One Dead.” The “just the facts” approach to this story is welcome, if something of an outlier among conservative media outlets, but like their corporate media counterparts had done for far too long, Breitbart buries the lead: “Scientists say that climate change intensifies the risk of heavy rain because a warmer atmosphere holds more water.”
It’s statements like this that might get Breitbart canceled by fellow conservatives, who continue to dismiss the inconvenient truth about the unfolding climate catastrophe. Rather than face the facts, right wing media prefer instead to dismiss climate science with headlines like this one from American Wire: “NBC Takes Climate Panic Porn To New Heights, Claims Southern US May Become ‘Uninhabitable For Humans.’” Or to distract readers with conspiracy-laden headlines like this from America Out Loud: “Canada’s Wildfires: Climate Change? Or Arson and Ecoterrorism?”
Changing the Topic
Far and away, the most common strategy for conservative outlets avoiding the obvious is to change the topic altogether. For instance, Hot Air served up this bit of misdirection: “That ‘Climate Friendly’ Flight Is Going To Cost You A Lot.” Why fret over a burning planet, when you can pin the blame on Bidenomics?
Likewise, American Wire takes a cheap shot at the president with this crackpot, and poorly edited headline: “Biden Regime Pushing Climate Cult Plan To Block The Sun, What Could Possibly To Wrong?” For starters, it looks like your copy editor just died of sunstroke. That ought to read, “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”
No matter, AW reporter Chris Donaldson dismisses climate action out of hand and, rather than consult experts, instead goes to Twitter for the trolls’ perspective on global warming.
In related fashion, Daily Caller is shocked by the Biden Administration’s brazen corruption: “Former Biden Climate Czar Works For ‘Green’ Private Equity Firms.” As is Townhall with this outraged headline: “Real Legal Scandal: Billionaire-Backed Climate Activists Infiltrate The Courts.” As of press time, there’s no word if Clarence Thomas or Neil Gorsuch are in on the action.
Ignoring the obvious – you can’t have an economy on a dead planet – conservative media attack climate action for the supply-side set. Even as Canadian wildfire smoke reached European shores, Fox News denigrated efforts aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions: “UK Climate Envoy Calls Rapid Green Transition ‘Idiotic’ During Meetings With John Kerry.” Meanwhile, the naysayers at American Thinker offered an apocalyptic take of their own: “Climate Alarmist War On Nitrous Oxide Threatens The Global Food Supply.”
Fear not, dear reader, all is not lost. John Klar, another American Thinker, issues this rallying cry: “Conservatives Must Lead On Climate – With Cows!” And, worst case scenario, Gateway Pundit puts it all in perspective: “Rising Temperatures From Climate Change May Cause Kidney Stone Epidemic, Says ‘Experts.’”
That’s good news for urologists, and the planet!
Kevin Howley is a writer and educator whose work has appeared in “Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism,” “Social Movement Studies,” and “Interactions: Studies in Communication and Culture.” He is the author and editor of several books including “Media Interventions” and “Drones: Media Discourse and the Public Imagination.”
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In recent weeks, climate scientists have issued dire predictions that 2023 is on track to be the hottest year in recorded history. But the denial is strong in conservative circles. And we’re not referring to the results of the 2020 presidential election. With few exceptions, right wing media have hit peak stupidity this summer. (Image: Wallpaper Flare)
