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Dissemination of Environmental Misinformation by Corporations and Media

This article explores how corporations and the media spread environmental misinformation, contributing to public ignorance and pseudoscientific beliefs. It discusses the impact of sponsored curricula and greenwashing/bluewashing tactics.

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Dissemination of Environmental Misinformation by Corporations and Media

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  1. Pseudoscience, greenwash, bluewash, and sponsored curricula:How corporations and the media disseminate environmental misinformation Martin Donohoe, MD, FACP Portland State University Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

  2. Would you sign a petition to ban dihydrogen monoxide? 1. It can cause excessive sweating and vomiting2. It is a major component in acid rain3. It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state4. It can kill you if accidentally inhaled5. It contributes to erosion6. It decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes7. It has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients

  3. Environmental Ignorance • A majority of Americans believe that electricity in the U.S. is produced in nonpolluting ways • 25% knew that majority (70%) comes from oil, coal and wood • 1/3 assumed that spent nuclear fuel (from our 104 plants) is stored “in a deep underground facility in the West” • Only 17% were aware that it is mostly stored on-site at powerplants pending a long-term solution (30,000/tons) • 70% believe in global warming

  4. Geographic Ignorance • Percent of US teens unable to locate the following on a map: • United States – 11% • Pacific Ocean – 29% • Japan – 58% • United Kingdom – 68%

  5. Pseudoscientific Beliefs Percentage of Americans who believe “at least to some degree” in these “phenomena” 1976 1997 • Astrology 17% 37% • UFOs 24% 30% • Reincarnation 9% 25% • Fortune-Telling 4% 14%

  6. Ignorance/Pseudoscientific Beliefs • Half of US citizens do not believe in evolution and do believe that humans and dinosaurs coexisted (2007) • 40% think scientists still generally disagree about evolution • Only 12% of U.S. Protestant pastors believe in evolution • 20% of high school biology teachers are creationists

  7. Pseudoscientific Beliefs • 37% believe places can be haunted (2007) • 25% believe in UFOs (2007) • 24% believe in astrology (2009) • 16% believe that people with the “evil eye” can cast curses or harmful spells • 14% have consulted a psychic or fortune teller (2009)

  8. Ignorance/Pseudoscientific Beliefs • 22% of Americans don’t know whether an atomic bomb has ever been dropped (2000) • 20% of Americans don’t know the earth revolves around the sun (1999) • 18% believe in Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster (2007) • 8% of men / 18% of women believe in astrology and fortune tellers (2007)

  9. Public Education in Disarray • U.S. Schools ranked lowest among western nations • ↓ funding, infrastructure decaying • 1/2 of U.S. schools have poor ventilation and significant sources of pollution; 1/4 have no library; 1/4 use textbooks from the 1980s or earlier

  10. Public Education in Disarray • Inadequate funding, decaying infrastructure • National HS graduation rate 65-70% • No change from 1970s • Lower incomes youths 6X as likely to drop out • College tuition costs rising • Increasingly marginalizes poor, minorities

  11. Public Education in Disarray • Some states require instructors to teach “creation science,” “intelligent design,” and “climate change skepticism” • Despite politicians’ statements, 72% of Republicans believe global warming is occurring (92% of Democrats)

  12. Television and the Media • The average American youth spends 900 hrs/yr in school, 1,500 hrs/yr watching TV • By age 65, the average American will have spent 9 yrs watching TV • Most media organizations owned by multinational, multi-billion dollar corporations involved other businesses, such as forestry, defense, real estate, oil wells, agriculture, steel production, railways, and water and power utilities • Stories suppressed • Video news releases

  13. Global Warming: Controversial? • Of 928 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, 0% were in doubt as to the existence or cause of global warming • Of 636 articles in the popular press (NY Times, Washington Post, LA Times, WSJ), 53% expressed doubt as to the existence (and primary cause) of global warming Science 2004;306:1686-7 (Study covers 1993-2003)

  14. Legislative Mandates • Bills allowing teaching of creationism or “intelligent design” alongside evolution • Bills requiring global warming to be taught as a “theory”

  15. Anti-Science Legislators • Members of the House Science Committee (2012) • Paul Broun (R-GA): Evolution, embryology, and the Big Bang Theory are “lies straight from the pit of hell;” climate change is a “hoax” • Ralph Hall (R-TX): Agrees with TX Governor Rick Perry that climate scientists are involved in a conspiracy to receive research funding. • Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI): The science on global warming is “inconclusive”

  16. Anti-Science Legislators • Members of the House Science Committee (2012) • Todd Akin (R-MO): “If it’s legitimate rape,” women will not get pregnant (lost 2012 election) • Dana Rohrbacher (R-CA): Claimed an earlier period of global warming may have been caused by “dinosaur flatulence,” suggested that if global warming is real it could be addressed by cutting down trees, does not believe that CO2 is a cause of global warming

  17. Advertising • Record $570 billion spent on advertising in 2005 • 11X greater than in 1950 • Half in US • The average American can recognize over 1,000 corporate logos, but fewer than 10 plants and animals native to his/her locality

  18. Greenwash, Bluewash and Astroturf • Greenwash: Public relations / ad campaigns-Chevron’s “People Do” Campaign, butterflies/refinery-Dupont Freon Campaign in 1970’s-Grants to a few scientists who challenge environmental warnings-tobacco ads in 1950’s • Bluewash: association with UN principles/logo • Artificially-created grassroots coalitions

  19. Corporate-Sponsored Environmental Educational Materials • Corporate-Sponsored Environmental Educational Materials: Supported by a loose coalition of antiregulatory zealots, corporate polluters, lapdog scientists and misguided parents • Corporate Front Groups: • The American Council on Science and Health • The Alliance for Responsible CFC Policy • National Wilderness Institute • The Environmental Conservation Organization • The Foundation for Clean Air Progress

  20. Corporate PR tactics • Invoke poor people as beneficiaries • Characterize opposition as “technophobic,” anti-science,” and “against progress” • Portray their products as environmentally beneficial in the absence of (or despite the) evidence • Revolving door between government agencies, corporations and lobbying groups • Science perverted, suppressed

  21. Sponsored Environmental (Examples) • Exxon’s “Energy Cube” -“Gasoline is simply solar power hidden in decayed matter” -“Offshore drilling creates reefs for fish” • Pacific Lumber Company -“The Great American Forest is. . . renewable forever”

  22. Sponsored Environmental Education Materials (Examples) • International Paper -“Clearcutting promotes growth of trees that require full sunlight and allows efficient site preparation for the next crop” • American Nuclear Society’s “Activities with the Atoms Family” • Dow’s “Chemipalooza”

  23. Educational Apartheid • High levels of de facto school segregation by race and SES • Gross discrepancies in per-pupil spending and teacher salaries • Achievement and graduation gaps growing

  24. Academics at Risk • Increasing corporatization of academia • Private commercial funding of university research: • $264 million in 1980 • $2 billion in 2001 • Secrecy/Pseudoscience • AAPG Notable Achievement in Journalism prize to Michael Crichton for State of Fear (which denies global warming)

  25. Academics at Risk • Including government scientists • Subversion of science by Bush Administration • Obama administration slow to roll out ethical standards • Discourages young scientists

  26. Academics at Risk • Contingent faculty up from 43% (1079) to 73% today • Paid ¼ amount of regular faculty • No benefits • No job security, opportunities for career advancement

  27. Academics at Risk • University faculty members spend about 40% of their research time writing grant applications and fulfilling grant paperwork requirements • Funding agencies favor worthy but incremental research over risky but potentially transformative work • Solutions: • Increase research budgets • Longer funding cycles • Fund people, rather than projects

  28. Academics at Risk • College tuition up (440% from 1984-2009), administrators’ salaries skyrocketing • Average debt for graduating college students = $23,000 • For-profit colleges growing, marked by corruption, high interest rates on loans to the un- and under-qualified

  29. Academics at Risk • Teachers underpaid • Teachers’ unions under attack • 47% of K-12 teachers graduate in bottom 1/3 of college class • Forced instruction in creationism, intelligent design, etc.

  30. Religion in the U.S. • 85% of US citizens call themselves Christian (75% of Israelis call themselves Jewish) • 75% pray daily, 33% attend church weekly (self-reported)

  31. Religion in the U.S. • Misinterpretation of the Bible common • Only 40% of Americans can name more than 4 of the 10 commandments • 50% can cite any of the four authors of the Gospels • 12% believe Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife • 75% believe the Bible teaches that “God helps those who help themselves” (Ben Franklin)

  32. Religion in the U.S. • “Most Americans have replaced the Christianity of the Bible, with its call for deep sharing and personal sacrifice, with competing creeds” • Bill McKibben • Stress personal responsibility over collective action • Celebrate financial success • Apocalyptics

  33. Solutions • Increase funding of public education • Independent scientific review of school curricula • Prohibit use of sponsored curricula • Establish safeguards re corporate involvement in academic research • Higher standards of journalism • Support alternative media

  34. Slide Shows, Articles, References, Contact Information Public Health and Social Justice Website http://www.publichealthandsocialjustice.org or http://www.phsj.org Martin Donohoe martindonohoe@phsj.org

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