The Antiscience Virus: A Threat to Humanity
The convergence of the devastating Australian Black Summer bushfires and the global Covid-19 pandemic has exposed a deeply concerning trend—the rise of antiscience sentiment, fueled by a potent cocktail of disinformation and deliberate manipulation. This “antiscience virus,” as we call it, poses an insidious threat, undermining public trust in science and hindering our ability to address critical challenges facing humanity.
Five interconnected forces drive this assault on reason: the plutocrats, the petrostates, the pros (paid promoters of antiscience), the propagandists, and, with some exceptions, the media. These five “Ps” operate in concert, creating a perfect storm of disinformation that threatens to erode the foundations of informed decision-making and evidence-based policy.
Plutocrats, including wealthy individuals and corporations, often with vested interests in maintaining the status quo, join forces with petrostates, such as Russia and Saudi Arabia, to finance and amplify antiscience narratives. Their motivation is clear: to protect their economic interests and obstruct actions that threaten their profits, such as climate mitigation policies or public health measures. They employ a network of paid promoters and propagandists to disseminate misleading information, frequently targeting scientists as enemies or villains.
This disinformation campaign exploits the power of social media, podcasts, and right-wing cable news broadcasts, effectively inundating the public with carefully crafted propaganda. The goal is to sow confusion, create doubt, and ultimately paralyze action on critical issues. The consequence is a poisoned well of public opinion, hindering informed public discourse and undermining the integrity of democratic processes.
Despite facing an onslaught of climate disinformation from powerful media empires, Australia has demonstrated remarkable resilience. Following the Black Summer bushfires, the Australian public largely rejected climate denialism, electing a government that acknowledges the reality of climate change and the need for action. While the current Labor government’s commitment to climate action has been criticized as insufficient, it represents a significant departure from the previous administration’s outright denial of the problem.
In stark contrast, the United States has become a fertile ground for antiscience sentiment. The election of the most antiscience government in US history underscores the vulnerability of American democracy to disinformation campaigns. The consequences are tragically evident in the Covid-19 pandemic, where widespread vaccine hesitancy, fueled by disinformation, has contributed to a disproportionately high death toll. The case of Texas, with a population comparable to Australia, yet experiencing four times the Covid-19 deaths, serves as a chilling example.
Several factors contribute to this divergence between Australia and the US. Australia’s compulsory voting system, absence of partisan gerrymandering, and preferential voting create a more representative electoral landscape, less susceptible to manipulation by extremist views. In contrast, the US political system, characterized by gerrymandering, low voter turnout, and a polarized two-party system, has created an environment where elected officials are often out of step with the views of the majority.
While systemic changes to the US electoral system may be challenging to achieve in the near term, addressing the root of the problem – the disinformation machine itself – offers a more viable path forward. Holding media organizations accountable for spreading disinformation is crucial. Australia has taken steps in this direction, with Senate inquiries into media diversity and documentaries exposing the role of certain media outlets in promoting antiscience narratives.
It is imperative that media outlets that prioritize profit over truth and actively spread disinformation face consequences for their actions. Just as they have been held accountable for spreading election lies, they must also be held responsible for promoting antiscience narratives that threaten public health and the very future of our civilization. The fight against the antiscience virus requires a concerted effort to expose and dismantle the disinformation machine, protect the integrity of science, and empower individuals to make informed decisions based on evidence and reason. The future of humanity depends on it.