How deniers lie 1

The huge number of climate change deniers in parliament¹ has clearly demonstrated that a large number of our parliamentarians are not up to the task of representing us and making a decent future for their children and their children’s children. This is because they are gullible to the extent of falling prey to the propaganda put out by fossil fuel companies, their ‘think-tank’ mouthpieces like the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), or their proxies in the media (e.g. Alan Jones, Andrew Bolt), or are venal to the extent of saying and doing what fossil fuel corporations tell them, because those corporations donate money to their political parties².

The fact that politicians refuse to take account of the best available information from thousands of climate scientists and glaciologists around the world including those who contributed to the IPCC reports is a travesty. There are even numerous organisations in Australia who are able to provide appropriate information on climate change and its likely future effects. These include Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Antarctic Division, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and assorted university departments.

This is the first article in a series which show the techniques deniers use to spread their lies and misinformation. These techniques include the following:

• Repeating a lie³
• Using fallacious logic⁴
• Using dubious experts⁵
• Imposing impossible expectations⁶
• Attributing lies to opponents⁷
• Imposing bogus dichotomies⁸
• Assertions of incompetence⁹
• Assertions of conspiracy¹⁰
• Irrelevant obfuscation

These techniques are not only restricted to climate change denialism, but are also used by creationists; those who deny the reality of evolution.

Sources

1. http://www.blotreport.com/australian-politics/climate-change-deniers-in-parliament/
2. http://www.blotreport.com/australian-politics/parliamentary-climate-scientists-emboldened/
3. http://www.blotreport.com/science/deniers-lie-2-repeating-lie/
4. http://www.blotreport.com/science/deniers-lie-3-fallacious-logic/
5. http://www.blotreport.com/science/deniers-lie-4-using-dubious-experts/
6. http://www.blotreport.com/science/deniers-lie-5-imposing-impossible-expectations/
7. http://www.blotreport.com/science/deniers-lie-6-attributing-lies-opponents/
8. http://www.blotreport.com/science/deniers-lie-7-imposing-bogus-dichotomies/
9. http://www.blotreport.com/science/deniers-lie-8-assertions-incompetence/
10. http://www.blotreport.com/australian-politics/deniers-lie-assertions-conspiracy/