Misinformation & Misdirection: When Will Enough Be Enough? by Niamh Guiry

26 Jul 2023

Within the past week alone, we have seen apocalyptic images of raging wildfires in Greece and videos of a tornado and ‘golf-ball sized hail’ in Italy, all the while brutal heatwaves are tearing their way across Europe. I regret to inform you (if you did not already know) that these are not freak occurrences. What we are witnessing are the devastating and deadly effects of the climate crisis.

Given that scientists and environmentalists have been ringing the alarm bell for decades, you might be wondering why our leaders didn’t take the necessary action to mitigate and adapt to climate change years ago. While undoubtedly a lack of political will has played a role, a portion of this inaction must be credited to the deliberate and sustained efforts of powerful anti-climate lobby groups and vested interests who are hindering climate action in favour of the unsustainable (and inequitable) status quo.

In his book The New Climate War, climate scientist Prof Michael E Mann describes the central tactics used by fossil fuel lobbyists as the following: Deflection, delay, division, despair-mongering, and doomism. These tactics are designed to disempower us in several ways, including convincing us that we have reached the point of no return and taking action now is pointless, putting the focus on individual lifestyle choices instead of systemic change, and creating bitter divisions between communities and pitting them against one another. Credit where credit is due, these tactics have been incredibly successful. While The New Climate War largely discusses these tactics in the context of the fossil fuel industry, these strategies are also used by other actors, including some in the agricultural sector.

Evidence of such dynamics can be seen here in Ireland and the wider EU realm, including in relation to the recent Nature Restoration Law (NRL). The proposed NRL sought to restore ‘at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030’ and repair ‘all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050’. Going through several stages of negotiations and votes at the EU Council and EU Parliament levels in June and July 2023, the NRL got significant pushback, with some opponents being influenced by ‘lobbyists in favour of intensive agriculture, fisheries and the forestry industry, who say that the law would cut jobs and undermine food and energy security’. Conflicting narratives also emerged from our politicians, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar stating that aspects of the proposed law ‘go too far’ while Green Party leader Eamon Ryan criticised the ‘scaremongering’ that was being perpetrated by NRL opponents. Irish MEPs were also seen to be flip-flopping between sides of opposition and support, altogether adding to the confusion and misconceptions around the NRL and its aims. In the end, the NRL passed but was significantly diluted.

Furthermore, just last week, Pádraic Fogarty, an ecologist and environmental campaigner, resigned from his position as Campaigns Officer at the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) after the IWT Board edited his blog post to ‘remove political references that could be perceived to be divisive’ following a complaint from the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA). Fogarty’s resignation has sparked criticism of the IFA as this controversy speaks to a wider issue; the ‘misleading narratives’ that are being spread and consequently impeding political debate and the systemic change that we all so desperately need.

Despite claims that ‘Irish agriculture is one of the most sustainable in the world’, this sector was ‘directly responsible’ for 38.4% of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2022. What’s more, failing to combat rising national emissions will negatively impact us all, including our farmers. Agriculture is a huge part of Irish society, employing approximately 300,000 people (either directly or indirectly) and some of the risks being faced by our agricultural sector include increased pests and pathogens, longer periods of drought and heavy rainfall, and limited water availability, all of which disrupt food production and threaten our food security.

At this point, we cannot afford to point fingers at one another or fall for one of the many other calculating inactivist tactics, which leads us to an important question: How can we combat such efforts so that our political leaders and environmental advocates don’t succumb to overriding pressure and compromise climate action?

From tossing soup at famous pieces of art, blocking traffic, to gluing their hands to airport runways, and dousing the buildings of anti-climate lobbyists with paint, many concerned and (rightfully) angry citizens are turning to acts of civil disobedience in a bid to demand action from our leaders. These high-profile protests garner significant media attention, both positive and negative. Whether you think these tactics are useful or merely serve to inconvenience the everyday person and alienate them from the climate movement, it is safe to say that people are and will be significantly more ‘inconvenienced’ (and much worse) by the impacts of climate change.

With projections of missed climate targets, inadequate implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, and continued pandering to powerful forces, as things currently stand I cannot say that our leaders fill me with hope for the future. We now have a rapidly closing window of opportunity to finally make the changes that should have been made decades ago. Having these conversations is not and will not be easy, to quote John Gibbons: ‘It’s hard to begin an honest conversation about striking a balance between the needs of nature and our agricultural systems when so many remain mired in denial about even the most rudimentary facts’. Furthermore, realising ambitious emission reduction targets and transitioning to a low-carbon society is, of course, not a straightforward endeavour, but the alternative is so unthinkable that, in my view, we have no choice but to act.

Mounting public pressure will help to incite positive change, but at the end of the day, our leaders need to be brave, stand up for the people of Ireland and the environment, and implement radical, transformative, and inclusive climate action. Anti-climate puppeteers seem to be unrelenting, but continuing to pursue profits and unsustainable growth over the well-being of our people and planet will leave us all as losers, albeit with some losing a lot more than others.

Globally, the stakes have never been higher, and yet, our leaders continue to be all talk and not enough action. How many people have to die or be forced to flee their homes, how many animals have to perish in wildfires, and how many habitats have to be lost before the message of life-threatening climate change finally rings clear?

Ultimately, in the face of record-breaking temperatures and all of the catastrophes that accompany them, what I’m asking is this: When will enough be enough?