Pandemic spurs pushback against climate change regulations
This summer, we've been inundated with news of devastating heatwave after heatwave, unprecedented droughts, and raging wildfires. We’ve also been inundated with news and opinion on how European climate policies have left the continent in a position where it is over-reliant on Russian oil and gas to meet its energy needs.
It got me thinking about how conversations around climate change and those that deny or minimize its effect have popped up in the media.
According to Erin McAweeney, Director of Analysis at Graphika, a network analysis firm, climate conspiracists have latched onto the global attention on climate issues to push their anti-regulation agenda.
For instance, Dutch farmers continue to protest over regulations that require cuts to nitrogen emissions. The farmers argue that the policy will adversely impact the Netherlands' agricultural industry by limiting food production. Right-wing media have picked up on these protests to claim that green policies are disrupting livelihoods. Some far-right leaders, like Marine Le Pen in France and former U.S. President Donald Trump, have voiced support for the Dutch farmers’ cause, with Trump even going as far as to describe the situation as “climate tyranny.”