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Please do not underestimate how dangerous kind of thinking is. Ecofascism is rising, fast.
Let's unpack what's going on here (THREAD)....
1/ https://twitter.com/business/status/1200078223037673472
Let's unpack what's going on here (THREAD)....
1/ https://twitter.com/business/status/1200078223037673472
The original report is available here: https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/biz088/5610806
This is what "about 11,000" scientists signed on to.
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This is what "about 11,000" scientists signed on to.
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The central statement here is this:
"We declare, with more than 11,000 scientist signatories from around the world, clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency."
In the original framing, population was not the main point.
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"We declare, with more than 11,000 scientist signatories from around the world, clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency."
In the original framing, population was not the main point.
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Discussion also opens with this:
"The climate crisis is closely linked to excessive consumption of the wealthy lifestyle. The most affluent countries are mainly responsible for the historical GHG emissions and generally have the greatest per capita emissions"
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"The climate crisis is closely linked to excessive consumption of the wealthy lifestyle. The most affluent countries are mainly responsible for the historical GHG emissions and generally have the greatest per capita emissions"
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It then discussed a number of issues, including population growth, increasing meat consumption, forest loss, and increasing air travel, among others.
Finally, it offers six areas for policy intervention. The sixth is population.
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Finally, it offers six areas for policy intervention. The sixth is population.
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Under this point, the authors say that "the world population must be stabilized—and, ideally, gradually reduced" but they nod to "human rights."
They suggest access to family planning and universal primary and secondary education, especially for girls.
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They suggest access to family planning and universal primary and secondary education, especially for girls.
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Some of these 11,000 scientists probably saw this wording, and thought, "Okay, healthcare and education for all is something we can all get behind!" Especially because it was coupled with language about overconsumption by the wealthy, etc.
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But a lot of people, myself included, have warned against discussing population when talking about climate change, even when it's done in this way. And that's because of exactly what you see happening here.
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Population growth goes from being a single factor among many in the original report to the centerpiece in the secondary reporting by Bloomberg.
Scary sounding statistics about daily population growth are amplified.
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Scary sounding statistics about daily population growth are amplified.
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Note the Bloomberg headline, which is all most people will read: "Earth Needs Fewer People to Beat Climate Crisis, Scientists Say"
Later in the article, this is repeated and taken further -- we need "far fewer" people.
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Later in the article, this is repeated and taken further -- we need "far fewer" people.
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That's not actually what the original piece says, but that's the takeaway most people will get, since they are going to read Bloomberg, not BioScience.
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That's what will be picked up -- by terrorists like the El Paso shooter and by governments looking for excuses to control racialized and indigenous populations, and to curtail women's (especially black, brown and indigenous women's) reproductive autonomy.
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Scientists not properly trained in social sciences sometimes think they can make assertions that are independent of political and social context. But that's dangerous. Science is never neutral. It doesn't exist in a vacuum.
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Raising an alarm about population growth in the current political climate is irresponsible at best. And the danger here must not be understated: we are talking about genocide.
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Both the scientists and Bloomberg News are culpable for escalating dangerous rhetoric.
The correct assertion that overconsumption by the wealthy is the #1 problem here is obscured by the emphasis on population. Same with the call for education and healthcare.
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The correct assertion that overconsumption by the wealthy is the #1 problem here is obscured by the emphasis on population. Same with the call for education and healthcare.
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The only message most people will get is that "science" proves we need "far fewer" people on earth. This is how ecofascism takes root outside of the far right, and starts to seep into the general consciousness.
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Are any of these 11,000 scientists in your field? At your institution?
A quick search shows a number of anthropologists, including a few cultural anthropologists. #anthrotwitter
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https://oup.silverchair-cdn.com/oup/backfile/Content_public/Journal/bioscience/PAP/10.1093_biosci_biz088/3/biz088_supplemental_file_s1.pdf
A quick search shows a number of anthropologists, including a few cultural anthropologists. #anthrotwitter
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https://oup.silverchair-cdn.com/oup/backfile/Content_public/Journal/bioscience/PAP/10.1093_biosci_biz088/3/biz088_supplemental_file_s1.pdf
We need to hold ourselves and each other accountable for the impacts of our research on the world. There's no such thing as just "telling it like it is."
/end
/end
Sorry, that link to the 11,000 names isn't working. Trying again: https://oup.silverchair-cdn.com/oup/backfile/Content_public/Journal/bioscience/PAP/10.1093_biosci_biz088/3/biz088_supplemental_file_s1.pdf?Expires=1577686153&Signature=ATumIyJUgwV2njgJa-ESbT2wI20r0x9nM3w8-eKRAwLO0rkYYFrM-JDia-t4jZqN9t0KHSnwftomaZ4fo5taO-lBMHjokKC54pX9masr9uW48KL-tuMFCiCtwSzBxBSX6VGnhOLJGyV5Hx-ONgeBwmSYnDXznrg0OGkGhop9ChnG2Yt5bafC6UQh8bStVJ9X-IYp98eGl~GAmevzZ~z1yHJLX6MMHxEYyYuz8dDxVbYHKG00hv5WuEyo-f9uteHOaz~wJAaMa8cUldGUGWB8vsT1HwQpMvBgWX~2ZErMAIEJCnCw~tDPSyUtySHz57LiZUK-N~OQZfcndBbkJHG8Hg__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIE5G5CRDK6RD3PGA
