An interesting article in the Genetic Literacy Project lists the top 8 sources of misinformation i.e. lies, scaremongering and hidden agendas, that you might otherwise be conned by when you look for information about the environment, our food, and our health. (BTW, it’s well worth subscribing to GLP if you are at all interested in how science and modern technology affect your life, especially about food and the environment.)
It is worth looking out for these organisations appearing in your social media newsfeeds, because they are actually anti-science fronts working against humanity and nature, often by violent means and intimidation, and always by deception, corruption and lies. However, they grow and feed off unwitting dupes who have the best intentions, if not the best critical thinking skills, and who, while sharing a heartrending image of a cute animal or frightening you with dire warnings regarding your health, are actually supporting cynical, sinister and profit-driven corporations who care not a jot for you or our environment. Their real intention is to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt (from which they can conveniently rescue you for a ‘small’ fee) by bamboozling you with half-truths, gross over-simplifications, pseudo-science and outright lies.
Much of the criticism listed in the article, (and more generally available if you look, despite the best efforts of the highly-lawyered organisations to silence critics), comes from ex-members and supporters of these organisations, as well as from scientists and activists with impeccable credentials.
At number one, unsurprisingly, is GreenPiss. This €billion front organisation with offices in over 45 countries and fundraisers and activists in many more, has had its charitable status revoked by several countries, including Germany, Canada, and New Zealand.
The GLP report says, ‘Throughout its history, the advocacy environmental group has been criticized by a number of groups, including national governments, members of industry, former Greenpeace members, scientists, political groups, and other environmentalists.’ In 2016 107 Nobel Prize winners signed a letter calling for an end to GreenPiss’s campaign against the vitamin A fortified Golden Rice, and to abandon their dishonest and unscientific propaganda.
Next on the list comes Natural News, fortunately now largely removed from social media but still putting out lies and disinformation on a range of topics from health to climate change.
My non-American readers will possibly not be familiar with Mercola who operates largely in the US. Truly a quack’s quack and charlatan, there’s no cranky health too wacky for Mercola. Anti-vaxx, anti-mask but very pro expensive vitamin/nutrients sales.
Down at number 6 comes the Environmental Working Group. Despite its worthy-sounding name, this $8 million organisation is actually just a front for the organic industry (itself a $1 trillion scam.) EWG pretends to be an impartial research organisation, when in fact it is anything but.
At number 7 comes Friends of the Earth. Like GreenPiss, FotE pretends to be a science-based campaign but is actually a Luddite organisation opposing any modern technology, and one that has been involved in several suspiciously shady deals. For instance, it opposed substitutes for palm oil (which is responsible for destroying millions of hectares of orang-utan habitat) thereby actually unnecessarily exacerbating the plight of a critically endangered species.
The disinformation ‘market’ on environmental issues alone is clearly worth billions of dollars a year. Add in the vast sales of supplements, therapies and consultations for bogus health and nutrition scams, and it is easy to see how ostensibly public interest organisations can be financed as the propaganda and promotion arms of the business and provide very comfortable incomes for their principals.
But don’t take my word for it. Follow the link above and take a look. It will make you think and, hopefully, help you avoid being conned by these awful people and their lies.
PS. It might be worth remembering that I was getting all shouty about the environment way back in the 1960s – before most of you were even born, much less aware of the problems. No one can claim to be more aware of the dangers or more passionate about preserving the natural world. As far as I can tell, and I have spent years looking into these questions and trying to understand them (not to mention learning a great deal of science) these conmen are as serious a danger to environmentalism as any rapacious corporation or government. Don’t get fooled again!