How They Made Us Doubt Everything

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How They Made Us Doubt Everything: 6. ‘Reposition Global Warming as theory, not fact’

6. ‘Reposition Global Warming as theory, not fact’

BBC Radio 4 - How They Made Us Doubt Everything, 6. ‘Reposition Global Warming as theory, not fact’

‘Unless climate change becomes a non-issue…there may be no moment we can declare victory’

'Unless climate change becomes a non-issue…there may be no moment when we can declare victory’. The communication plans drawn up by energy groups to make us doubt climate change.

‘Unless “climate change” becomes a non-issue…there may be no moment when we can declare victory’. We reveal the communications plans drawn up by energy groups to make us doubt climate change. From targeting ‘older, lesser educated males from larger households’ to making sure that those promoting action on climate change ‘appear to be out of touch with reality’; their ambitions were high, their tactics down and dirty. 

From climate change to smoking and cancer, this is the story of how doubt has been manufactured. This 10 part series explores how powerful interests and sharp PR managers engineered doubt about the connection between smoking and cancer and how similar tactics were later used by some to make us doubt climate change. 
With the help of once-secret internal memos, we take you behind boardroom doors where such strategies were drawn up and explore how the narrative changed on one of the most important stories of our time - and how the marketing of doubt has undermined our willingness to believe almost everything. 

In this programme it is stated that a report by 'Informed Citizens for the Environment' discusses targeting what they call 'lower educated white males.' It is in fact a paraphrase of what is said in the report.

Presenter: Peter Pomerantsev
Producer: Phoebe Keane

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Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

From smoking and cancer to climate change, this is the story of how to manufacture doubt.

How some of the world's most powerful interests made us doubt the connection between smoking and cancer, and then how the same tactics were used to make us doubt climate change.

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How They Made Us Doubt Everything

6. ‘Reposition Global Warming as theory, not fact’

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