Jun 24, 2025 06:48 PM
The new lies spreading about climate change
https://www.theverge.com/news/691183/cli...-solutions
INTRO: New strains of misinformation about climate change are spreading, meant to slow the growth of renewable energy needed to fix the problem.
Rather than flat-out denying the mountains of evidence that show that humans are causing climate change, more recent talking points aim to mislead people by casting doubt on potential solutions. Renewable energy has started to take off as a more affordable and sustainable alternative to coal, oil, and gas. Fossil fuel industry leaders and their allies — perhaps seeing themselves backed into a corner — have pivoted to more sly ways to keep selling their products and stymie the competition.
One of the clearest pictures yet of how this is all going down was just published by the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE). “What emerges is a picture of strategic disruption—carefully designed to appear moderate, reasonable, and data-driven, while quietly obstructing action,” IPIE says in its summary for policymakers.
“Strategic disruption—carefully designed to appear moderate, reasonable, and data-driven, while quietly obstructing action.”
Delay tactics can be considered the “new denial,” the report notes. It might manifest as inaccurate claims about renewable energy’s impact on the environment, or falsely blaming power outages on renewables. And we’re not just talking about trolls on social media — misinformation can stem from even the highest levels of power. The report names President Donald Trump, whose campaign accepted $74 million in contributions from oil and gas interests, as a “key influencer” when it comes to climate misinformation... (MORE - details)
Calling out quantum woo
https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/06/ca...antum-woo/
EXCERPT: Quanta in Distress is a short book; Hassani provides a selective rather than comprehensive technical critique of quantum mysticism. I found that I largely agree with his choices. For example, Hassani points out that the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics is at the root of much conceptual confusion; I think this is correct. As a result, however, he puts less emphasis on entanglement and nonlocality as a source of quantum abuse. There is nothing wrong with such a choice, and Hassani makes it clear that entanglement does not support fantasies such as faster-than-light communication or holistic connections between everything. Nonetheless, a reader looking for more details on exactly why nonclassical correlations don’t support mysticism will have to chase down the more technical references Hassani provides.
I also suspect that this is not the right book to recommend to someone who has already been sucked into mystical and paranormal beliefs padded with quantum rhetoric. Hassani, appropriately, is completely unsympathetic to quantum woo, but a reader not steeped in the culture of science may well find his uncompromising approach off-putting. I also wonder if all his explanations of genuine physics will work. I am no judge, as I automatically found myself translating the physics back into equations. In practice, a non-physicist has to trust the authority of Hassani and the community of physicists. Many paranormal believers have a self-image of fearlessly questioning the authority of ossified orthodoxies, and this book will rub them the wrong way... (MORE - missing details)
https://www.theverge.com/news/691183/cli...-solutions
INTRO: New strains of misinformation about climate change are spreading, meant to slow the growth of renewable energy needed to fix the problem.
Rather than flat-out denying the mountains of evidence that show that humans are causing climate change, more recent talking points aim to mislead people by casting doubt on potential solutions. Renewable energy has started to take off as a more affordable and sustainable alternative to coal, oil, and gas. Fossil fuel industry leaders and their allies — perhaps seeing themselves backed into a corner — have pivoted to more sly ways to keep selling their products and stymie the competition.
One of the clearest pictures yet of how this is all going down was just published by the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE). “What emerges is a picture of strategic disruption—carefully designed to appear moderate, reasonable, and data-driven, while quietly obstructing action,” IPIE says in its summary for policymakers.
“Strategic disruption—carefully designed to appear moderate, reasonable, and data-driven, while quietly obstructing action.”
Delay tactics can be considered the “new denial,” the report notes. It might manifest as inaccurate claims about renewable energy’s impact on the environment, or falsely blaming power outages on renewables. And we’re not just talking about trolls on social media — misinformation can stem from even the highest levels of power. The report names President Donald Trump, whose campaign accepted $74 million in contributions from oil and gas interests, as a “key influencer” when it comes to climate misinformation... (MORE - details)
Calling out quantum woo
https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/06/ca...antum-woo/
EXCERPT: Quanta in Distress is a short book; Hassani provides a selective rather than comprehensive technical critique of quantum mysticism. I found that I largely agree with his choices. For example, Hassani points out that the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics is at the root of much conceptual confusion; I think this is correct. As a result, however, he puts less emphasis on entanglement and nonlocality as a source of quantum abuse. There is nothing wrong with such a choice, and Hassani makes it clear that entanglement does not support fantasies such as faster-than-light communication or holistic connections between everything. Nonetheless, a reader looking for more details on exactly why nonclassical correlations don’t support mysticism will have to chase down the more technical references Hassani provides.
I also suspect that this is not the right book to recommend to someone who has already been sucked into mystical and paranormal beliefs padded with quantum rhetoric. Hassani, appropriately, is completely unsympathetic to quantum woo, but a reader not steeped in the culture of science may well find his uncompromising approach off-putting. I also wonder if all his explanations of genuine physics will work. I am no judge, as I automatically found myself translating the physics back into equations. In practice, a non-physicist has to trust the authority of Hassani and the community of physicists. Many paranormal believers have a self-image of fearlessly questioning the authority of ossified orthodoxies, and this book will rub them the wrong way... (MORE - missing details)
