Outgoing Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson wants to see the renewable energy industry get more active in the halls of government to fend off fossil fuel-funded disinformation.
It’s been a year since the senator launched the federal inquiry that would start unveiling who is funding fake climate and energy news, and he urged the industry to play its “important” role in holding governments accountable to stay true to their promises to deal with mis- and disinformation.
“The industry you are trying to replace literally runs some of the parliaments of the world,” Which-Wilson said at the Australian Clean Energy Summit this week.
“Now, do you think you are at that level where you feel like you have that point of influence? And if not, why not? You have to think about how you get to that point.
“Every environmental problem in the world is ultimately a political problem because only politics and parliaments can solve them.
“I would probably start with trying to hold politicians to account… and see the clean energy industry get a lot more involved in political lobbying.”
Mis- and disinformation has devastated communities involved with renewable energy projects for years, from television news stations making things up in stories about wind turbines and electric vehicles, to farmers being attacked and ostracised for wanting to host projects on land they own.
Misinformation is the spread of false information, regardless of whether there is an intent to harm or mislead. But when an individual or organisation spreads misinformation with the intent to influence public opinion, this is known as disinformation.
The inquiry delivered a report with 21 recommendations in March which the federal government adopted but now needs to invest in to make happen, from better funding for research and independent media to wrestling with the algorithm.
Whish-Wilson says the inquiry itself was a “living laboratory” of how disinformation works, with multiple articles in News Corp media and 15,000 emails coming into his office from conservative lobby group Advance attacking it before submissions even began.
“It was really quite fascinating to see how quickly the… denial machine kicked into gear,” he said.
“But I think we then reached a point where they realised that this was being noticed by the committee, and social researchers all around the world were studying this process, and then things changed. It was quite interesting to see how it evolved.”
United front
The US-based Atlas Network has been accused of funding anti-climate initiatives and like-minded think tanks around the world for decades, and is behind much of the organised opposition to renewable energy and environmental initiatives in Australia as well, the inquiry found.
Countering this wall of mis- and disinformation are individuals and groups who don’t work together and often don’t even know each other exist, Whish-Wilson says.
He told Renew Economy the inquiry received hundreds of different submissions from all around the world, including across multiple universities, but many of them said they didn’t know each other or even about other people’s work.
While governments need to take the lead against misinformation, a priority for industry and environmental groups is to come together, perhaps via a series of events or conferences, and identify a common goal.
The clean energy industry needs to play a prominent role given it’s feeling the brunt of misinformation and disinformation attacks, and given its ambition to replace coal and gas in the economy.
“We need to understand that there are interests out there that are deliberately degrading our information environment, particularly around climate change,” Whish-Wilson says.
“We’ve got to come together and we’ve got to fight back. To use Chris Barry’s term, we need to fight an asymmetrical information response, and we can do that.”
And how should the industry start fighting fire with fire?
Clean Energy Council spokesperson Chris O-Keefe had practical advice for developers worried about conservative media blowback on their projects: buy advertising in the papers and news outlets they’re most worried about.
“I am telling you, hand on heart, that if you advertise with a radio station or you advertise with a newspaper, it takes the sting out of the coverage. They might pretend it doesn’t, but it absolutely does,” he said at the summit.
“If you are on the cusp of a big project or a big milestone, look to your local newspaper and partner with them. Look to your local radio station and partner with the TV station, [set up] commercial partnerships with these guys. They are dying for money.”
Editor’s note: The renewable energy industry might also consider supporting news organisations such as Renew Economy. How many wind and solar developers out there have spent a single dollar supporting this web site’s work over the past 15 years? Not many.
