You may have heard of those measured bumps that never happen. Or the fact that some islands in the world may only exist for a decade or so before being submerged by global warming, but still exist half a century later. While global warming can be a threat, do we receive false survival warnings to prepare for when there is still time?
All major issues affecting individual nations, such as the 2016 presidential election in the US and the Brexit vote in the UK, or those issues that concern everyone, such as global warming and climate change, they are threatened by fake news that can lead to catastrophic results. While the topic of fake news has gained a wider audience after the 2016 U.S. elections, fake news has still had a troubling impact on us.
Fake news is not a recent phenomenon and has been around for a long time, but its impact has become widespread with the spread of the Internet and social media. The phenomenon of fake news has been helped by the rapid expansion of the digital medium and its ability to transmit any message around the world at breakneck speed. It leads to a situation where such fake news cannot be checked, verified or questioned before it is made available around the world.
Scientists deal with fake news. Scientists who study climate change are grappling with this fake news phenomenon that is capable of sowing the seeds of confusion in the minds of both the general public whose support is needed to implement changes to save the environment and those who take money. decisions that bear responsibility. to make decisions that, even if they are painful, are necessary to stop further environmental damage.
In such a scenario, it is necessary for scientists to redouble their efforts for a wider dissemination of correct and factual data so that people acquire more scientific knowledge and can appreciate the facts as they are and are not influenced by misinformation campaigns and false news. deliberately filtered. Global bodies like the United Nations believe that the sustainable development goals for 2030 can only be met if scientific literature and discoveries gain a wider audience.
Disinformation campaigns and deliberately leaked fake news and controversies have led to a situation where polls in both the US and UK show that although a large majority of scientists agree with the fact that the phenomenon of climate change in the modern era is largely driven by human activities. , the general population is not aware of such unanimity on the issue, while many believe that it is still an unresolved issue. Such a large-scale denial of climate change and its causes is a direct result of the scientific community’s failure to effectively challenge fake news on the subject.
A change of habits is needed. In their quest for the wider dissemination of correct and factual data, scientists must change their ingrained habit of sharing information among the scientific community as their primary goal and instead develop the habit of sharing their information not only with the community. scientific but with the scientific community in general. public too.
In their quest to disseminate scientific information, scientists must use the help of the latest technological tools to develop effective means of two-way communication with the general public. The new interdisciplinary field of translational ecology can help scientists work to transform environmental research into public policy.
Turning the current scenario into one in which society understands and appreciates your point of view and is able to determine and understand the facts about climate change is essential for environmental problems to receive widespread support around the world. One of the ways we can support the growth of the scientific temperament is by knowing what fake news is and trying to prevent it from spreading.
What is fake news? Since ancient times, rulers have been pleased to tip and plant news to serve their interests. But biasing a news story to suit one’s beliefs or ideology cannot be called fake news. Fake news can be described as a completely fabricated story without any foundation that has been floated by vested interests to serve its own purpose.
We are to blame too! Today, with the advent of the Internet, everyone from an individual to the media to the government has a stake in spreading fake news, although their motives for doing so can range from increasing political influence to the achievement of financial goals. or any personal agenda. But how do you know if the news is authentic or false?
When looking for fake news, look at the source of the news. If it is broadcast by a legitimate news source, it is most likely not fake, but if it originated from sources that you have not heard of or are known to be of a dubious nature, then you should take that news with a pinch. of salt and verify it from a known authentic source before you start to believe it. The most obvious solution to control the spread of fake news is human intervention. Technology alone cannot filter and segregate fake news. Realizing this dimension, Facebook has started such a practice and contracted with the International Fact Checking Network to investigate news that users have flagged as deliberate fakes.
To stop the spread of fake news, you must start taking responsibility for what you share yourself. Don’t share anything on social media without going into the details of the story or the photo. Check the source of the story or photo you want to distribute and only if they come from trusted sources should you share them.
Also start the practice of pointing out any fake news to its sender. They may not know the true facts and they forwarded it thinking it is true and you could help them stop the spread of such news.
Only those collective actions by the scientific community and the general public will help us address environmental issues like climate change.
Plan, prepare, protect, overcome, endure, endure, do it, and keep body, soul, and family together. You need a plan to prepare and protect yourself and your family. Survival is our strategy! “