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The Tobacco Playbook: 6. From Fact to Theory

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

鈥楿nless 鈥渃limate change鈥 becomes a non-issue鈥here may be no moment when we can declare victory鈥. We reveal the communications plans drawn up by energy groups to make us doubt climate change. From targeting 鈥榦lder, lesser educated males from larger households鈥 to making sure that those promoting action on climate change 鈥榓ppear to be out of touch with reality鈥; 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

Available now

14 minutes

Broadcast

  • Mon 3 Aug 2020 13:45

How the oil industry made us doubt climate change

How the oil industry made us doubt climate change

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

Podcast