Doubt

Provided by: The Climate Reality Project |Published on: April 27, 2021

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Synopsis

This engaging video shows how the strategy to spread doubt and denial about climate change is the same strategy that the tobacco industry used to spread denial of smoking's cancer-causing effects.
This is an interesting video with a documentary, exposé-like tone.

Related Teaching Resources

Subjects: Science, History, Health

Authors: The Climate Reality Project

Region: North America, United States

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

This video can be used as an introduction to the fossil fuel industry's continuing marketing, greenwashing, and propaganda.
Making the link between tobacco use and the burning of fossil fuels is incredibly powerful. Smoking tobacco is widely seen as harmful. In most social circles, it is frowned upon and culturally unacceptable. Secondhand smoke harms all those around the smoker. This is the same as emissions from burning fossil fuels. However, we as a society are not there yet.

Additional Prerequisites

Teachers will need to prepare discussion questions or embed the video into a lesson.

Differentiation

Teachers can integrate this video into language arts curricula when teaching how to evaluate the credibility of sources.
Students can discuss the questions, "Why do we accept the societal dangers of burning fossil fuels when we don't accept the societal dangers of secondhand smoke?"
Teachers can also mention current marketing from fossil fuel companies, such as BP's carbon footprint calculator. Students can analyze why BP, a company that sells oil for money, wants consumers to calculate their own carbon footprints.
A possible extension can be to practice media literacy skills and evaluating the source of the information.
Teachers can also follow up with this lesson plan about analyzing letters from different sources with conflicting opinions about teaching climate change.

Scientist Notes

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Resource Type and Format

About the Partner Provider

The Climate Reality Project

Climate Reality Project seeks to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every sector of society. They recruit, train, and mobilize people to become powerful activists, providing the skills, campaigns, and resources to push for aggressive climate action and high-level policies that accelerate a just transition to clean energy.