Friday, December 04, 2009

How state funded climate hysteria works

One of the lest commented on items from the UEA CRU file leaks was a government document that gives "the line" on how to run your Climate change propaganda. Its called "The Rules of the Game" - a title that betrays more that it perhaps intends to.

Remember there are public funded "neutral" civil servants producing this stuff. Here's how they suggest a Warmist organisation or individual proceed:






1. Challenging habits of climate change communication

Don’t rely on concern about children’s future or human survival instincts Recent surveys show that people without children may care more about climate change than those with children. “Fight or flight” human survival instincts have a time limit measured in minutes – they are of little use for a change in climate measured in years.

Don’t create fear without agency. Fear can create apathy if individuals have no ‘agency’ to act upon

the threat. Use fear with great caution. Don’t attack or criticise home or family. It is unproductive to attack that which people hold dear.

2. Forget the climate change detractors

Those who deny climate change science are irritating, but
unimportant. The argument is not about if we should deal with climate change, but how we should deal with climate change.

3. There is no ‘rational man’

The evidence discredits the ‘rational man’ theory – we rarely weigh objectively the value of different decisions and then take the clear self-interested choice.

4. Information can’t work alone

Providing information is not wrong; relying on information alone to change attitudes is wrong. Remember also that messages about saving money are important, but not that important.

......

16. Create a trusted, credible, recognised voice on climate change

We need trusted organisations and individuals that the media can call upon to explain the implications of climate change to the UK public.

17. Use emotions and visuals

Another classic marketing rule: changing behaviour by disseminating information doesn’t always work, but emotions and visuals usually do.


What the document contains is effectively a marketing brief for how to change peoples views without them being aware they are being persuaded. It marks out the issues to avoid and where people are vulnerable to the use of emotive images and supposedly independent experts.

But this propaganda effort goes further and is interpreted by each subsequent layer of government. Take for example the "Climate Change Communication Strategy" West Sussex Case study by the Department of Communities and local government and funded by the EU.

It repeats "The Rules", but goes on to give examples.



Seasonality

Climate change issues are most likely to be
raised in people’s minds at times of extreme weather – winter storms/floods - summer droughts/ water shortages – hurricanes/ heat waves/etc.
It is important to be in a position to exploit these times to maximum benefit.

Recommendation:

Identify and promote 4 seasonal events in 2007/8.
July – Water Festival October – 20 years since the “big storm” Jan – Floods and sea front flooding March – Spring Watch
Events for 2008/9 could also include Sussex Day.
Pre-prepare press releases that put climate change perspective on extreme weather events to enable quick response times

Well now you know. That annoying person who pops up every time the rain rains too much or the sun shines too long has been primed and waiting for their chance to use the disaster / drought / gale to brain wash you with the governments scientifically accepted and beyond all question truth.

But of course there even more sinister stuff in there, for example using children:






"Moving out of the Toilets" is an annual event for all secondary school councils in West Sussex. It is popular with students as a way to meet and learn from the experiences of young people from all over the county. The idea is to help move school council members away from issues like the state of the toilets, and towards more decision making and real results. The conference held in December 2005 was based around the topic of climate change.

The event was a successful engagement project that changed attitudes of young people attending a schools’ conference on climate change. Using unconventional language and mediums familiar to the audience, enabled participants to become more confident in discussing a wide range of environmental topics. (“Big Brother” style diary room).

It even turns up in schools as I reported a few weeks ago.

How is all this propaganda justified ? Because they say "The Science is settled". And they have been told to keep saying it until they are blue in the face.

And then there is the approach to brain washing the children, see this photo (left) from a secondary school wall I took this year. Just look at the UK's science museum on the subject as it tries to imply that Man made climate change has been proven here.

But the science isn't settled, not at all. So what this amounts to is state funded political propaganda and it must stop.

10 comments:

Elby The Beserk said...

Link doesn't (no longer?) works to "Rules of the game". No surprises in what you write though, it's full-on state propaganda time. What with this and the election, things are going to get very nasty in the media.

Man in a Shed said...

@Elby - thanks for that I've changed the link - try it again.

Barking Spider said...

These despicable excuses for human beings really will stoop to any level to get what they want.

thespecialone said...

Why doesnt this surprise me with New Labour? They lie and lie and lie again about everything. They really are awful propagandists. Think 'dodgy dossier' for instance.

The Filthy Engineer said...

Yes it's cynical manipulation to meet an end.

Here's the link if you haven't got it.

http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/originals/Monckton-Caught%20Green-Handed%20Climategate%20Scandal.pdf

Or at my blog.

The Filthy Engineer said...

Sorry wrong link.

http://www.futerra.co.uk/downloads/NewRules:NewGame.pdf

AntiCitizenOne said...

Look at the pictures of the Antarctic. Do they show a 50% increase in ice since 1980?

They did, before they disappeared.

I forgot rule #1 of blogging, always take a screenshot.

http://anti-citizen-one.blogspot.com/2009/12/antarctic-ice-has-increased-massively.html

banned said...

Nicely highlighted MIAS.
"Pre-prepare press releases that put climate change perspective on extreme weather events to enable quick response times"
Yup love spotting those when they happen; like the recent events at Cockermouth are coz of Global Warming and nothing to do with the fact that Defra no longer see fit to keep the rivers clear of detritus like the National Rivers Authority used to. Or how Seathwait had more rain than anywhere else without telling us that Seathwait has ALWAYS been the wettest place in england which was the reason I visited it many years ago ( and to drink some Theakstons in its very pleasant pub, The Newfield Inn ).

Anonymous said...

This kind of thing has Common Purpose's fingerprints all over it.

Anonymous said...

I clocked this Futerra presentation a few weeks back.

As far as I could make out Futerra is a "green/eco" communications consultancy pitching this to the Climate Change Communications Working Group which consists (or consisted maybe now) of a bunch of Gov Depts and assorted Quangos and "pressure groups".

I concluded at that time that it was not part of the working groups own official policy documents but could have been used as a blueprint, if they had chosen to go that way.

Anything, of course, is possible with this lot.

My daughter, who works in corporate branding / imaging said it was all quite aggressive and smacked of propaganda from the self righteous Guardianistas but having seen the ads of the polar bears on small ice floats and the use of children to"motivate" their parents the presentation paper had the hallmark of a pre-approved policy.

As I said, I think it was not an actual policy document but someone wanted it to be otherwise they would not have invited Futerra to submit.

What the fuck do I know, I am only a Panda and am used to being exploited by the WWF and various zoos worldwide.