Trump officials address ‘chemtrails’ conspiracy theories while spreading misinformation, experts say | US Environmental Protection Agency
Trump’s recent attempt to dispel the concerns about “chemtrails” perplexed and angry certain experts who say that the administration has itself promoted conspiracy theory while distributing climate disinformation.
“This is an intriguing strategy … In an administration which, according to the agency, actively promulgates conspiracy theories or at least conspiracy thought,” said Timothy Tangherlini, professor at the Berkeley School of Information who studies the circulation of folklore and conspiracy theories.
Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a website on trails, Trails of White Vapor issued planes. The theorists of the conspiracy call “chemtrails” streaks and believe that they contain pollutant chemicals intended to carry out mass sterilization, control of bad weather or other harmful plots. Although “it is reasonable to ask questions”, these beliefs are inaccurate, the page clearly indicates.
Officials also launched a second web page focused on geoengineering, which properly notes that the patterns to “cool the earth by intentionally changing the amount of sun” are “to be studied”. He indicates that “the current federal research activity should not be interpreted as approval”, but without explicitly indicating that these efforts have not been widely practiced.
The websites have been published because basic rumors swirl by claiming that technology altering bad weather has fueled recent catastrophic floods in Texas. The EPA, however, says that he “planned a long time ago to publish these new online resources” on which he “worked for months”.
“Regarding floods, EPA is ready to help Texans get back on this tragedy,” said a spokesperson.
Sijia Xiao, a postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University who, for a study in 2021, interviewed 20 current and ancient believers of Chemtrails, said that conspiracy theory attracts many people looking for simple explanations to tragedies.
“Several participants in my interviews, they told chemtrails to their personal health problems or their environmental concerns such as pollution,” she said. “And in this example of the flood of Texas, I think people try to attribute a clear cause to a real problem.”
But as he discusses the false causes of the floods, Trump continuously avoided research on the climate crisis, which he rejected as a “hoax”. Research shows that the flood in the United States in the southwest would have been less intense without the climate crisis, caused mainly by the fire of fossil fuels.
“Rather than treating climate change – which makes floods like those of Texas, North Carolina, New Mexico and Illinois, more intense, more deadly and more frequent – Trump’s EPA is wasting taxpayers to pursue the theories of the conspiracy without basis that scientists have demystified years ago,” said the senator of Rhode Island Sheldon, Hawk climate. “It is a distraction of the free pass from the Trump administration to Big Oil on its pollution.”
Since Trump returned to the White House in January, the EPA reduced the financing of climate research, eliminated all the climate of federal websites and reduced staff for weather forecasts and scientific agencies. He also repressed the efforts of climate responsibility, including prosecution accusing the great oil of a conspiracy to spread climate disinformation.
The president has also repeatedly called green regulations as a “scam” and discussion points on the denial of repeated climate, while his administration has spread poor information on elections and vaccines. Two months ago, Robert F Kennedy Jr, Secretary of Trump’s Health and Social Services, also suggested that Chemtrail’s conspiracy theory is real, affirming in a television town hall that he “would do everything in my power to stop” their spread.
Even after Zeldin announced the new initiative, Kennedy seemed to maintain his position, praising the administrator and Trump for having taken “the diabolical mass poisoning of our people, our communities, our sailing and our farms, and our purple mountains, Majesty”.
“All of this contributes to this environment, this idea that you should have weak confidence in the institutions,” said Tangherlini, the folklore expert. “And when you have low confidence in the institutions and in information sources to which you have access, you will find a plausible story that resonates.”
Some have been able to integrate new EPA websites into these stories, saying that they simply provide evidence that the government continues to hide information on chemtrails.
Quick guide
Contact us about this story
To show
The best journalism of public interest is based on first -hand accounts of people at the current.
If you have something to share on this subject, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods.
Secure messaging in the Guardian application
The Guardian application has a tool to send advice on stories. The messages are from end to end encrypted and hidden in the routine activity that each Guardian mobile application performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us, not to mention what is said.
If you don’t already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS / Android) and go to the menu. Select the “secure messaging”.
Securedrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and publication
See our guide on TheGuardian.com/Tips for alternative methods and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
“Plot theory is a self-fulfilling feedback loop where everything can be transformed into proof to support their beliefs,” said Xiao.
Although chemtrail belief is not based in reality, real plots have existed through American history, said Tangherlini, including those that involved the concealment of secretly pulverized chemicals.
Today, the Trump administration openly dismantles the protections against toxic and warming pollutants on the planet, allowing companies to really conspire against the American people, said Aaron Regunberg, director of the Climate Accountability Project at the Consumer Advocacy Group Public Citizen.
“”Just as big tobacco lied to cigarettes causing cancer, great oil has spent decades to lead a vast plot to deceive the public on climate change, “he said.” That’s why Maga [Trump’s Make America Great Again movement] wants us to talk about these chemtrail garbage – because there is a real conspiracy involving their large pieces of oil that they do not want the American people to think. »»
