cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/17586464
Threat level: NATO has also found that its adversaries, chiefly Russia, are spreading climate and energy-transition-related disinformation in order to undermine political will for climate action.
- It cites an uptick in Russian disinformation tied to the European green energy transition on social media and on online news sites. Russia, a major producer of oil and gas, has an interest in slowing the transition to renewable energy sources.
- Disaster-related disinformation is another emerging trend, which seeks to impair NATO members’ ability to respond effectively. This was observed, for example, in association with the deadly fire in Lahaina, Maui, in August of last year, the report states.
- Russia, for example, sought to benefit from that by spreading the narrative that the U.S. should be aiding its own citizens in Hawai’i instead of Ukraine, the report notes.
What they’re saying: “Russia and other NATO adversaries use climate disinformation to sow division, delay action, and cynically undermine the public understanding of climate change in ways that put people in harm’s way during climate-exacerbated disasters,” Kate Cell, a senior climate campaign manager at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told Axios.
Does Russia expect any significant negative effects (to itself) due to climate change?
They ain’t called “a gas station masquerading as a country” for nothing. The world switching to renewables, either proactively now or out of desperation later, would be a massive hit to them.
Other than that maybe climate refugees? But they likely intend to conquer the places these people come from anyway, and don’t have many qualms about “dealing with” unwanted populations.
Yeah, I think they may view it as an opportunity for prosperity for Russia. More usable land, more warm weather for crops and life. More labor (regulated by class). More power as the rest of the world gets hit by droughts, extreme weather and climate refugees.
I was gonna call this an own-goal, but this gives me a different perspective. Now it makes more sense.
