In light of the drought recorded in Spain and with the approach of local elections, the Spanish Meteorological Agency has received in recent weeks offensive messages such as “you are murderers”, “criminals”, “we are watching you”.
After they were appreciated and admired, meteorologists in several Western countries are insulted and threatened by parties promoting conspiracy theories accusing them of lying or even of directly influencing the climate.
The Spanish Meteorological Service was accused, via social media, of fabricating the drought, while its Australian counterpart was accused of tampering with temperature records. As for the French Meteorological Service, it was said that it overestimated the issue of climate warming.
“Covid is no longer a trending topic,” says Alexandre López Burrol, a professor of information sciences at the Open University of Catalonia, adding that “conspiracy theorists who used to address the pandemic are now spreading misinformation about climate change.”
He adds, “The scientific bodies that they attack are seen as part of the existing system, which is the availability of evidence against the allegations made by those who deny the phenomenon of climate change, so they try to discredit the meteorological bodies.”
In light of the drought recorded in Spain and with the approach of local elections, the Spanish Meteorological Agency has received in recent weeks offensive messages, including “you are murderers”, “criminals”, “we are watching you”, and “you will pay the price!”.
Environmental Transition Minister Teresa Ribera denounced these practices, and tweeted on her Twitter account, “Lying, fueling conspiracy theories and fear, and insulting… are all practices that offend our society.”
The messages, in particular, came from supporters of the “Chemtrail” theory, which has been disproved several times, according to which the visible lines emitted by planes in the sky are traces of chemicals deliberately spread for covert reasons. These chemicals, according to theory, are meant to stop rain and cause drought.
Some have also alluded to the “2030 Agenda” theory, which suggests that global elites are conspiring to enslave people through the COVID-19 pandemic and climate-related policies.
“What is ironic is that they insult an institution that has always looked after their interests and seeks to contribute to the safety of people,” said Estrella Gutierrez-Marco, a spokeswoman for the Spanish Meteorological Agency.
