Widespread wildfire, climate conspiracies difficult to extinguish
CTV
No sooner had the first pictures of fire-ravaged Jasper emerged than conspiracy theories about the cause of the wildfire started to spread.
No sooner had the first pictures of fire-ravaged Jasper emerged than conspiracy theories about the cause of the wildfire started to spread.
The Jasper wildfire complex, driven by dry, hot conditions and extreme winds, grew to over 36,000 hectares, making it the largest fire in the park’s history. About 30 per cent of the townsite, 358 homes and businesses, were destroyed when the intense flames swept through the town.
As the disaster in one of the most loved places in Canada consumed the country’s attention, familiar narratives about state-directed arson, lasers, lockdowns, and climate change reignited online.
Environmental conspiracies have a long history in Alberta. For a considerable portion of the population, these beliefs are the lens through which they interpret major events, according to surveys from Common Ground, a University of Alberta research project.
"There’s an environmental track of conspiracy thinking that has had a lot of traction in Alberta. And it continues to," said Feo Snagovsky, a University of Alberta political scientist and researcher with Common Ground.
In two separate surveys conducted in 2023, researchers polled Albertans on a battery of conspiracy theories. One question asked participants to evaluate the statement climate change is a hoax put on by world governments.
"In that survey, about a quarter of respondents said that was either somewhat or very likely," Snagovsky said.
