Denial and misinformation in defense of the tar sands: The case of a Canadian think tank

Abstract

Literatures within the sociology of science and environmental sociology often focus on climate change denial, misinformation, and the role of think tanks in fueling public skepticism. This work draws our attention to the arguments these organizations make and how they communicate doubt to the public. Less often have they focused on the ways that particular, locally emplaced organizations defend the material interests of the fossil fuel industry. This paper draws upon existing literature to perform a discourse analysis of the public communication (newsletters, press releases, website, blog, YouTube videos, and social media posts) of a Canadian think tank called Friends of Science based in Calgary, Alberta—the economic hub of Canada's tar sands. Through the analysis, I show how this organization works to cast doubt on anthropogenic climate change, communicates this doubt to the public, and slips from communicating about scientific matters—their stated goal—into matters of social, economic, and political advocacy. I show how this is done instrumentally in ways that protect the economic and social interests of Alberta's oil industry.