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Brazil's catastrophic weather spawns spate of conspiracy theories

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By Maria-Eduarda JOIA

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Unfortunately in some parts of the world scientific literacy is going backwards, and when a clear well proved source for disasters is found people with low (or no) understanding of the science will instead turn into conspiracies and irrational denial to excuse not assuming their responsibility, it will never be that they support politicians that make climate change worse, the answer must be that impossible conspiracy they choose to believe. Further complicated by the negative, antisocial personalities of the same people, making them repeat things they themselves understand are false.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

"Con-trails" is a shortened form of "condensation trails." The first known use of the term is from 1943, to describe the visible trails left behind by high flying aircraft. Jet fuel exhaust is not required to form a condensation trail. Rather, the change in pressure in the atmosphere as air is forced to go around an aircraft flying at high altitude causes a human formed cloud. Usually the cloud behind an airplane does not last long, as it often quickly dissipates back into the air, depending on local humidity.

Contrails are not called "chem trails" because there almost no chemicals in the contrails. In the case of airplanes with internal combustion engines, the only chemicals are the normal exhaust that one would expect from an internal combustion engine.

It is easy to see how those who do not know how contrails are formed, and dissipate, might be suspicious of nefarious activity, but if one reflects on the reality behind the phenomena of contrails, it is easy to see how they are a benign byproduct of an object creating a localized pressure ridge as it travels through the upper atmosphere at high speed.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Taken together, the theories paint an ominous picture that somehow denies climate change while blaming governments and scientific institutions that supposedly are orchestrating "planned tragedies" for murky motives.

There's a lot of it about for the hard of thinking and others who don't wanna change their selfish, nihilistic way of life. How about Marjorie TG's Jewish space lasers? She must be the totem. Hell, I might even prefer whatever the murky orchestrators have planned than the deniers do nothing, business as usual, do the oil companies' bidding strategy. Can't be worse!

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Unfortunately in some parts of the world scientific literacy is going backwards

That may be the case, but I wonder if it is the increase in social media output that exposes more nutters to more nonsensical ideas. I'd be interested to know about the general level of scientific awareness among the population.

Having said that, I've read that contrails do contribute to global warming and have a greater effect than the levels of CO2 emitted by aircraft (link below).

https://www.science.org/content/article/aviation-s-dirty-secret-airplane-contrails-are-surprisingly-potent-cause-global-warming

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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