1.0Sightline Institutehttps://www.sightline.orgAnna Faheyhttps://www.sightline.org/profile/anna-fahey/Cigarettes and Climate and the Power of Doubt - Sightline Instituterich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="DYGoZvK2b8"><a href="https://www.sightline.org/2011/09/19/cigarettes-and-climate-and-the-power-of-doubt/">Cigarettes and Climate and the Power of Doubt</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.sightline.org/2011/09/19/cigarettes-and-climate-and-the-power-of-doubt/embed/#?secret=DYGoZvK2b8" width="600" height="338" title="“Cigarettes and Climate and the Power of Doubt” — Sightline Institute" data-secret="DYGoZvK2b8" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
/* <![CDATA[ */
/*! This file is auto-generated */
!function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document);
/* ]]> */
</script>
"Doubt is our product." So said an internal memo among cigarette manufacturers and their communications consultants back in 1969. We've written before about the parallels between cigarette misinformation campaigns and campaigns to discredit climate science, and about how doubt about climate works in funny ways on the human brain---even the brains of Climate Nerds. As it turns out, sowing and manipulating doubt has proven time and again to be an incredibly powerful strategy to stall action.