Find something, anything, that the lay public might be convinced is dangerous. Ideally, it should have a scary-sounding name, and have a non-zero chance of causing harm to people or animals. Start raising funds for a campaign, tapping public donations and companies that would benefit from regulation or prohibition of this stuff. Propose activist scientists as experts to sit on government rule-making commissions, while having any scientists who have ever worked for industry excluded. Commission research from other pliable scientists to support the necessary conclusion, and arrange to have this published in reputable journals. …Create simplistic, misleading public relations campaigns to sway the ignorant but vocal (and voting) masses…Rinse, repeat, profit.
This is how activists got the herbicide glyphosate classified as a “probable carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which falls under the World Health Organisation of the United Nations.
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Activists should not be seen as benign actors who do us all a favour by warning against environmental or health dangers. …[Many] exaggerate these dangers and infiltrate government agencies to secure laws and regulations that harm both people and the environment. It’s time to stop giving them a free pass, and start treating their claims just like you would treat corporate spin.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: How activists hijack regulators and demonize chemicals
