Each week, BIV staff will share with you some of the interesting stories we have found from around the web.
Mark Falkenberg, deputy managing editor:
This primer on the epidemic of lies and weird conspiracy theories aimed at COVID-19 vaccines is by turns illuminating and scary. Nutshell: “Coupled with pseudoscientific content from non-experts, anti-vaxxers have created an alternative world.” – Global
https://globalnews.ca/news/8450263/infodemic-covid-19-disinformation-canada-pandemic/
Speaking of which, the truckers’ protests have had many of the hallmarks of the kinds of Russian anti-democracy psyops that helped install Trump in the White House in 2016, including the strategic social-media amplification of disinformation and hate. This story notes some of those hallmarks, including reports that “a single, stolen account was responsible for administering four of the most prominent Facebook groups at the centre of organizing and promoting the protests,” and that the blockades “were being promoted by fake accounts connected to so-called "content mills" in Bangladesh, Romania, Vietnam and elsewhere.” – CTV
Also speaking of which, this piece on the unpopularity of the truckers’ extremist message in Canada provides a bright side of sorts – and some context that has been lost in a lot of the coverage: “While the protests are generating a lot of noise and attention, the eruption actually points up a counterintuitive fact: The Canadian far right is weak and ineffectual, especially when it comes to pandemic restrictions.” – Vox
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22926134/canada-trucker-freedom-convoy-protest-ottawa
Timothy Renshaw, managing editor:
An interesting look at how Mother Nature handles reforestation in the destructive wake of deforestation. She does a remarkably good job, it appears, if given half a chance. Of course, she is up against the forces of greed, ignorance, poverty and politics, so the odds of Mother Nature's long-term success are not looking great in the 21st century. – Anthropocene
If you can get past the dense technical terminology in this feature, there appears to be good news buried in the potential of converting carbon dioxide emissions into methane fuel. Renewable energy from a greenhouse gas pollutant sounds like a profitable bargain to pursue. – Brighter Side of News
A cautionary tale for journalists and others who are increasingly reliant on cloud-based audio transcription services. – The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/16/22937766/go-read-this-otter-ai-transcription-data-privacy-report
Nelson Bennett, reporter:
First Nations and environmentalists have often joined hands in protesting logging, pipelines and other resource projects. But in recent years, as First Nations themselves have become more involved in those resource extraction or development activities, some are telling non-aboriginal activists to butt out. In this opinion piece, Chris Sankey, a Lax Kw’alaams businessman, talks about “neo-colonialists” who claim to speak on behalf of indigenous people and “one-sided, ivory-tower activism.” – The Globe and Mail
SoCalGas is proposing a new green hydrogen initiative in California. But in this Forbes piece, David Blackmon wonders out loud whether environmentalists will protest the green hydrogen pipeline that will need to be built. It’s a legitimate question, given that environmental activists have protested lithium mines and other projects that are actually critical to the energy transition that is needed to decarbonize civilization. Blackmon notes that “the green activist groups that support this energy transition are by and large the same groups that virulently oppose the construction and installation of new infrastructure needed to move energy to market.” – Forbes
