“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”: environmental-climate conspiracy theories and populism at the beginning of the Bolsonaro administration (2018-2020)

The main argument presented in this paper is that the environmental-climate conspiracy theories propagated at the beginning of the Bolsonaro administration helped to foster a populist ideology – that is, the idea that there is a moral struggle between the 'good people' against 'corrup...

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Auteur principal: Klaus Ramalho von Behr
Format: Article
Langue:anglais
Publié: Centre de Recherches sur les Mondes Américains 2023-10-01
Collection:Nuevo mundo - Mundos Nuevos
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Accès en ligne:https://journals.openedition.org/nuevomundo/93640
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author Klaus Ramalho von Behr
author_facet Klaus Ramalho von Behr
author_sort Klaus Ramalho von Behr
collection DOAJ
description The main argument presented in this paper is that the environmental-climate conspiracy theories propagated at the beginning of the Bolsonaro administration helped to foster a populist ideology – that is, the idea that there is a moral struggle between the 'good people' against 'corrupt elites' and that the populist leader is the only legitimate representative of this people because he represents their moral values. To support this argument, we conducted a qualitative content analysis of 36 conspiratorial speeches around the environmental-climate issue delivered by five actors from the Bolsonaro administration top positions (Jair Bolsonaro, Eduardo Bolsonaro, Ernesto Araújo, Filipe Martins and Olavo de Carvalho) between 2018 and 2020. From this qualitative analysis, we evidenced a conspiratorial structure as follows: global, intellectual, technocratic, and left-wing elites seek to instrumentalize the environmental-climate agenda – in particular by ideological indoctrination and alarmism – to justify widespread control over the nations sovereignties and the individuals freedoms. It was found that unmasking and resisting environmentalism were the two main moral messages that this conspiratorial structure emanates. In the face of this moral struggle between truth and freedom, in which climate change and the Amazon are embedded, Bolsonaro is presented as a patriotic leader who defends sovereignty, development, and the interests of the people and the nation.
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spelling doaj-art-e38bca10cc074abc8110e2f92fca40cd2025-06-24T14:16:23ZengCentre de Recherches sur les Mondes AméricainsNuevo mundo - Mundos Nuevos1626-02522023-10-0110.4000/nuevomundo.93640“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”: environmental-climate conspiracy theories and populism at the beginning of the Bolsonaro administration (2018-2020)Klaus Ramalho von BehrThe main argument presented in this paper is that the environmental-climate conspiracy theories propagated at the beginning of the Bolsonaro administration helped to foster a populist ideology – that is, the idea that there is a moral struggle between the 'good people' against 'corrupt elites' and that the populist leader is the only legitimate representative of this people because he represents their moral values. To support this argument, we conducted a qualitative content analysis of 36 conspiratorial speeches around the environmental-climate issue delivered by five actors from the Bolsonaro administration top positions (Jair Bolsonaro, Eduardo Bolsonaro, Ernesto Araújo, Filipe Martins and Olavo de Carvalho) between 2018 and 2020. From this qualitative analysis, we evidenced a conspiratorial structure as follows: global, intellectual, technocratic, and left-wing elites seek to instrumentalize the environmental-climate agenda – in particular by ideological indoctrination and alarmism – to justify widespread control over the nations sovereignties and the individuals freedoms. It was found that unmasking and resisting environmentalism were the two main moral messages that this conspiratorial structure emanates. In the face of this moral struggle between truth and freedom, in which climate change and the Amazon are embedded, Bolsonaro is presented as a patriotic leader who defends sovereignty, development, and the interests of the people and the nation.https://journals.openedition.org/nuevomundo/93640populismAmazonclimate changeconspiracy theoryBolsonaro administration
spellingShingle Klaus Ramalho von Behr
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”: environmental-climate conspiracy theories and populism at the beginning of the Bolsonaro administration (2018-2020)
Nuevo mundo - Mundos Nuevos
populism
Amazon
climate change
conspiracy theory
Bolsonaro administration
title “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”: environmental-climate conspiracy theories and populism at the beginning of the Bolsonaro administration (2018-2020)
title_full “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”: environmental-climate conspiracy theories and populism at the beginning of the Bolsonaro administration (2018-2020)
title_fullStr “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”: environmental-climate conspiracy theories and populism at the beginning of the Bolsonaro administration (2018-2020)
title_full_unstemmed “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”: environmental-climate conspiracy theories and populism at the beginning of the Bolsonaro administration (2018-2020)
title_short “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”: environmental-climate conspiracy theories and populism at the beginning of the Bolsonaro administration (2018-2020)
title_sort and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free environmental climate conspiracy theories and populism at the beginning of the bolsonaro administration 2018 2020
topic populism
Amazon
climate change
conspiracy theory
Bolsonaro administration
url https://journals.openedition.org/nuevomundo/93640
work_keys_str_mv AT klausramalhovonbehr andyoushallknowthetruthandthetruthshallmakeyoufreeenvironmentalclimateconspiracytheoriesandpopulismatthebeginningofthebolsonaroadministration20182020