Abstract

Recent empirical surveys testify to the presence of a substantial part of the population that is uncertain about a phenomenon about whose existence science no longer has any doubts: anthropogenic climate change. This essay sets out to investigate the causes of this uncertainty, with the aim of determining the circumstances in which agents can be blamed for their false beliefs. A few possibilities will be considered: the instrumental use of the issue by certain political parties; forms of self-deception; the spread of fake news or pseudoscience; intellectual traits of individuals that hinder the formation of knowledge. These scenarios have different implications regarding the possibility of expressing moral blame towards individuals possessing false beliefs. It will also be argued that another factor may play an important role in the creation of such beliefs: the inherent difficulty in communicating uncertainty. The solution, it will be observed, is not to eliminate uncertainty from scientific communication. Instead, it is necessary that experts, aware of their role in society, try to avoid attitudes or postures that can worsen ordinary people’s understanding of climate change dynamics.