‘Everything is back to normal’

Conspiracy theories can be dangerous because the spread of misinformation affects our ability to make positive changes that can make our planet a much better place to live.

On a Reddit thread dedicated to conspiracy theories, someone has a collection of screenshots from a post by Kashif Khan attributing the flooding in North Carolina during Hurricane Helene to potential lithium mining in the state.

Khan’s post claimed that Piedmont Lithium was eyeing Gaston County for mining operations, and that flooding the area would lower land prices and save the company money if it expanded operations in North Carolina. Photos of flooded and damaged areas were provided for illustration purposes.

Apart from the fact that hurricanes cannot be controlled by humansmeaning no one could have “brought” the floods to the area, some Redditors also pointed out a notable and fatal flaw in Khan’s suggestion.

“Except Gaston County is the Charlotte metro area and didn’t flood, and the photos are of Asheville, an hour and a half away,” said one user. “Ouch!”

“I live in Gaston, less than two miles from the proposed mine,” another added. “Some trees were blown down. We had no power for a few days, but now everything is back to normal.”

It’s not surprising that some people can get caught up in conspiracy theories as they search for answers in a rapidly changing world. However, unsubstantiated claims like these can cause real harm.

If CBS detailedAnother conspiracy theory that Helene followed tried to suggest that the government wanted to claim land in Chimney Rock, North Carolina, for mining activities, and that the damage in the area would make it easier to do so. However, Rutherford County Emergency Management said these rumors were “completely false.”

Meanwhile, with the US elections approaching, some have tried to blame Democrats for the damage in historically Republican areas, with Georgia’s representative Marjorie Taylor Greene a vocal exponent of this theory.

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Experts and officials have taken action to refute this suggestion.

Misinformation and fear can hold people back critically assess the root causes of these problems. For example, there have been hurricanes It has been scientifically proven that this worsens due to man-made global warming.

When people believe that the government or big corporations “control” the weather, it discourages efforts to reduce the production of planet-warming pollution that causes it. extreme weather conditions more intense and longer lasting.

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