In the 2020 pandemic year, the use of the concepts of negationism and negationism has multiplied, and I think it is worth delving into the origin, meaning and use of the concept, especially when the controversy arises about what we are talking about. The dictionary points out that negationism consists in denying or denying realities or scientifically proven historical evidences in order to avoid or avoid an uncomfortable fact. Thus, some have denied the burnt offerings of Jews or Armenians and others have denied the Darwinian theory of evolution, defending creationism.

Climate change. In recent decades, a small number of entrepreneurs, politicians and scientists have denied the anthropogenic warming of planet Earth. Despite remembering an example of our environment, in 2008 Vágabriel Klaus and José María Aznar presented in an act of the FAES Foundation the book Planeta azul, no verde (Planeta azul, no verde), the first of them, the former Czech president, with written text, and the second, the prologue. In his view, environmentalism is a new totalitarianism that comes from communism and that is why the theory of climate change is absolutely dangerous. Bush, Trump or the oil multinational ExxonMobil have also defended, without complexes, their positions in favor of climate negationism, despite being a minority.

They are in the minority, because today scientific analyses and discourses more than ever corroborate the ideas of environmentalism. The ecological crisis cannot be denied at the time of the Anthropocene and our civilisation constantly meets the limits of nature.

The big deniers. With the advent of COVID-19, the appearance of negationism has been evident in the media and in social networks. But as we have seen, there are many publics and agents who use conspiracy theories, often in a contradictory way. On the contrary, I believe that the best scientific explanation for clarifying the origin of the pandemic is based on the biodiversity crisis caused by our species. If humanity does not respect the limits of the reproduction of life and the natural cycles that sustain life, collapse is inevitable.

That’s why the biggest and most pernicious deniers, in my opinion, are not “conspiratorial”, but political leaders who see this pandemic crisis as a particular and isolated event, who say that only with the help of technology (vaccines, digitalisation, 5G...) will we overcome this critical situation, and at the same time corporations seeking social control, growth and economic benefit. They deny a dignified life.