Hey #California, your mates from Oz here. We had fires like yours last summer. The right wing media, led by Rupert Murdoch, and their political supporters gaslit the nation into not blaming it on climate change. Here's what you can expect (THREAD 1/11): #californiafires2020

First, there will be lots of reports about how bad the fires are as straight news. But, as people see that this is climate science's predictions coming true, they will demand answers.

You can watch our documentary about the Australian case here: 2/11

Right wing politicians will say it's not caused by climate change because wildfires have happened before. 3/11

Someone, usually a paid commentator for Fox, a PR company, or a fossil fuel funded think tank, will come up with bogus research 'showing' that these aren't actually the worst wildfires in Californian history. 4/11

As the crisis worsens, they will look for a scapegoat. The fires will be called arson (regardless of their cause) and blamed on either environmentalists or the latest progressive boogey man. In your case, I'm guessing Antifa or BLM. 5/11

This narrative will be run by Fox commentators, then picked up by members of the government, and amplified back and forth. It will then be pushed on social media by an army of bots and trolls. Hashtags like #blmfires #antifafires or #arsonemergency will start to trend. 6/11

Their goal will be to flood the zone, no matter how false their explanations. Debunking won't work, because the campaign will not be about facts, just shoring up the base who may start to wonder if those environmentalists maybe had a point. 7/11

During the crisis, your energy companies will attempt to use the fog of war to get favourable laws or regulations passed/repealed to enable them to keep drilling and mining for fossil fuels. 8/11

People will die, property will be lost, wildlife will be devastated. And all through it, the media machine and the bot network will repeat the message, designed to distract people from the fact that global warming is literally causing your state to burn. 9/11

What can you do about it?

1. Repeat the facts whenever you can
2. Don't engage with trolls or repeat their frames. Don't use their hashtags
3. Give prominence to trusted voices (firefighters, local community members, volunteers) who are telling the truth
10/11

Good luck. We're thinking of you. 11/11 #California #CaliforniaFires #CaliforniaWildfires #californiafires2020