Scientific Denialism and the Erosion of Academic Freedom in the Americas

• In Event: Academic Freedom and Democratic Backsliding in Latin America

Proposal

In recent years, the Americas have witnessed a troubling resurgence of scientific denialism—a systematic rejection or distortion of well-established scientific consensus, articulated to disinformation, political polarization, corporate interests, and the weakening of scientific institutions. While denialist narratives have appeared in various fields such as vaccine science, evolutionary biology, soil and mining studies, climate denialism has emerged as particularly urgent and globally consequential.
Scientific denialism, including climate denialism, not only obstructs public understanding and effective policy, but also undermines academic freedom: the right of scholars and institutions to produce, share, and defend knowledge without interference. In several countries of the Americas, scientists, researchers, educators, and students who engage in scientific and climate-related research - have faced censorship, harassment, defunding, and institutional pressure. These actions constitute direct violations of academic freedom and, by extension, democratic principles and human rights.
This research aims to discuss climate denialism in the Americas and examine its connections with broader scientific denialism and the erosion of academic freedom and democracy. Furthermore, it will analyze efforts to combat climate denialism and propose recommendations aimed at promoting science, strengthening democracy, and enhancing social participation.
Specific Objective include: (1) To identify scientific denialist narratives, actors, and structures in selected countries across the Americas. (2) To examine the links between denialist rhetoric, authoritarian governance trends, and restrictions on academic and scientific freedom and assess the impacts. (3) To offer recommendations for legal, institutional, and civic responses to protect science and academic freedom in face of scientific denialism.
The geographic focus is the Americas, with a primary focus on Brazil and the United States, and additionally Mexico and Colombia due to the size and socio-environmental relevance of these countries; and Chile, considering its recent constitutional reform process.
In terms of literature review, the main goal is to map and understand key theoretical and empirical discussions surrounding climate and scientific denialism, with a focus on their intersections with the crisis of contemporary democracy. Through a systematic search and categorization process, the review aims to identify national and international studies that explore the social, political, and institutional mechanisms fueling skepticism toward anti-climate change narratives, the factors that promote disinformation, and the strategies employed to address these dynamics in democratic settings. To guide the literature review and the writing of the paper, the following thematic structure is proposed: (a) Conceptualization of denialism and climate denialism. (b) Key discourses, strategies, and support networks of climate denialism. (c) Connections with contemporary political phenomena. (d) Relevant case studies. (e) Approaches to tackling climate denialism.

Author

• Jose Henrique Bortoluci, Maranta