Discovery Centre highlights mission to counter misinformation around climate change 

For Audrey Benoit, the price of food is ample evidence of climate change. 

“Hell yes, climate change is real,” said Benoit. “It affects our farmland. It is making it harder to grow food. I cannot afford to buy groceries, fresh produce as I used to. It is damn expensive now,” said Benoit. 

Benoit was attending an information event at Halifax Central Library last week hosted by staff from the Discovery Centre, the province’s science centre. 

Alyssa Merriam is a Discovery Centre science communicator who answered questions in the library’s lobby. The centre had set up a table for a couple of hours to inform the public. 

“All these things that we see happening more frequently like flooding, hurricanes, and wildfires, are expensive to recover from. It costs more to rebuild after these natural disasters that have become more intense due to climate change,” she said.  

 “Misinformation is also blowing it out of proportion,” she added.  

The session was a science outreach event to educate people about the dangers of climate change on our health and also about misinformation. The two facilitators had a microscope and various diagrams. They said the two biggest issues are people understanding science and people not believing the science.  

Merriam said climate change affects her personally, as smoke from wildfires made it hard for her to breathe properly for a week when she went to visit family in British Columbia. She had to take her inhaler every single day because she has asthma. 

Merriam said Canada’s colder climate and low population density means the country is “a big contributor to climate change.” She said Canada and the U.S. need to move more quickly creating green energy like wind power and solar energy.

“North America influences the world,” she said. 

Sara Kaiser, who also came to observe at table, attributed much of the problem to “vehicles and factories that do a lot of manufacturing.” 

“Industrialization especially in big cities is the cause,” she said.  

Kevin Cleary, another person who observed the table from the entrance, cautioned against what he said was “fear mongering.” 

“Have we not been on this Earth for long?” he asked. “Doctors have said we will die, and we don’t.” 

Andie Kroll, one of the event facilitators, explained the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is “like putting on more blankets. We are holding onto more heat.” 

In this age of social media, Merriam and Kroll wanted the public to always check the facts, dispel misinformation and question where information is coming from.