As wildfires continue to become more frequent and intense, devastating community after community, one Redditor shared an alarming instance of a theory as to what — or who — is responsible.
In a post shared to a Reddit forum dedicated to "Insane people on social media," the OP shared another post from a year ago by someone who believes, as the OP wrote, that "Wildfires are just a conspiracy."
"1st Cali, then Canada, then Hawaii now Texas!" the shared post read. "These fires are intentional. It's all government land grabs the 15 minute cities are coming."
A 15-minute city is an urban planning model in which residents can access everything they need in their daily lives with a 15-minute walk or bike ride. The model centers citizens instead of cars and has numerous benefits, such as reducing pollution that contributes to a warming planet, boosting local economies, and fostering community, which enhances public health.
The model has been proposed in major cities like Paris and Toronto, but according to CNN, they have also been the target of conspiracy theorists. The conspiracy is that 15-minute cities are a way for the "global elite" to confine people to their neighborhoods and control their movement in the name of climate action.
"Fifteen-minute cities is the latest victim in a broader trend," said Jennie King, head of climate research and policy at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue in London, a nonprofit that studies extremism, per NPR. "The unifying theme of a lot of these attacks and conspiracies is that climate change is being used as a pretext to strip people of their civil liberties."
Theories like this can be incredibly harmful. Worsening wildfires and other extreme weather events like hurricanes that come with their own conspiracy theories are the result of a warming planet, and human activity is a major cause of the rising global temperature.
Conspiracies give people a reason for events that seem unexplainable. Wildfires have been and will always be a part of human existence, but the fact is that wildfires will continue to intensify and destroy communities unless individuals and big corporations, especially those in dirty energy, take action.
As many commenters pointed out, educating yourself by listening to experts is a great way to learn about the causes and solutions to wildfires and other climate issues.
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Yes — always 💯 "Considering we're the most advanced species on the planet..... why does this keep happening? These people have been seriously let down by their education system…" said one.
"It is unfortunate that a significant portion of the US population clings to conspiracy theories instead of trusting scientists who have decades of data supporting their position," added another.
"Wait wildfires are a ploy to crest 15 minute cities? Lmao HOW and also when did we decide 15 minute cities are a bad thing?" mused one more. "I'd love to be able to get everywhere in a 15 minute walk or bike ride."
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