The Reality Distortion Greenhouse
In describing Steve Jobs, Apple employee Bud Tribble said, “in his presence, reality is malleable”. Bud was describing Steve Jobs’ ability to make the impossible possible—bending reality through willpower, charisma, and persistence. Ridiculous deadlines and product ideas that Jobs proposed stopped seeming so crazy in his presence, and Apple employees’ vision of reality changed to align with his. Bud would later describe this as Jobs’ “reality distortion field”.
The term “reality distortion field” was a concept originally coined by Star Trek to describe the brainwashing capabilities of an alien species, the Talosians. The term has been used to describe many charismatic figures since, such as Elon Musk, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump. All of these men have the ability to gain ardent followers via their raw charisma and manipulation of facts. The reality distortion concept also aptly applies to the current discourse surrounding climate change—a sound scientific observation whose impact has been chipped away by charismatic politicians, influencers, and media. Much like the Talosians’ ability to make the members of the USS Enterprise destroy their own ship, our reality distortion field has us destroying the Earth’s fundamental systems.
The recent decision by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to rescind the 2009 endangerment finding underscores the difficulties society faces when a large portion of its populace and political apparatus becomes increasingly out of touch with reality. It is like being in a greenhouse that is getting hotter and more uncomfortable by the minute. There are those of us who understand the cause; we can see the glass structure and know that if we could just open a few windows we would start cooling down. But there are other people in here with us who refuse to see the glass. They instead daydream and only see the blue sky beyond. To them, nothing is wrong, and all we’re going to do is break glass. Our situation isn’t just a descent into a reality distortion field—but a reality distortion greenhouse.
Environmental Law in the United States
The history of modern environmental law in the United States begins in the 1960s, when environmental activism and works like Silent Spring brought issues such as air, water, and soil pollution to the forefront of public consciousness. Environmental law in the United States developed into a complex web of federal, state, and local regulations that interact with each other within an overarching hierarchy.
This legal complexity is necessary due to the characteristics of environmental pollutants. Pollution is not like other threats that citizens face; the kind that are handled by local police forces. Air or water pollution generated in one state can easily travel and poison citizens of another state or country. For this reason, Congress developed federal regulations under its constitutional authority to regulate commerce. States create their own regulations in accordance with these federal laws, and localities may then create regulations in compliance with both state and federal law. What we end up with are layered environmental regulations, all of which are built upon the foundation lain by federal agencies at Congress’ behest.
The benefit of our legal system is that it creates an equal playing field for the states. In other words, one state cannot attract more economic opportunities by simply having no regulations—to the detriment of its people and neighbors. The downside of the system is that the federal government can choose to stop waving around its big stick and repeal regulations. If this happens, states may run amok and freely pollute, with less avenues for recourse available to its neighbors.
One of the landmark laws enacted by Congress in 1970 is the Clean Air Act (CAA). The CAA required the EPA to set safe levels for emissions that; “will cause or contribute to air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public welfare”. However, this authority did not extend to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions until the 2009 endangerment finding.
Significance of the 2009 Endangerment Finding
The 2009 endangerment finding is a joint report authored by a group of scientists representing several federal agencies. It presents scientific findings in relation to GHG emission trends, related effects, projected climate change effects, and the projected impacts of climate change in the future. This landmark report fundamentally changed U.S. environmental law by providing official reasoning that the EPA can, and should, regulate GHG emissions.
On February 12, 2026, the Trump administration rescinded the 2009 finding on grounds that it was “one of the greatest scams in history”. In an official publication from the EPA, the scientists who wrote the 2009 finding were labeled “climate change zealots”.
The rescission of the endangerment finding is the most aggressive attack on climate regulations and environmental science to date. It undoes over a decade of progress in the fight against climate change, and eliminates GHG emission standards for power plants, cars, and more. While the legal repercussions and battles to follow are important, I am interested in what the context around the rescission means for environmental science at large.
Environmental Science in a Post-Truth Society
Science is a way of knowing. It employs empirical methods grounded in rational skepticism and involves a cyclical process of observation, hypothesis, and experimentation. In other words, science acknowledges that observation alone cannot lead to true understanding, and that evidence and repeated observations are required to prove the veracity of claims.
In our reality distortion greenhouse, trust in the scientific method has been eroded by the proliferation of media manipulation, political polarization, and disinformation. The accepted and proven finding that the climate is changing due to fossil fuel emissions has been labeled a “climate hoax”—a vast conspiracy by the global elite to rule the economy.
People seeing science as a hoax is concerning. Science has very few tools at its disposal to combat skepticism grounded in lies and wishful thinking. Scientists can provide facts and evidence to back their claims, but this effort is useless when people do not listen to facts. Additionally, the legitimization of climate deniers’ claims by the U.S. president’s actions fans the flames into an inferno. What can we do, as scientists and supporters of science? How can we return to reason and empiricism when people are hallucinating an alternate reality? The answer: I don’t think we can.
Now, I don’t mean to be pessimistic. But, I think getting out of our current situation requires more than better science communication. We have to first escape the reality distortion greenhouse. We have to break the glass.
Breaking Glass
The Apple employees under the sway of Jobs’ reality distortion field said that the effects of the field wore off after they had been away from Jobs for a period of time. In other words, the reality distortion field does not simply exist—it requires concerted effort to gaslight, mislead, and pressure people into believing the false reality. Therefore, it is within the people’s power to break the spell.
The first step in doing this is to develop critical thinking skills so you can help other people develop them. When reading or hearing about a new piece of information, ask yourself the following questions:
What is the source?
Is the source of the information reliable, and can the veracity of the claims be proven with evidence? Take a close look at any available data, and most importantly, the methodologies used to acquire the data. Look for large sample sizes, repeated observations, and sound statistical methods.
Is it hearsay?
Similar to above, is the source secondary hearsay regarding the primary source?
Who benefits?
Does the information benefit a certain group? If so, is that group associated with the source, and how would they manipulate the information to serve their needs?
Are there contradictions?
Does the information contradict other claims listed with the source? Does it contradict facts that you know to be true?
Is it objective?
Do you want it to be true, and are you willing to believe because of that desire? Does the information make an emotional appeal that may obscure the veracity of the claim?
Employing the line of questioning above doesn’t make you immune to disinformation, but it is a starting point for ensuring you are not easily duped.
If you’re reading this article, it is likely you are more concerned about other people believing false information. As an environmental scientist, I come across these kinds of people often. Below are some tips I use when trying to pull people out of delusions.
Stay objective
Do not get sucked into an emotional debate. One of the reasons the reality distortion greenhouse is so strong and prevalent is because it taps into core emotions. Confronting climate change means confronting anxiety over the future, feelings of personal responsibility, and guilt. Denial is simply an avoidance strategy to make people feel safer. Don’t try to correct a person’s feelings—it won’t work.
Don’t argue facts
Like many scientists, I have made the mistake of trying to provide factual evidence to counter false claims. Conspiracy theories work because they are good stories—not because they are formed on the basis of fact. So, don’t waste your time debating facts when they don’t matter.
Prevent infection
A conspiracy theory is like a virus—they are extremely contagious and difficult to treat once you become infected. Like any virus, the best treatment is prevention. We can inoculate other people against conspiracy theories by providing them a weakened version of the false claim accompanied by verifiable information. Psychologists refer to this as the “inoculation theory”.
For example, I have older parents who tend to get misled by AI images and disinformation pretty easily. So, I’ll tell them about AI disinformation campaigns I’ve come across, and how I was duped before realizing that the image or information didn’t seem correct. This primes them to perceive the disinformation as a threat (“Hey ma, I got tricked by this…”), and provides them tools to recognize the falsity of the claim (“…then I noticed the picture had six fingers, and I couldn’t find the information on any news sites”). So far, this approach has been effective.
Educate
Help your peers learn critical thinking skills. We can’t constantly fight conspiracy theories ourselves—we have to teach people how to defend themselves. Shifting people out of an emotional mindset and into an analytical one is paramount to breaking out of the reality distortion greenhouse.
What we believe to be true shapes reality, and the truth can be a surprisingly fickle thing. It is slippery, evasive, and hard to hold on to. The scientific method arose as a tool to grasp what is true and thereby understand the nature of reality. But when truth becomes a commodity, reality can readily be bought and sold. The creation of reality distortion fields, generated by charismatic figures and leaders, has effectively undermined what people consider true, and the recession of the 2009 endangerment finding by the EPA underscores the damage this can wreak on society.
People believe in lies because living in an illusion feels easier. But the truth matters, regardless of how difficult it is to confront. I would rather live in a world governed by what is provably true—the consequences of living otherwise are just too great. To those who agree and choose to combat disinformation alongside me, I leave you with the departing words of the Talosians: “[they have] an illusion, and you have a reality. May you find your way as pleasant.”
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