Albawaba examines 2022's strongest conspiracy theory

ALBAWABA - One of the most widespread conspiracy theories that surfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic and endured till 2022 is that the world's elite have been working tirelessly, but covertly to sharply reduce global population with the end goal being to meet projected food shortages and to be able to rule a smaller and desperate global population.

During the pandemic in 2020 and through 2021, conspiracy theorists castigated the COVID-19 vaccine, warning that it was a poison, which will slowly but surely kill people, especially the elderly, cancer and heart patients, and those with chronic diseases or immunodeficiency disorders. Some theorists speculated that the COVID-19 virus was man-made and part of the plan to downsize the world population.

The conspiracy picked up again in 2022, when U.S. President Joe Biden cautioned in March, in comments carried by Bloomberg and various other media outlets, that food shortages will become a reality in the United States, Europe and other western nations because of Russia's war on Ukraine in February, which affected food supply chains.

Ukraine is considered Europe's food basket, and along with Russia, accounted for one-third of the world's export of food and barely, according to Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

However, the depopulation theory was widely debunked by several independent and reliable fact-checkers.

Lead Stories, a U.S.-based fact checking platform, questioned: "Is the purpose of COVID-19 vaccines to 'kill off a large proportion of the population?'"

"No, there's no evidence that's true: The idea stems from a sprawling conspiracy theory that alternately posits COVID, the vaccines or both as being manufactured with the goal of depopulating Earth," it added in a fact-checking report, which strongly dismissed the allegation.

Conspiracy theories arise when people lose trust in authorities and leading figures, as well as in times of crisis. Although conspiracy theorists have been around for decades, technology and social media have helped accelerate the speed at which news, rumors and conspiracy theories travel.

Is Bill Gates the depopulation agenda’s mastermind?

One of the most circulated conspiracy theories was about none other than American philanthropist billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and how he is behind the plan to kill millions of people across the globe. 

Conspiracy theorists even used Gates’ 2014 TED Talk to highlight that he predicted a virus that will kill millions and then went on to create it. One study done by The New York Times and Zignal Labs reports that there were 1.2 million mentions of theories linking Bill Gates to COVID-19 between February and April of 2020. 

But the conspiracy theories did not stop there, because as soon as vaccines became available, many were quick to point fingers at Gates and insinuate that the vaccine is deadly and that he is trying to implant chips in people.

For instance, one post circulated the internet in late 2020, which showed a newspaper with a section titled, “Depopulation Through Forced Vaccination: The Zero Carbon Solution”, alongside Gates’ picture. And even though the post was first checked and debunked by several agencies like Reuters and AAP, the belief that the vaccine was intended to kill people is still circulating.

Is the U.N. trying to depopulate earth?

Gates was not the only one at the receiving end of conspiracy theorists because many were also targeted the U.N., claiming that their 2021 Plan highlights the sustainable goals to be achieved by 2021. However, extremists believe that this plan is part of the U.N’s hidden agenda to lower the world’s population. With such a belief already implanted in people’s minds, the pandemic helped further accelerate the idea that depopulation is a conspiracy theory. 

The “Great Reset”

In June 2020, The Prince of Wales’s Sustainable Market Initiative and the Switzerland-based think tank World Economic Forum introduced “The Great Reset” as a way to tell everyone that this is our chance to reset our world and do things right this time. 

However, even though the video was intended to remind people that we need to do a better job of taking care of our planet, conspiracy theorists used the idea to highlight that this is another way to depopulate the world. 

What’s next?

Although it has been almost three years since the pandemic hit, it is reported that one in 20 adults in the U.K. still believe that COVID-19 was intentionally created as part of the plan to depopulate the world.

Additionally, when a documentary titled “Died Suddenly” premiered on Twitter in November 2022, conspiracy theories linking COVID-19 to death were reignited. Not only that but the message behind the documentary was to say that world elites were using COVID-19 vaccines to depopulate. But the claims were quickly rebuffed by science and research that suggests that the vaccine is safe and has saved millions of lives.

Conspiracy theorists have shown resilience and true dedication to trying to prove that there is a depopulation agenda hidden in plain sight. However only time will tell whether or not there is any truth behind the so-called depopulation agenda.

What do you think? Care to share your thoughts?