“We cannot solve this problem alone through better stories or by releasing more science and fact-checking. Research has repeatedly shown that misinformation is gaining ground because this type of content drives the attention economy and optimizes systems to maximize interactions on social media. Platforms must reduce the impact of hoax super-spreaders and make it harder, longer and less profitable to “go viral” by lying about the climate crisis. “If we don’t solve this fundamental architectural problem, we will have difficulty making real changes to all the others. »
This is the latest conclusion of a report from the Climate Action Coalition Against Disinformation (CAAD) presented at COP29, which is being held this week in Azerbaijan. This is the fourth edition of the study carried out by this group of 50 environmental organizations and the fight against disinformation, which for several years has offered an annual bibliography on climate hoaxes and the objectives of those who spread them.
This year’s text, however, presents a “darker conclusion.” This “does not refer to any specific trend” among disinformation spreaders, but rather that they may continue to profit from hoaxes and contaminate public discourse about the crisis. “While the exact content may change from year to year, we are struck by the fact that much remains the same and little has been done to address the root causes,” the organizations point out.
Rather than being relegated to the margins of public discourse, our data suggests that such stories are becoming more common, more violent and more impactful with repetition.
“Big Tech is actively fueling the climate crisis by enabling oil and disinformation actors to spread lies and undermine climate action,” they denounce: “Instead of being relegated to the margins of public discourse, our Evidence suggests that such narratives become more habitual, more violent and more impactful through repetition.
More and more visibility for super-misinformants
Misinformation about climate change spreads widely on social media, including attacks on renewable energy, denial of the link between climate change and extreme weather events, and promotion of conspiracy theories about climate manipulation. This latter dynamic is repeated all over the world, from the deadly fires in Hawaii to the catastrophic floods in DANA.
The Coalition’s analysis highlights the influence of disinformation super-spreaders in amplifying misleading narratives and eroding public trust in climate science. Social media algorithms are attracted to the extreme speech these profiles receive, multiplying their visibility. The study cites examples of X and TikTok accounts and YouTube channels that grew from tens to hundreds of thousands of followers as they escalated the belligerence of climate hoaxes.
Studies have shown that repeated exposure to climate denial claims makes them more credible and convincing, even to those who claim to be concerned about the climate crisis.
His tactic of repeatedly making the same mistakes has an effect. “While the exact examples may vary, the key stories of the past year are strikingly similar to those identified by CAAD at COP26. This demonstrates the persistence or “stickiness” of misinformation and how arguments and images are recycled year after year. “Studies have shown that repeated exposure to climate denial claims makes them more credible and convincing, even to those who claim to be concerned about the climate crisis,” they say.
The situation is made worse because these platforms lack clear rules on what constitutes climate disinformation and restrict studies conducted by external researchers. They also do not take action against accounts that repeatedly spread disinformation, allowing them to continue operating with impunity, the report said.
Payments from oil companies
Fossil fuel companies spend tens of millions of dollars on social media advertising to promote a “green” image and discredit climate policies. More than $17 million went to Meta, owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Thanks to this payment, its advertisements were viewed 700 million times by Meta network users.
The report focused on meta ads because it is the platform that offers the most transparency in advertising since the Cambridge Analytica scandal. However, this does not exclude other platforms from this practice. This often misleading advertising helps delay the transition to clean energy and perpetuates dependence on fossil fuels.
Advertising is continually used to whitewash the industry’s image, which risks leading to further critical delays in the energy transition.
“Despite frequent claims by the fossil fuel industry that it is expected to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, this is not borne out in its business plans or operations. However, advertising is continually used to whitewash the industry’s image, which risks leading to further critical delays in the energy transition,” the organizations say.
The study in turn highlights that combustion and oil lobbies not only pay the platforms, but also organize campaigns to manipulate astroturf. This term refers to propaganda campaigns that claim to be run from below, by grassroots users, when in reality they are paid operations.. The fossil fuel industry uses them “to lobby and convey more aggressive messages about fossil fuel essentialism and influence public opinion from a distance, with more plausible deniability.”
Increasingly violent speeches
Another trend highlighted by the report is growing concern over increasing violence in speeches opposing climate action. Although this phenomenon is not limited to a single type of speech, it manifests itself in various forms, from aggressive rhetoric to direct threats against individuals and institutions.
In the United States, this trend has led Holocaust deniers to lead violent protests and calls for civil war in the country. Threats against personnel of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have also increased, a phenomenon reminiscent of what happened to AEMET in Spain in the recent DANA. Harassment that can extend to scientists, journalists and climate activists, a strategy aimed at discrediting their work and undermining public trust in climate science.
elDiario.es contacted Meta, YouTube, TikTok and X this Monday to include their version of the Coalition report. YouTube declined to comment and TikTok explained, without referring to the content of the report, that it does not allow misinformation that does not allow “disinformation that may harm specific individuals or society, regardless of its intention” and that it works. with 19 independent fact-checking organizations around the world to evaluate content as events develop.
“Among all our efforts, we must focus on disrupting the disinformation economy and creating healthier incentives in our information space,” the organizations converge: “This means eliminating the profit motive of creators of content that misinforms and the technological platforms that profit from it. expose the techniques and messages of bad faith actors (whether corporate, state-sponsored, political, or individual). Most importantly, we cannot focus on tackling every individual behavior, but rather we must address the systems, the behaviors, and the actors they reward.
