In the past, content that falsely claimed that climate change was either not happening or not a result of humans burning fossil fuels dominated disinformation channels. That's not the case anymore, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). Instead, the most common lies about climate change now have to do with denying the benefits of clean energy, attacking policies meant to slash planet-heating pollution from fossil fuels, and maligning scientists and advocates that push for change.
This kind of 'new denial' made up 70 percent of climate-denying content on YouTube in 2023, according to the report, compared to 35 percent in 2018. It largely centers around deceptive messages that 'climate solutions won't work,' that the science backing those solutions is unreliable, or that global warming isn't actually harmful.
[
add
]
[
|
|
...
]