🟢 Check out our web dossier on climate disinformation https://lnkd.in/d5zPtYz9 👉 https://lnkd.in/d5zPtYz9 And the Climate Clarity Hub, developed by EU DisinfoLab and supported by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union, Brussels 👉 https://lnkd.in/e58QmGEu
I’ve posted here before about disinformation in general. But it’s something I’ll be talking about more frequently as I want to debunk the growing trend of climate disinformation. Let’s start with the basics. Climate disinformation is the intentional dissemination of false information related to climate change and climate action. It can take many forms: from blatant denial or conspiracy theories to more subtle forms of misinformation that downplay the causes and consequences of climate change. It’s often used by foreign adversaries such as Russia to disrupt societies or to push an agenda. In the past two months alone, Europe has faced a series of devastating natural disasters, including the catastrophic floods in Valencia, Spain. Amidst this tragedy, a wave of all kinds of baseless disinformation emerged: that the demolition of dams and reservoirs were to blame, that it was an attack by Morocco (seriously?!), or that the weather radars weren’t working. This is all false. Recently, Storm Chido brought widespread destruction to the island of Mayotte, an overseas department and region of France. The storm's impact was catastrophic, causing enormous loss and leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Separate research from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change & the Environment (attached to Imperial College London) and Climate Central at Princeton University confirmed that human-driven climate change contributed to the intensity of Cyclone Chido. Imperial College London estimated that cyclones of Chido's strength were 40% more likely in the warmer climate of 2024 compared to pre-industrial times. Climate Central at Princeton University said that human-caused climate change made warmer ocean temperatures as much as 92 times more likely. Climate change is the existential challenge of our time. It has far-reaching consequences for human health, economic stability, and the very survival of our planet. The spread of climate disinformation undermines efforts to fight this crisis but also perpetuates a culture of denial and inaction. It’s encouraging to see the EU DisinfoLab countering disinformation and recommending resources for accurate communication. But we all have a part to play in calling BS on climate disinfo.