Global warming is going in the wrong direction. The planet is getting hotter and hotter, while climate change is making the weather even more extreme. This is confirmed by one report after another.
The reports come from recognized research institutes and international organizations such as the UN. Yet there is a great deal of doubt about the results. This is happening systematically and to such an extent that the misinformation can hinder climate action.
This is shown by a new report from The International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE). The report is based on 300 studies on the subject that have been reviewed.
The biggest challenge to climate action is not a lack of knowledge. Instead, it is the spread of misinformation by a wide range of actors. According to the report, they aim to sow doubt in the public about the effect of climate action and also limit the political will to do something about the problems.
Professor: "A very big problem"
Klaus Bruhn Jensen, professor of communication at the University of Copenhagen, is chairman of the working group behind the report. He calls misinformation "a very big problem". When we talk about a climate crisis, we must also talk about an information crisis, he says.
- Of course, one should be concerned that the public is being poorly informed. But one should be particularly concerned that there is a very targeted dissemination of misleading information to actors who are central to making climate policy, he says.
It is politicians and relevant authorities in particular who are the targets of the campaigns.
According to the report, the fossil fuel industry and other companies with strong financial interests are among the largest actors who are muddying the picture. But more right-wing political parties and think tanks are also spreading misinformation.
- Climate misinformation is being amplified by institutions with the power to shape narratives and suppress inconvenient truths, says Ece Elbeyi, lead author of the report, in a press release.
- As long as these actors continue to manipulate the flow of information, the prospects for effective and fair climate action will remain dangerously out of reach.
Attack rather than denial
The misinformation is happening in a new way now compared to before. Instead of denying climate change as they did before, the actors have changed strategy. Now the campaigns focus more on attacking the proposed climate action.
The effectiveness, cost and fairness of the proposed measures are being questioned. This is probably because more and more people around the world are experiencing the consequences of climate change in the form of more extreme weather. Therefore, it will be difficult not to appear like "Comic Ali" if you deny that they are here. That is what Klaus Bruhn Jensen thinks.
- So instead it is a slightly more sophisticated strategy. You question whether you should act in that way and with the means that are proposed.
The misinformation is spread via robots and so-called internet trolls. This means that it happens in an automated and coordinated way. This means that the false stories reach even wider. An example is the false claims that it was renewable energy sources that caused the enormous power outage in Spain on April 28.
According to Klaus Bruhn Jensen, the most obvious measures to put an end to the misinformation are to regulate how information about climate change is shared.
According to him, large CO2 emitters should be required to be more transparent. At the same time, online platforms should take greater responsibility for stopping the sharing of misinformation, it says.
/ritzau/
Text, graphics, images, sound, and other content on this website are protected under copyright law. DK Medier reserves all rights to the content, including the right to exploit the content for the purpose of text and data mining, cf. Section 11b of the Copyright Act and Article 4 of the DSM Directive.
Customers with IP agreements/major customer agreements may only share Danish Offshore Industry articles internally for the purpose of handling specific cases. Sharing in connection with specific cases refers to journaling, archiving, or similar uses.
Customers with a personal subscription/login may not share Danish Offshore Industry articles with individuals who do not themselves have a personal subscription to Danish Offshore Industry.
Any deviation from the above requires written consent from DK Medier.
