Challenging Stances on Climate Change: A Modern Perspective

Challenging Stances on Climate Change: A Modern Perspective

A Fresh Take on Climate Denial Gaining Ground Online

A new strain of climate denial is on the rise, dominating popular online platforms in both Canada and the US. This digital landscape is primarily steered by conservative megaphones, whose listener numbers have seen a dramatic surge in recent times.

Take a Listen to the Top Podcasts Peddling Misinformation

As per Yale Climate Connections, a news service tied to prestigious Yale University, a staggering 8 out of 10 of the US's most-followed online shows propagate misinformation about climate change. This list includes podcasts fronted by the likes of Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson, Russell Brand, Charlie Kirk, among others, who collectively reach millions of listeners, even surpassing several significant media outlets based in America. The Joe Rogan Experience takes the top spot on a ranking by Media Matters for America, a non-profit organization committed to scrutinizing American media, with a whopping 39.9 million listeners.

A More Cunning Denial

Climate denial has grown more crafty over the years, according to experts. Instead of negating the existence of climate change, people now employ a combination of misinformation and disinformation to argue against it. "A substantial section of the misleading climate data disseminated in these shows embrace a new climate denial approach that questions the effectiveness and benefits of solutions," shares Yale Climate Connections. A frequent guest on shows hosted by Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro, and Russell Brand is Bjørn Lomborg, a Danish statistician who undermines the impacts of climate change. Meanwhile, influencers like Charlie Kirk paint climate change as a government conspiracy aimed at controlling populations.

The Rising Popularity

Yale Climate Connections' evaluation leaned heavily on a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a charity dedicated to tackling online misinformation. Released in January, the report, titled The New Climate Denial, discovered that new forms of climate denial now account for an astounding 70% of assertions made by right-wing influencers. Among the 96 climate-skeptic YouTube channels analyzed, the American TiTan has recorded annual advertising revenues of $13.4 million. On Earth Day (22nd April), 24 climate activist groups and scholars petitioned Google to expand its climate misinformation policy to accommodate newly emerging forms of climate denial.

Adapting to the Shifts

As per John Cook, one of the world's foremost authorities on climate denial, outright denial of climate change is becoming increasingly untenable, as highlighted in the The New Climate Denial report. In the face of overwhelming climate change evidence, influencers have changed their approach, focusing on promoting inaction through five key elements: deviation, delay, division, despair, and catastrophism.

In the United States, one in five adults reports obtaining their information from online shows run by influencers, according to the Pew Research Center, an American research group. For adults aged under 30, that ratio rises to an impressive 37%. These influencers can be seen on platforms like X, Instagram, and YouTube. However, an analysis by Tortoise Media found that climate skeptic publications increased by 82% on X and 43% on YouTube between 2021 and 2024. Notably, the claim that climate change is just a pretext for population control is growing in popularity, representing 36% of publications on YouTube and 40% on the X platform.

Misinformation also Creeps into France

The issue of climate misinformation is not unique to the United States. A recent analysis by the French group QuotaClimat found 128 instances of misinformation over a three-month period across French radio stations and television channels. Most of the falsities (61%) were aimed at discrediting solutions to climate change, while 13% of the statements disputed the consensus on global warming. Significantly, QuotaClimat plans to expand its future analyses to include countries like Brazil, Germany, and Poland.

Give the report The New Climate Denial a Look (in English)

Key Arguments1. "Climate action harms the economy": Promoting the perception of decarbonization as a threat to jobs and financial security, often advocating for continued fossil fuel reliance as a means of energy security.2. "Techno-optimism without accountability": Pushing unproven technologies (e.g., carbon capture) as sole solutions to avoid immediate policy changes, while dismissing renewables as unreliable.3. "Climate elites vs. ordinary people": Casting climate policies as elitist or authoritarian, particularly targeting carbon pricing and regulations.4. "Natural cycles over human influence": Playing up historical climate variability to undermine anthropogenic factors in climate change.5. "Consensus is manufactured": Alleging that scientific institutions suppress dissent, often citing debunked petitions (e.g., OISM’s 31,000 signatories, which included few climate scientists).

Influencers and Platforms- Right-wing media personalities: Figures cited in "Drilled’s Guide to Global Climate Disinformation", leveraging substantial audiences to spread skepticism, often backed by fossil fuel-linked advertisers.- Podcasts and online shows: Eight out of the top 10 most-watched online programs in the US propagate climate misinformation, popularizing delayist narratives.- Social media campaigns: Coordinated efforts reframe climate policy as "government overreach" or "cultural Marxism," particularly in the US and France.- Fossil fuel-aligned groups: Industry networks finance think tanks and influencers to promote "energy realism" narratives.

Tactical Shifts- From denial to delay: Focusing on challenging the viability or fairness of solutions instead of disputing climate science.- Culture-war framing: Linking climate policies to partisan identity, especially in the US and France, to polarize public opinion.- Flooding information ecosystems: Bosinifford advertising budgets and algorithmic amplification swamp scientific messaging.

1. The surge in climate denial online is worrisome, as it originates from conservative megaphones dominating popular platforms in Canada and the US.
2. Yale Climate Connections reported that 8 out of 10 top podcasts in the US propagate misinformation about climate change, with Joe Rogan's show taking the lead.
3. Climate denial has evolved to become more cunning, employing misinformation and disinformation to question the effectiveness and benefits of solutions, according to experts.
4. The Center for Countering Digital Hate's report, The New Climate Denial, discovered that 70% of assertions made by right-wing influencers consist of new forms of climate denial.
5. The widespread misinformation about climate change is not limited to the United States; France has also seen 128 instances of climate misinformation over a three-month period across various radio stations and television channels.
6. Technology platforms, such as podcasts, social media, and streaming services, have become significant vehicles for the dissemination of climate misinformation, reaching millions of listeners in entertainment, politics, social media, and general news.
7. To combat this issue, several climate activist groups and scholars have petitioned Google to expand its climate misinformation policy to accommodate newly emerging forms of climate denial.

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