Fighting falsehoods: the online battle over climate truth
Global temperatures keep breaking records, and sea levels are rising. Reports from a United Nations climate panel say the science is settled, but it doesn’t always seem that way online, where climate denial is thriving. Japan’s Environment Ministry says that’s undermining efforts to act, so it’s fighting back with a new website that tackles myths and misinformation with cold, hard facts.
Climate change skepticism spreads
British news website Tortoise analyzed social media content from climate-related influencers. It says there was an 82 percent jump in the number of climate skeptic posts on the X platform from 2021 to 2024. It also says there was a 43 percent jump in the number of YouTube videos with that stance.
The United Nations Development Programme, which is working on measures to mitigate climate change, says there are two main motives behind the spread of disinformation on the topic.
One is to attract attention for profit. The UNDP says controversial views create followings that bring advertising revenue and political support.
The other reason, it says, is to protect vested interests. Delaying measures against climate change can protect the vested interests of the fossil fuel industry.
NHK spoke with Marc Morano, a former political aide and now an influential climate skeptic who disputes the link between global warming and human activity.
Morano claims that the United Nations, governments and private companies stand to benefit from measures to limit carbon dioxide. He calls the issue of climate change “a clear fraud campaign” that has nothing to do with science.
The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change disagrees. It says there is no doubt human activity has caused global warming, and says global temperatures have risen faster in the past 50 years than at any other point in at least 2,000 years. The panel also says climate change can be contained if we act in time.
Disinformation disruption in the real world
Climate disinformation isn’t just a theoretical danger. It turned a civil debate into chaos in one Australian city. The council of Onkaparinga was planning to declare a climate emergency in 2023, but the meeting was swarmed by protestors fueled by false ideas.
Opponents of the declaration had whipped up alarm with false statements on social media, including a claim that only electric vehicles would be permitted after the declaration was issued.
The meeting had to be suspended, with the mayor and assembly members forced to evacuate.
Ika Trijsburg, a disinformation expert at the Australian National University, says climate change issues are ideal fodder for those who disseminate falsehoods, especially in a divided society.
Climate myths surging on social media
Claims without scientific evidence are gaining traction in Japan, too. Environment ministry officials say they’ve seen a surge in misleading online posts since late last year, including claims that global warming is not happening, or that human activity plays no role in greenhouse gas emissions.
An analysis by NHK found a sharp rise in Japanese-language posts on the social media platform X that question the reality of climate change or criticize decarbonization efforts.
In 2020, around 60,000 such posts were recorded. That number grew steadily year after year, reaching 220,000 in 2024. The increase was particularly pronounced after November when Donald Trump, a vocal critic of the Paris Agreement on climate change, won the US presidential election.
Japan government tackles misinformation
Japan’s Environment Ministry has launched a new web page aimed at tackling climate change misinformation by presenting clear scientific information about global warming.
The site, which went live Friday, compiles information from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, drawing on the latest scientific research to explain the causes and impact of global climate change. UN reports attribute it mainly to greenhouse emissions caused by human activity.
The page also offers domestic data that show a rise in the frequency of extreme weather such as heatwaves and torrential rain — events that scientists attribute to climate change.
Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting on Friday, Environment Minister Asao Keiichiro voiced concern over the rise of baseless claims online. He warned that such misinformation could undermine efforts by the government, businesses and the public to combat climate change. He said the ministry will continue efforts to ensure people are well-informed about the issue.
Fighting misinformation and disinformation
The spread of climate misinformation and disinformation has become a global concern, prompting the United Nations to act.
The UNDP in Asia and the Pacific has announced the launch of Una, an AI-powered chatbot designed to talk about climate initiatives.
Melissa Fleming, UN Undersecretary for Global Communications, says the planet faces an existential crisis with climate change, and the UN is “in an information battlefield” trying to convince people of the facts.
Fleming says the fight is against special interests who want to convince people that climate change is a hoax or that renewable energy is unreliable or too expensive, so they would have to give up their lifestyle. She says none of this is true.
Fleming says the UN sees this as “one of the biggest risks of our time.” She says every player needs to play its role: digital platforms can reduce the flow of falsehoods; advertisers and PR companies can stop funding disinformation; and media-literate people and governments can play a constructive role in the information environment.