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Mythbusting: climate change conspiracies and the spread of misinformation

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Is it just us or does it feel like climate misinformation is increasingly prevalent? Whether it’s down to the way social media platforms manage "fake news" or a product of the fossil fuel industry’s problematic past, it’s clear these myths need debunking once and for all. Read on for all the answers…

There's no denying climate misinformation is spreading at an alarming rate. As governments and businesses refocus their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to renewable energy following COP28, there are still people who deny the severity of climate change – even its very existence.

Welcome to the world of climate change conspiracies, a place where everything should be taken with a sizeable grain of salt.

But fear not, we're not here to spread the myths or add to anyone's confusion. We just want to balance the conversation with facts, science and expertise. 

But first, a brief history of climate denial…

Climate misinformation has been around for many years. This is thanks, in part, to oil companies like Exxon, who were first warned about the combustion of fossil fuels by their own scientists in 1957, then later by the American Petroleum Institute (API) in 1968.

Between 1979 and 1983, major fossil fuel companies met regularly to discuss the implications of climate change. And by 1982, internal documents were warning of "potentially catastrophic events" if fossil fuel use wasn't reduced. At the time, it seemed these companies were invested in taking responsibility.

However, in 1988 – the same year the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was formed – Exxon's Manager of Science and Strategy Development prepared an internal strategy paper urging the company to, "emphasize the uncertainty in scientific conclusions." And with this, the age of climate denial began. The multi-million-dollar disinformation campaigns that followed likely set the climate movement back decades.

Today, climate misinformation looks a little different – but its reason for existence may not have changed.

We know that denial is a defense mechanism or an inability to face facts. Fear is therefore one of the key drivers of denial. For fossil fuel corporations it was most likely fear of loss (reduced profits). But, for individuals, climate denial and indifference could be another manifestation of climate anxiety. It’s also the spread of misinformation that leads many to think the situation isn’t as urgent as scientists would have us believe.

Why is climate misinformation so prevalent today? And what role does social media play?

Nineteen percent of Americans get their news from social media. Among Gen Z, that figure rises to 50% consuming news from social platforms on a daily basis. But how much of that news could be misleading?

A BBC investigation found that TikTok has a serious problem with climate misinformation, with one climate denial video alone racking up over 9 million views.

While TikTok has since reaffirmed its “commitment to sustainability and climate literacy,” climate misinformation still thrives on the channel. And there may even be a financial incentive for some users.

"A recent report by non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate found that 10 publishers are behind 69% of all climate change denial content on Facebook. Ad revenue, the report added, even makes these lies a lucrative outlet for these firms," writes Melissa Fleming, head of the UN's Department of Global Communications.

What are these common climate conspiracies? And what’s the truth behind them? 

1. “Humans didn’t cause climate change.”

While some deniers will concede that the earth is, indeed, warming and that climate change is real, we regularly see stories circulate about humanity's involvement.

One such theory suggests that increasing CO₂ in the atmosphere is natural. For example, volcanoes produce CO₂ and animals exhale it. Yet the balance between the CO₂ output of these natural processes and those that remove it, such as plant photosynthesis, remained stable for thousands of years. Until the industrial revolution, that is.

And if you're still unsure, perhaps a panel of the world's leading analysts and climate science experts will convince you:

2. “Science can’t agree on climate change, so why should I?”

Another favorite myth among climate deniers is the idea that science can't come to a definitive conclusion on the big issues. Perhaps a hangover from the fossil fuel companies' attempts to emphasize scientific "uncertainty," the idea that scientists don't agree on climate change is a fallacy."

Out of a group of 153 independently confirmed climate experts, 98.7% of those scientists agreed that the Earth is warming mostly because of human activities such as burning fossil fuels." This is from a paper published by Meyers et al in Environmental Research.

In 2021, that number rose to 99.9% following updated research from Cornell University.

"It is really case closed. There is nobody of significance in the scientific community who doubts human-caused climate change," said the lead author Mark Lynas. 

3. “We’re just witnessing another natural cycle, like the ice age.”

While the Earth's climate has changed naturally over the past 650,000 years, "moving in and out of ice ages and warm periods," scientists can prove that isn't what's happening today.

They do this by studying ice cores, glaciers, tree rings, pollen remains, and ocean sediments – all lasting, tangible evidence of what came before us.

Despite what climate deniers claim, the truth is that the current trajectory of global warming is not natural and is, indeed, caused by humans.

4. “Climate change is a future problem. It won’t affect me.”

While you may not have noticed, depending on where you live, climate change is already having a big impact on our weather systems and communities around the world.

From wildfires and droughts to flooding and extreme weather events, we're seeing the effects of climate change all over the world. This could affect you in the near future, in countless ways – from decreasing access to food crops and clean water to more expensive home insurance, taxes and electricity bills.

According to NASA, "The effects of human-caused global warming are happening now, are irreversible for people alive today, and will worsen as long as humans add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere."

5. “We’re already doomed, there’s no point in fighting it.”

When it comes to fighting climate change, there really is no time like the present. And for living generations, it will mostly impact on our quality of life rather than survival.

As Dr. Friederike Otto, a climate scientist working with the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), puts it: "I don't think it's helpful to pretend that climate change will lead to humanity's extinction."

In a recent report, the IPCC laid out a detailed plan that it believes could help the world avoid the worst impacts of rising temperatures. It involves "rapid, deep and immediate" cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases.

And to ensure we can achieve this, businesses like ours must work harder than ever to create sustainable change.

If all businesses adopted policies and initiatives in line with the Paris Agreement, we could collectively cut global emissions by up to 10 billion tons.