Latest news with #IPIE
The Verge
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Verge
The new lies spreading about climate change
New strains of misinformation about climate change are spreading, meant to slow the growth of renewable energy needed to fix the problem. Rather than flat-out denying the mountains of evidence that show that humans are causing climate change, more recent talking points aim to mislead people by casting doubt on potential solutions. Renewable energy has started to take off as a more affordable and sustainable alternative to coal, oil, and gas. Fossil fuel industry leaders and their allies — perhaps seeing themselves backed into a corner — have pivoted to more sly ways to keep selling their products and stymy the competition. One of the clearest pictures yet of how this is all going down was just published by the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE). 'What emerges is a picture of strategic disruption—carefully designed to appear moderate, reasonable, and data-driven, while quietly obstructing action,' IPIE says in its summary for policymakers. 'Strategic disruption—carefully designed to appear moderate, reasonable, and data-driven, while quietly obstructing action' Delay tactics can be considered the 'new denial,' the report notes. It might manifest as inaccurate claims about renewable energy's impact on the environment, or falsely blaming power outages on renewables. And we're not just talking about trolls on social media — misinformation can stem from even the highest levels of power. The report names President Donald Trump, whose campaign accepted $74 million in contributions from oil and gas interests, as a 'key influencer' when it comes to climate misinformation. Trump was already calling climate change a 'hoax' during his first term in office, and has more recently fixated on stopping any new windmills from being built in the US. Since his inauguration this year, he's attempted to undo progress toward his predecessor's commitment to reach 100 percent carbon-pollution free electricity in the US. He's described wind farms as 'bird cemeter[ies],' even though they're far less deadly to birds in the US than collisions with buildings or vehicles. The president similarly repeats misinformation inaccurately linking whale deaths to offshore wind turbines without any evidence. There are legitimate concerns about where to deploy renewables and how to source materials used in solar panels and turbines, as well as steps that can be taken to minimize damage from mining and building new infrastructure. But like we see with any kind of rumor, kernels of truth can be blown out of proportion or twisted into a lie. 'We are dealing with an information environment that has been deliberately distorted,' Klaus Bruhn Jensen, a professor at the University of Copenhagen and chair of IPIE's Scientific Panel on Information Integrity about Climate Science, said in a June 20 press release. 'When corporations, governments, and media platforms obscure climate realities, the result is paralysis.' The IPIE report synthesizes 300 studies comprising a decade of research on climate misinformation. It was limited to papers written in English, however, and reflects a dearth of investment in studies outside of affluent western countries.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Science
- The Hill
Misleading information on climate science delaying action: report
Misleading information about the nature of climate change is further complicating and delaying action to fight the environmental issue, according to a new research report. A sprawling report, released this month from the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE), found 'powerful actors' like governments, political parties, and corporations are often behind the intentional spreading of inaccurate or misleading narratives about climate science. 'The result is a decline in public trust, diminished policy coordination, and a feedback loop between scientific denialism and political inaction,' the coalition of researchers wrote in the 127-page report. Actors often have an economic or political interest in spreading the misinformation, with frequent groups including the fossil fuel industry, members of the Republican party, lobbies and some nation-states or governments. But it can also include unlikely groups like learning institutions. Researchers noted denial has long threatened the flow of climate science information, but attempts to discredit or delegitimize climate science have started dominating the anti-climate science campaigns. 'When the evidence produced by climate science is disregarded, circumvented or undermined, public trust suffers,' the report stated. Scientific consensus on climate change is also frequently misrepresented in the media, further complicating the information ecosystem, IPIE said. The report noted social media has become 'key public carriers of information about climate change.' Misinformation about severe weather patterns has persisted for years, with conspiracy theories and falsehoods often resurfacing during major weather events like hurricanes or tornadoes. Much of this dialogue takes place on social media, where unvetted or false information can spread to mass amounts of users in seconds. These theories and false information often spark emotional responses, giving actors a chance to set the narrative, disinformation experts previously told The Hill. Researchers outlined four main policy recommendations to curb the flow of misinformation and its impact on climate action. The suggestions included legislation ensuring standardized carbon reporting and labelling, litigation to ensure standards are enforced and the education of policymakers and the public. IPIE is an independent and global science consortium of researchers focused on the world's information environment. The report analyzed 300 publications between 2015 and 2025. To measure the integrity of information, researchers evaluated publications based on markers of accuracy, consistency, reliability and transparency.
