Is the climate crisis a hoax?
Nope, not at all. We wish.
But now that we’ve grabbed your attention, we need to talk about climate misinformation.
You’ve probably heard that Meta, the social media company that owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, will no longer fact-check content across its platforms.
Starting in the U.S., Meta will roll out a ‘community notes’ feature similar to that on X (formerly Twitter) – leaving it up to users to point out falsehoods if and when they can.
But first things first: what is misinformation – and disinformation?
Misinformation is false or inaccurate information, while disinformation takes this a step further with the intention of deceiving the reader.
It’s one thing when there are AI deepfakes of Snoop Dogg eating spaghetti. It’s another thing when conspiracies and disinformation about world issues affect public opinion.
At COP29, Martina Donlon, climate communications lead at the United Nations, even said that climate disinformation “has been recognized as an urgent threat by the international community at the highest level.”
The UN is tackling the issue head on by launching the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change and co-leading the Verified for Climate initiative to debunk myths and provide more accurate climate information.
Still, you will inevitably come across information on the internet that isn’t accurate. So, here’s a simple four-step strategy to use when your gut tells you something is just… off.
Digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield created the SIFT method to analyze whether information is credible and accurate.
The steps are simple:
Ask yourself: does this make sense based on what you already know, or is it just clickbait? Have you heard of this source, and is it credible?
Take a minute to Google the name of the website, author or news source. Searching “Is XXX a credible source?” is a great, simple way to start.
Do they have authority over the topic? Who owns and funds them?* Do they have a vested interest in you believing something? Even Wikipedia can give a useful overview to answer these questions.
Check to see if other sources have published anything about the post or article you read. If you read a claim online that sounds suspicious to you, see what accredited news sources and research platforms have to say.
If you read a headline or post that feels a bit dramatic, listen to your gut. Context matters when it comes to reporting results from academic studies or quoting someone. You can often click on hyperlinks or check footnotes to find the original sources.
Of course, this often doesn’t apply to information on social media platforms. In those cases, you’ll have to do your own research to understand the full context.
This is just a quick summary, but you can learn more about the SIFT method with this starter course.
*Find out more about the Global Landscapes Forum and our funding partners here.
As an example, let’s take a look back to 2022, when an underwater volcano named Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai erupted in the South Pacific near Tonga.
This was the largest explosion ever recorded, sending tsunami waves across the Pacific. Twitter and other social media platforms were soon flooded with claims that underwater volcanoes cause climate change.
Was there any truth to these claims? I did some quick googling to find out.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a U.S. federal government agency with no political leaning, describes the science behind the event and the ensuing water vapor release. It mentions nothing about global heating or the climate crisis.
I kept digging for more coverage.
AFP Fact Check, run by French international news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP), debunks the claim by referencing one of the primary sources used by a newscaster and then sharing data from reputable sources, like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
This is just one example of many.
Google Fact Check Explorer, Snopes and FactCheck.org are other useful sources that analyze trending media claims.
Climate Central, the World Weather Attribution and Copernicus are reputable sources sharing research, news and data on an array of climate-related issues.
Covering Climate Now takes it a step further for journalists or readers at large with its comprehensive climate resource guides. This organization champions fact-based climate reporting and has also partnered with The Guardian to provide climate coverage.
Looking for more well-researched climate features and reporting? Some of our favorite news sources include Grist, Mongabay, Axios, Inside Climate News and Climate Home News.
For in-depth reports based on international data, the International Panel on Climate Change publishes synthesis reports on myriad climate issues, from the underlying science to impacts, mitigation and adaptation.
We’ve also published a guide debunking 10 of the most common climate myths, also available on YouTube.
In the U.S., over half of adults report they get at least some of their news from social media. While Meta’s Facebook and Instagram are ditching fact checking, YouTube is still removing some 40 million videos annually and optimizing searches to prioritize quality over sensationalism to combat misinformation.
TikTok is also still removing billions of accounts and posts each year and partnering with the International Fact-Checking Network affiliated programs to asses the validity of online claims.
Elsewhere in the world, digital safety and fact checking are hot topics, too.
Korean search engine Naver once had a dedicated section on its website for fact checking, powered by a service called SNU FactCheck based at Seoul National University, but this was controversially discontinued in late 2023.
In Europe, the EU is working on the Digital Services Act to quell the spread of disinformation and manipulative algorithms. However, Google has stated that it will refuse to comply with these requirements for its search engine and YouTube in the EU once the act comes into force.
There are also organizations like Nigeria’s Round Check, an independent fact-checking platform that recruits young people to combat the spread of misinformation and promote digital literacy.
Time will tell how the end of Meta’s fact checking will impact the decisions of other media companies and the future of independent fact checkers.
According to the Reuters Institute, about half of people polled from eight countries trust mainstream news media on the climate crisis, while nearly three-quarters trust scientists as a source of climate information.
It remains to be seen how these levels of trust will be affected by the demise of fact checking and growing misinformation.
But until then, at least you now know how to spot and fact-check misinformation.
Want to learn more? Here are our top 10 myths about the climate crisis – and how to debunk them.
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