Big Tech And The Flames Of Wildfire Lies

The briefing identifies a structured pattern of wildfire-related disinformation on social media, where 'core' narratives like arson deflection and government mismanagement serve as gateways to more extreme conspiracy theories and climate denial. It highlights how these narratives have spread across different regions, including Chile, Spain, Greece, Canada, and Hawaii, often leveraging the 'attention economy' of Big Tech platforms to undermine the link between climate change and increasing wildfire intensity.

• Disinformation regarding wildfires follows a predictable pattern starting with 'core' narratives that act as gateways to more extreme views. These core narratives include 'Arson Deflection', where arson is blamed to dismiss climate change; 'Government Mismanagement', which accuses leaders of distorting narratives to advance a climate agenda; and 'Climate Policy Backlash', which frames climate solutions as harmful or unnecessary.
• Wildfire disinformation narratives are global and cross-linguistic, with specific patterns tracked from the 2018 Greek wildfires to Chile and Spain, and subsequently to Canadian and Hawaiian wildfires.
• In Canada, the spread of wildfire disinformation—including claims about lasers, drones, and state-driven arson—has had tangible negative impacts on crisis management, affecting firefighting, evacuation routes, and public health decisions.
• Specific industry-backed organizations in Canada, namely The Fraser Institute and the Macdonald Laurier Institute, are identified as arguing that extreme weather and wildfires are not worsening due to climate change.

APA

Climate Action Against Disinformation (n.d.). Big Tech And The Flames Of Wildfire Lies. https://caad.info/big-tech-and-the-flames-of-wildfire-lies/

Chicago

Climate Action Against Disinformation. Big Tech And The Flames Of Wildfire Lies. n.d. https://caad.info/big-tech-and-the-flames-of-wildfire-lies/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Action Against Disinformation |title=Big Tech And The Flames Of Wildfire Lies |url=https://caad.info/big-tech-and-the-flames-of-wildfire-lies/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateactionagainstdisinformationndbig, author = {{Climate Action Against Disinformation}}, title = {{Big Tech And The Flames Of Wildfire Lies}}, institution = {Climate Action Against Disinformation}, url = {https://caad.info/big-tech-and-the-flames-of-wildfire-lies/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }