The digital landscape of climate misinformation in the UK 2023-2024

The analysis of over 30,000 social media posts reveals that climate misinformation often outperforms pro-climate narratives in reach and engagement. The report identifies a tactical playbook used by accounts to game platform algorithms, including the use of the news cycle and the seeding of misinformation from outside the UK. These activities are linked to financial incentives, including funding from the fossil fuel industry and direct monetization through advertising or merchandise, which ultimately slows the implementation of climate policy in the UK.

• Climate misinformation regarding science, policy, and activism frequently achieves higher reach and engagement than pro-climate narratives. Common misleading themes include denying climate change, linking policy to conspiracy theories, using the cost of living crisis to attack renewables, attacking public figures, and normalizing violence against protesters.
• Accounts employ specific tactics to manipulate social media platforms, such as upcycling high-traction content to exploit algorithms, piggybacking on political announcements, and seeding UK-specific misinformation from international locations.
• The spread of misinformation is driven by financial motives, including funding from the fossil fuel industry to extend the fossil fuel economy, as well as direct monetization via platform revenue-sharing, advertising, and the sale of branded merchandise.

APA

Climate Action Against Disinformation (2024). The digital landscape of climate misinformation in the UK 2023-2024. https://caad.info/analysis/reports/the-digital-landscape-of-climate-misinformation-in-the-uk-2023-2024/

Chicago

Climate Action Against Disinformation. The digital landscape of climate misinformation in the UK 2023-2024. 2024. https://caad.info/analysis/reports/the-digital-landscape-of-climate-misinformation-in-the-uk-2023-2024/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Action Against Disinformation |title=The digital landscape of climate misinformation in the UK 2023-2024 |date=19 September 2024 |url=https://caad.info/analysis/reports/the-digital-landscape-of-climate-misinformation-in-the-uk-2023-2024/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateactionagainstdisinformation2024digital, author = {{Climate Action Against Disinformation}}, title = {{The digital landscape of climate misinformation in the UK 2023-2024}}, institution = {Climate Action Against Disinformation}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://caad.info/analysis/reports/the-digital-landscape-of-climate-misinformation-in-the-uk-2023-2024/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }