The Growing Threat to Climate Activists

The report finds that while the overall volume of posts using terms like "climate cult" or "eco terrorists" on X has remained stable, the number of replies containing dehumanising language has more than doubled. On Facebook and Instagram, over 68,000 posts used denigrating terms, reaching a cumulative 1.86 million shares. TikTok users employ "coded violence" and "dog whistles" to evade moderation, with comments frequently endorsing police violence, including the use of cattle prods and pepper spray. The report argues that this digital rhetoric creates a "pipeline to violence," citing the 2023 fatal shooting of protesters in Panama and the broader criminalisation of environmental defenders.

• Between 1 January 2022 and 30 November 2023, X (formerly Twitter) saw over 220,000 posts using loaded language such as "climate cult" and over 90,000 posts or replies using securitised language like "eco terrorist". While total post volume was stable, the number of replies using dehumanising or 'othering' language more than doubled.
• High-traction content targeting climate activists on X is driven by a small group of accounts, including 'End Wokeness' (1.9m followers), Ian Miles Cheong (861k followers), and Disclose.TV (1.2m followers).

APA

Climate Action Against Disinformation (n.d.). The Growing Threat to Climate Activists. https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/COP-Look-Listen-Spotlight-1.pdf

Chicago

Climate Action Against Disinformation. The Growing Threat to Climate Activists. n.d. https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/COP-Look-Listen-Spotlight-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Action Against Disinformation |title=The Growing Threat to Climate Activists |url=https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/COP-Look-Listen-Spotlight-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateactionagainstdisinformationndgrowing, author = {{Climate Action Against Disinformation}}, title = {{The Growing Threat to Climate Activists}}, institution = {Climate Action Against Disinformation}, url = {https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/COP-Look-Listen-Spotlight-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }