Climate of Confusion: Bot-like accounts sharing climate disinformation and conspiracies

Global Witness analyzed 45 bot-like accounts on X, finding that many consistently spread climate disinformation and conspiracy theories. These accounts often frame climate action as a 'scam' or a tool for elite control, linking climate denial to other divisive political stances. The report highlights the difficulty of verifying account authenticity due to limited data transparency from social media platforms like X.

• Of the 45 bot-like accounts analyzed, 22 shared content referencing either a 'climate cult' or 'climate scam'. The most frequently used hashtag among these accounts regarding climate change was #climatescam.
• Bot-like accounts promoted conspiracy theories claiming that climate action is a dangerous 'sacrifice' intended to reduce quality of life, or a cover-up by elites to obtain money, power, and population control. This included support for 'blade runners' who vandalize ULEZ cameras.
• Climate disinformation is often bundled with other political identities; accounts frequently paired opposition to climate action with opposition to LGBTQIA+ rights, vaccination, or involvement in the Ukraine conflict.
• The bot-like accounts interacted with the wider information ecosystem by linking to external sites known for false health and climate information, and were mentioned by 64 other accounts with a collective following of over 300,000.
• X rejected the report's findings, claiming the methodology was based on limited data and incorrectly classified humans as bots, yet X did not provide evidence to prove the accounts were run by real people.

APA

Global Witness (2024). Climate of Confusion: Bot-like accounts sharing climate disinformation and conspiracies. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/digital-threats/climate-of-confusion-bot-like-accounts-sharing-climate-disinformation-and-conspiracies/

Chicago

Global Witness. Climate of Confusion: Bot-like accounts sharing climate disinformation and conspiracies. 2024. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/digital-threats/climate-of-confusion-bot-like-accounts-sharing-climate-disinformation-and-conspiracies/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Witness |title=Climate of Confusion: Bot-like accounts sharing climate disinformation and conspiracies |date=August 2024 |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/digital-threats/climate-of-confusion-bot-like-accounts-sharing-climate-disinformation-and-conspiracies/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalwitness2024climate, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Climate of Confusion: Bot-like accounts sharing climate disinformation and conspiracies}}, institution = {Global Witness}, year = {2024}, month = aug, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/digital-threats/climate-of-confusion-bot-like-accounts-sharing-climate-disinformation-and-conspiracies/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }