Search Climate Insights Directory
453 results
Online Challenges For Misinforming Latin America: narrative analysis of extreme weather in Brazil, Chile and Peru
The report examines climate misinformation following extreme weather events in Latin America, focusing on case studies in Brazil, Chile, and Peru. It finds that the high visibility, multi-causal nature, and emotional impact of these events make them ideal for actors to sow confusion, assign blame to scapegoats, and advance political agendas. In Brazil, a cyclone led to false claims about 'burst dams' to attack political opponents. In Chile, wildfires were framed as 'terrorist' arson to distract from a 14-year mega-drought. In Peru, Cyclone Yaku was falsely attributed to the HAARP project. The report concludes that these narratives often amplify existing political polarizations and rely on the misattribution of causes to hinder climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.
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Document type: Report
A Handbook for Nuclear Decision-Making and Risk Reduction in an Era of Technological Complexity
The document examines how emerging and disruptive technologies (EDTs)—including AI, cyber weapons, hypersonic missiles, and social media—undermine traditional nuclear deterrence by disrupting information flows, compressing decision timeframes, and transforming decision contexts. It argues that these technologies exacerbate human cognitive biases, such as automation bias and confirmation bias, which can lead to unintended nuclear escalation. To mitigate these risks, the authors propose a multidimensional strategy combining policy regulations on social media, technical tools like blockchain authentication and explainable AI, and traditional arms control measures such as 'no first use' declarations and the elimination of dual-capable delivery systems.
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Document type: Guide
EV disinfo attracting millions of views on social media during COP27
The briefing highlights a viral video by John Stossel featuring Mark Mills that spreads debunked claims about EV battery mineral requirements and their impact on global oil consumption. It notes the video's high engagement across YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, and links the content to funding from Koch foundations. The document counters these claims using data from Argonne National Laboratory, IHS Markit, and the Union of Concerned Scientists to affirm that EVs generally emit less carbon over their lifespan than internal combustion engine vehicles.
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Document type: Briefing
Windhoek+30 Declaration
The Windhoek+30 Declaration, issued following a 2021 UNESCO conference in Namibia, asserts that information is a public good essential for human rights, democratic governance, and addressing global emergencies. It identifies critical threats to this good, including the economic crisis facing independent media, the proliferation of digital disinformation, and physical and legal attacks on journalists. The document outlines a series of calls to action: governments are urged to create enabling environments for free press and universal internet access; technology companies are asked to increase transparency in their automated systems and conduct human rights risk assessments; and intergovernmental bodies are encouraged to develop joint funding instruments to support media viability.
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Document type: Statement
journalist Field Guide
The 'journalist Field Guide: Navigating Climate Misinformation' offers a framework for media professionals to handle deceptive climate content. It defines climate misinformation as content that undermines the IPCC scientific consensus, misrepresents data, or falsely promotes climate-supportive efforts. The guide advocates for the 'truth sandwich' debunking method, the use of archive links instead of direct links to avoid monetizing disinformers, and 'strategic silence' to avoid artificially amplifying fringe theories. It also reviews academic literature on revenue incentives for clickbait, the psychological drivers of misinformation, and the risks of 'false balance' in reporting. Finally, it summarizes various case studies demonstrating how social media algorithms and vested interests, particularly in the fossil fuel sector, spread climate denial.
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Document type: Guide
journalist Field Guide: Navigating Climate Misinformation
The 'journalist Field Guide: Navigating Climate Misinformation' offers a framework for media professionals to handle deceptive climate content. It advocates for the 'truth sandwich' debunking method, warns against 'false balance' in reporting, and provides technical advice to avoid amplifying bad actors, such as using archive links instead of direct URLs. The guide integrates academic research on inoculation and strategic amplification while highlighting how social media algorithms and vested interests fuel climate myths.
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Document type: Guide
Misinformation Alert: Renewables are falsely linked to the energy crisis
The document identifies a trend of disinformation in the UK where the current energy crisis—driven by high gas prices and Russia's invasion of Ukraine—is being falsely blamed on renewable energy and climate solutions to alienate 'Persuadables' from climate action.
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Document type: Briefing
Audience Insights: Meet the Persuadables in the UK
The document identifies 'The Persuadables' as 69% of the UK population who are neither climate activists nor deniers. Through qualitative research with urban residents in Newcastle, Black and South Asian communities in Birmingham, and rural dwellers in Yorkshire, the report finds that these groups often feel unrepresented by politics and distrust current climate spokespeople, whom they perceive as 'liberal elites' or 'snobs'. The research highlights that the cost of living crisis is a primary concern that overshadows climate change and suggests that trust is higher for messengers like farmers, union representatives, and specific media personalities such as Adam Henson.
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Document type: Guide
THE F-LIST 2022: 230+ AD AND PR COMPANIES WORKING FOR THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY
The report identifies over 230 advertising and PR companies that continue to work for the fossil fuel industry despite making public net-zero or sustainability commitments. It specifically examines holding companies like WPP, IPG, Dentsu, Publicis, and Omnicom, as well as the PR firm Edelman, noting that many have erased fossil fuel clients from their websites or refuse to disclose client lists. The document highlights a disconnect between internal corporate goals—such as WPP's 2030 net-zero value chain target or IPG's 2040 net-zero goal—and their continued representation of companies like ExxonMobil, Shell, and Saudi Aramco. It also details legal challenges and accusations of greenwashing linked to these partnerships, such as lawsuits against WPP's work for BP and Shell. The report concludes by calling for the advertising industry to stop supporting fossil fuel clients to avoid complicity in climate disinformation.
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Document type: Report
Pushing Preemption: The Corporate Campaign to Deny Municipalities Access to the Courts
The report details a corporate campaign to implement municipal preemption laws that block local governments from accessing courts to recover climate-related damages. It identifies a 'triumvirate' of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, ALEC, and NAM as the primary architects of this strategy, drawing parallels to previous industry efforts to avoid liability in the tobacco and opioid sectors. The document outlines specific legislative tactics used to stifle litigation and provides a framework for municipal leaders to recognize and repeal such preemption laws, while suggesting proactive legislative measures to protect local legal autonomy.
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Document type: Report
Misinformation Alert: Conservative Leadership Race
The document warns that the progress made on climate policy under Boris Johnson may be at risk during the Conservative leadership contest. It identifies 'Backbone Conservatives' as a key target audience for candidates who might 'soften their stance on climate' to secure support from the right wing of the party.
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Document type: Briefing
Misinformation Alert: Corporate Greed
The briefing identifies an opportunity for climate policy communicators to leverage public perceptions of corporate greed among 'Loyal Nationals' and 'Disengaged Battlers' to combat right-leaning news efforts to derail support for the windfall tax on oil and gas companies. It suggests this framing can be used to fight anti-Net Zero rhetoric and inform the design and communication of future climate policies.
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Document type: Briefing
Misinformation Alert: Beware The Eco Mob
The document warns that describing climate activists as 'vandals' or 'mobs' dehumanises them and may discourage 'Persuadables' from engaging with environmental spokespeople. It calls for the condemnation of these tactics and the use of practical messaging to counter misinformation.
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Document type: Briefing
What is climate misinformation?
The document distinguishes between climate misinformation (unintentional) and disinformation (intentional), adopting the Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) definition. It identifies two primary drivers for creating this content: protecting fossil fuel profits and exploiting the 'attention economy' for revenue or influence. The guide focuses on 'Persuadables'—the approximately 69% of the UK population who are neither activists nor deniers—and categorises misinformation into four types: climate denial, climate delay, greenwashing, and conspiracy theories. Climate delay is identified as the most common and effective form in the UK, often employing 'The Cost Of Net Zero' frame or exploiting 'culture wars' through the 'eco-hypocrite' narrative. Greenwashing is highlighted as a specific form of delay driven by large marketing budgets, while climate conspiracy theories, such as 'climate lockdowns' and opposition to '15-minute cities', are noted as growing risks.
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Document type: Guide
Misinformation Alert: Fact, Myth, Fallacy
The document explains the "Fact, Myth, Fallacy" model for countering misinformation, noting that disinformation is designed to be emotional and provocative, which allows it to spread significantly faster than factual rebuttals.
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Document type: Guide
Misinformation Alert: Energy & the Russian invasion of Ukraine
The document alerts organisations to misinformation linking the Russian invasion of Ukraine to energy efficiency, the energy transition, green jobs, and Net Zero. It notes that these narratives are particularly salient for men, Conservative voters, and Northern communities, and outlines a framework for identifying at-risk audiences, establishing facts, and adapting communications strategies.
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Document type: Briefing
Advertising Guide: How to use Reframing to improve communications
The document is a guide on using reframing to improve climate communications. It covers the definition of narratives and frames, how they are used by 'bad actors' to spread climate misinformation, and provides instructions for constructing convincing climate narratives and actionable framing strategies for brands and organisations.
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Document type: Guide
Misinformation Alert: Heat Pumps
The document alerts organisations to misinformation campaigns in the UK that undermine heat pump efficiency and exaggerate costs to cast doubt on renewables. It specifically targets audiences in the construction and energy sectors, as well as those identifying as working class, and provides a framework for identifying targeted audiences, establishing facts, and crafting counter-messages.
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Document type: Briefing
Misinformation Alert: Green Infrastructure
The document identifies green infrastructure as a subject of diverse conversations that can impact climate communications, particularly for those working in construction, green jobs, and levelling up. It specifies that organisations engaging with a wide range of demographics, from Millennials to older rural communities, may require assistance in managing misinformation. The briefing provides guidance on identifying at-risk audiences, establishing facts through trusted sources, and crafting effective messaging.
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Document type: Briefing
Virginia Metro board member Matt Letourneau’s conflict of interest
A coalition of environmental organizations argues that Metro board member Matt Letourneau is violating the agency's Code of Ethics due to his role as managing director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Global Energy Institute and his receipt of campaign contributions from oil and gas interests. The petitioners claim Letourneau uses his position to advocate for compressed natural gas (CNG) buses and hydrogen fuel cells over battery electric buses, despite evidence that CNG and diesel buses have similar lifecycle carbon emissions and that electric buses are more reliable and cost-effective.
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Document type: Statement