Climate disinfo surges in denial, conspiracy comeback

An analysis of Twitter messages – carried out for AFP by two computational social scientists at City, University of London – counted 1.1 million tweets or retweets using strong climate-sceptic terms in 2022. — AP

PARIS: False information about climate change flourished online over the past year, researchers say, with denialist social media posts and conspiracy theories surging after US environmental reforms and Elon Musk's Twitter takeover.

"What really surprised us this year was to see a resurgence in language that is reminiscent of the 1980s: phrases like 'climate hoax' and 'climate scam' that deny the phenomenon of climate change," said Jennie King, head of civic action at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a London-based digital research group.