Origins of Climate Change Disinformation

• (Mis/Dis)information has been used around the world for more than 2500 years. Popular writings from China, the Roman Empire, the Italian Renaissance, and the United States advocate its use as a necessary way to shape the thoughts, beliefs, and actions of the population.

  
  

• Disinformation about climate change increased following the post-war industrial boom. As large factories and personal transportation became more prevalent in society, the potential profits in fossil fuels also increased which motivated the creation of doubt surrounding climate change.  

  
  

• In opposition to all science, since the early 1950’s fossil fuel companies like Exxon have been utilizing Bernaysian techniques and disinformation to discredit evidence in the existence of climate change and create doubt about the role of human activities. 

  
  

• What do we do about climate change (mis/dis)information? We watch out, consider what is behind climate change messaging, and listen to the science!! 

  
  

(Mis/Dis)information in History

As discussed more thoroughly in the article Climate Change Misinformation, Disinformation, and Fake News, there are a few key differences between these three forms of communication. Misinformation is any incorrect information; Disinformation is any incorrect information intentionally used to manipulate the truth; and fake new refers to any (mis/dis)information that looks like traditional journalism (e.g., news broadcasts, magazines, or radio). These three terms are very similar, yet have distinct definitions that outline them as unique concepts. 

(Mis/Dis)information and fake news have a history that goes back at least 2500 years in China, 2000 years in the Roman Empire, through the Italian Renaissance, and into the 20^th and 21^st centuries. In the early 20th century, Edward Bernays (the “father of propaganda”) modernized marketing by introducing psychology developed by his uncle, Sigmund Freud. The most common techniques in Bernaysian marketing apply Freudian psychology (i.e., the unconscious desire to maximise pleasure and minimise discomfort) to mass messaging. They do so by framing messages with highly emotional and impactful wording, making fake expert testimonials, and releasing fake statistics that suggest something is highly popular even when it isn’t.

Marketing firms still use these strategies to create doubt in scientific evidence by releasing disinformation that divides public opinions. In the case of climate change, disinformation is meant make people doubt the environmental impacts caused by humans, making it easier for polluters to harm the planet.

Origins of Climate Change (Mis/Dis)information

Climate change (mis/dis)information is particularly dangerous because there are widespread consequences. Many scholars in multiple disciplines have described it as one of the greatest threats to everyone and everything on Earth. Modern climate change disinformation is used to create public doubt toward climate science to discourage sustainable behaviours. Corporate communications show that companies like ExxonMobil started planning climate denial campaigns as the early as 1954. These campaigns use Bernaysian marketing to discredit climate science as a way to maximize profits. 

Conclusion

So, what do we do about climate change (mis/dis)information? We watch out, consider what is behind all climate change messages, and pay attention to the science!!