Climate Misinformation Declines on YouTube Channels as Attacks on Wind and Solar Solution Videos Surge
Misleading climate information on YouTube is taking a new form, according to a report by the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). The study found that while videos promoting climate denial are declining, there has been a significant increase in videos attacking climate solutions such as wind and solar power.
The CCDH identified 96 YouTube channels that frequently spread misleading climate talking points. These channels included the Heartland Institute, PragerU, and psychologist Jordan Peterson. The researchers used an AI model trained on climate denial to review the transcripts of over 12,000 climate-related videos posted since 2018.
The report revealed that about half of the videos contained climate misinformation or disinformation. The claims made in the videos were categorized into five broad categories. The first two categories, known as old denial, include claims like using cold weather as evidence that global warming isn’t real. The other three categories, categorized as new denial, consist of attacks on climate solutions and the credibility of climate experts. These attacks often claim that transitioning away from fossil fuels will decrease people’s standard of living, that renewable projects require more land than fossil fuels, and that energy-efficiency policies are ineffective.
Interestingly, the report found that the prevalence of old-denial claims has significantly decreased over time, while new-denial claims have significantly increased. This shift may be attributed to the visible impacts of climate change and YouTube’s improved policies around misinformation. YouTube began adding fact checks to climate videos in collaboration with Wikipedia in 2018. Furthermore, in October 2021, the platform banned advertisements for videos that explicitly deny climate change or human responsibility.
However, the CCDH discovered instances where advertisements were still appearing on climate-denial videos, indicating that YouTube’s ad policy is not foolproof. The platform made nearly $8 billion in advertising in the third quarter of 2023 alone, so any ad revenue from these channels is likely negligible in comparison. Nevertheless, this highlights the need for YouTube to strengthen its policies on climate misinformation.
The researchers at CCDH are calling for YouTube to extend its ad policy to videos that attack climate solutions and experts. Google, the parent company of YouTube, stated that it continuously reviews its policies and has already taken action against some of the videos identified by CCDH for violating its climate-denial policy.
In conclusion, while the prevalence of climate denial on YouTube is decreasing, there is a concerning surge in videos attacking climate solutions and experts. This shift emphasizes the importance of YouTube’s ad policy and the need for stricter regulations to prevent the spread of climate misinformation.
