CLIMATE DISINFORMATION: INTERPRETATION AND RELATED CONCEPTS

Abstract

The definition of climate disinformation and the main related words and phrases are studied. An attention is paid to the analysis of the relevance of the climate disinformation issue. The author claims that the urgency of the climate disinformation problem is due to several factors: the complexity of the science of climate change in the processes that make up its phenomenology; the existence of different paradigms in the interpretation of the causes and consequences of climate change; the fact that most people are not aware of the problems related to climate change, the problem of climate literacy of the population has not yet been solved in the world; social networks, which are one of the most popular sources of climate disinformation, are increas- ingly becoming the biggest spreaders of climate disinformation; disinforma- tion about climate science and its solutions directly impedes needed political action. It is stated that misinformation, even disseminated unintentionally and without malicious intent, can have harmful consequences.

Definitions of the basic term of the researched problem, i.e. «disinforma- tion», is analysed in the English-speaking and Ukrainian language space (climatic misinformation, disinformation, malinformation). It is determined that the last term «malinformation» is not often found in the English-speak- ing information space. It is not even present in all dictionaries.

Depending on the connection between these concepts and the climate, the following terms are used: climate disinformation, disinformation regarding climate, and climate change disinformation. The article uses all three con- cepts as working terms, based on the conceptual dimension proposed in the Council of Europe report, which is based on the parameters of harm and lies: climate misinformation, disinformation and malinformation.

The author draws attention to classifications of climate misinformation/ disinformation created by scientists from different countries, one of which deals with five main narratives: «global warming is not happening», «human greenhouse gases do not cause global warming», «climate impacts are not bad», «climate solutions will not work» and «climate movement/science is unreliable». Methods and techniques of disinformation about climate and climate policy are the criteria for classification.