THE LANDSCAPE OF CLIMATE CHANGE DISINFORMATION: A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO ITS COMBATING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29038/2524-2679-2024-02-73-98Keywords:
climate change, climate disinformation landscape, scientific consensus, сlimate management рrojectivity, prebunking, climate disinformation vaccinationAbstract
Failure to counter climate disinformation has the consequence of undermining public support for climate action and creating difficulties in strategic communi- cations as part of climate diplomacy. The author assumes that there are two ways to protect people from disinformation: firstly, to make them resistant to disinfor- mation before they encounter it; secondly, to debunk it after it is heard by society. The article examines the problem of applying the psychological theory of vac- cination to climate disinformation as a means of building resistance to manipula- tion. It is suggested that similar to medical vaccines, climate change vaccination can protect against negative impacts. The factors that can be used to vaccinate against climate disinformation may include climate literacy, critical thinking, media literacy, climate change awareness, encouragement of environmental ac- tion, collaboration with and use of celebrities and gamification and contests, as well as continuous monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of vaccination strategies, selection of appropriate approaches and adjustments to raise aware- ness of climate change and reduce the spread of false information.
The author claims that vaccination against climate disinformation is possible through prior informing (prebunking), which is effective when backed by sci- entific support. It is important to be aware of the scientific consensus on climate change and to combat common climate myths to build an informed and resilient public. Climate organisations specialising in the dissemination of scientific infor- mation on climate change, as well as organisations specialising in identifying al- ready prevalent climate myths and misconceptions, can play a key role in provi- ding reliable climate information. This allows us to understand the landscape of climate disinformation and to respond effectively to the emergence of new false information about climate change, as well as global and national climate policies.
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