Nairobi, Kenya – September 5, 2023: In a groundbreaking study, the Alliance for Science has unveiled a remarkable shift in climate-related media coverage, signaling the virtual eradication of climate misinformation in mainstream print and online media outlets worldwide.
Lead author of the study, Mark Lynas, who is also a renowned author on climate issues and head of research at the Alliance for Science, declared, “Climate denialism is dead as a news media phenomenon.” This announcement was made at a media event during the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.
Mark Lynas Lead author of the study speaking at the unveiling function at Radisson Blu, Nairobi Kenya. | IMAGE COURTESY
The study analyzed more than 300,000 climate-related news stories over a six-month period, revealing that an astounding 99.98 percent of media coverage now aligns with the scientific consensus on the reality and severity of human-caused climate change. This figure closely mirrors the 99.6 percent consensus found in a recent comprehensive study of peer-reviewed climate literature, also led by Lynas.
“The consensus is well over 99 percent in both the scientific literature and the world’s media,” Lynas stated emphatically, adding, “The debate about whether climate change is real is well and truly over, and is now almost entirely relegated to the lunatic fringe and, of course, social media. The era of false balance, where you used to have a scientist always balanced with a climate denier in news stories, is definitively over.”
To gauge the prevalence of climate misinformation, the study analyzed six false climate-skeptic themes that had emerged on social media. It found that only 59 articles, out of a staggering 321,553 climate-related articles, contained unchallenged misinformation on these themes, resulting in a misinformation rate of just 0.02 percent.
Despite its small proportion, this misinformation was estimated to reach a staggering 4.4 billion people due to the sheer volume of climate-related media coverage. Much of this misinformation was disseminated through mainstream outlets like Yahoo! and MSN via PR distribution networks, as well as right-wing and conspiracist media platforms like Epoch Times.
Only two of the six misinformation themes gained significant traction in mainstream news. The first revolved around a purported ‘World Climate Declaration,’ signed by supposed 1,500 scientists, challenging the consensus by claiming natural factors played a significant role in warming and casting doubt on climate models and CO2’s status as a pollutant. These claims have since been debunked.
The second prominent misinformation theme argued that the ongoing climate crisis is “fake” because the current warming has been deemed “mild,” and CO2 levels were much higher in the past. This narrative has been promoted by pro-fossil fuels advocates. The remaining four themes, including claims about Greenland ice and wind turbines, received minimal coverage.
Dr. Sheila Ochugboju, director of the Alliance for Science, commented on the findings, stating, “Our findings are good news for the world leaders currently attending the Africa Climate Summit here in Nairobi. We show that the media conversation on climate change has now clearly moved on from denialist talking points.”
However, Dr. Ochugboju also emphasized the need for continued vigilance, saying, “This is only the beginning. Overt climate misinformation may be relegated to the margins, but the power of the fossil fuels lobby means that things have shifted from denial to delay. We need rapid action to rescue the 1.5-degree Paris target and to ensure sufficient funding for climate resilience and growth in vulnerable regions like sub-Saharan Africa.”
At the Nairobi climate summit, the Alliance for Science is hosting several parallel events in a Climate Action Zone, focusing on food security, climate resilience, and combating anti-science misinformation, reaffirming their commitment to addressing the pressing climate challenges of our time
