The Independent's Climate Newsletter
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Welcome to The Independent's weekly round-up on the climate crisis, and the solutions being deployed to tackle it. Thanks for reading - LB | |
| A man stands in front of a screen with an AI-generated artwork at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Sunday (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) | |
| Artificial intelligence has been all the rage at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual summit in Davos this week.
While tech leaders raved about its capabilities, the latest WEF Global Risks Report warned that AI-powered misinformation is the No.1 immediate risk to the world, threatening to erode democracy and further polarize society.
When it comes to the climate crisis, misinformation has been swirling for decades. And even before the full power of AI is unleashed, the threat is already mutating across social media, according to new findings.
Researchers looked at thousands of hours of YouTube content from the past six years and found that "old" climate crisis denial – which claims that global heating is not happening and burning fossil fuels is not the cause – is giving way to a new type of misleading content intended to muddy the waters.
The report, released this week by the non-profit research group Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), found that this "New Denial" falls into a few broad groups: that the impacts of global heating are beneficial or harmless; that climate solutions won't work; and that climate science and the climate movement can't be trusted.
CCDH found that videos containing "New Denial" doubled since 2018 on YouTube. In total, there were more than 34,000 climate crisis denial claims on the 96 channels analysed, amounting to more than 325 million views. The shift has been rapid and stark: as old climate denial narratives declined across YouTube, "New Denial" has surged. The latter now accounts for 70 per cent of climate misinformation on YouTube, while "Old Denial" has dropped to 30 per cent.
Imran Ahmed, CCDH's chief executive, explained that social media platforms are helping content creators figure out what works and what doesn't by providing rich data on how to get viewers, and rewarding them with money.
Mr Ahmed said that CCDH's findings were somewhat optimistic because they showed that scientists and activists have been successful in conveying the facts of climate change to people, and what impact it is having on their lives. But he warned that the new research has uncovered a serious, rising threat.
"People have the right to post [this content] but do you reward them with money and give them a megaphone?" Mr Ahmed said.
"We are not blaming Google [YouTube's parent company] for not recognising this, but we want them to make small changes to their policies. Don't reward this content and profit from it."
In a statement toThe Independent, a YouTube spokesperson said: "Our climate change policy prohibits ads from running on content that contradicts well-established scientific consensus around the existence and causes of climate change. Debate or discussions of climate change topics, including around public policy or research, is allowed.
"However, when content crosses the line to climate change denial, we stop showing ads on those videos. We also display information panels under relevant videos to provide additional information on climate change and context from third parties."
Read the full article here
More climate news this week from The Independent
All of Bangladesh is drinking water containing unsafe levels of arsenic. A team of scientists found that 49 per cent of the country's water, which an overwhelming majority of the population depends on, contains unsafe limits of the carcinogenic contaminant. The discovery highlights a looming public health crisis in the South Asian country, which routinely faces heavy flooding.
Chris Packham has revealed that he has been allocated a bodyguard while filming BBC Two's Winterwatch due to "specific threats" against him. The 62-year-old presenter and animal rights activist said two threats have been made against him in the last month alone.
Four in ten business leaders say that they are willing to compromise on short-term profits to prioritize climate action. Around 40 per cent of 4,702 chief executives across 105 countries surveyed said they have "accepted lower hurdle rates for climate-friendly investments than for other investments". A third said the climate crisis would shift how they do business over the next three years, with 30 per cent expecting "big" or "very big" changes.
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| Throughout my career, I've learned the things that matter most are the people you meet along the way. The strangers who become counterparts who become friends. Xie Zhenhua has been one such friend. | | | Life in the climate crisis | |
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