By Sabrina Seldon
February 17, 2025
Disinformation is harmful and increasingly complicates the global response to the climate crisis by eroding public trust and spreading false narratives. Climate disinformation refers to deceptive or misleading content issued by distributors knowingly sharing falsehoods. As opposed to misinformation which is released from a point of genuine misunderstanding or incomplete information.
The United Nations has confirmed the United States is currently experiencing a climate crisis, as human activities continue to cause changes to the Earth’s climate, resulting in extreme weather and rising global temperatures. Climate change has become a defining issue of today as we see its drastic impact in the frequency and intensity of heat waves, wildfires and hurricanes.
There are now fewer cold days as heat waves are becoming more common. In July of 2023, Earth broke its record for hottest day four days in a row. This is attributed to human emissions of greenhouse gasses, mainly from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Heat waves pose a number of threats to human health as the leading-cause of weather-related deaths. Extreme heat also damages architecture and increases the risk of other disasters.
For example, warmer temperatures and longer summers have made it easier for wildfires to start and spread. In California, record-breaking wildfires are now an annual threat. In July 2024, the Park Fire became the fourth largest wildfire on record following the 2020 record-breaking August Complex. These megafires are only projected to grow further in size.
Hurricanes in the Atlantic are also intensifying due to climate change increasing warmer ocean temperatures and rising sea levels. In 2024, Florida got hit with three hurricanes over the course of a few months: Debby, Helene and Milton, leaving families with no time to recover. Hurricane Helene ranked as the most deadly mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005. The Atlantic Ocean and The Gulf of Mexico have been hotter than average for more than 18 months.
The climate crisis is not just an environmental issue; it is also a social and political one. In each of these major climate disasters, disinformation has become a tool to distort facts about climate change and its impact. Some groups promote skepticism, downplaying the human causes of climate change and even suggesting that climate disasters are exaggerated or fabricated. As a result, a large number of Americans have become distrustful of scientists, in addition to the media that reports on them. This doubt is fueled by radio and podcasts hosts such as Alex Jones and Joe Rogan spreading conspiracy theories about climate change and using their platform to spread disinformation.
Distrust stems from political standpoints that downplay scientific approaches to address climate change and are dismissed on economic grounds rather than scientific weakening the support for solutions. The rise of social media has made it easier for disinformation to spread rapidly during climate disasters, resulting in dangerous consequences for communities already vulnerable to climate impacts.
Sabrina Seldon is a senior majoring in journalism with minors in broadcast, graphic design and public relations. On campus, she is involved in VIM Magazine, Her Campus at MSU and interns at WKAR Public Media. She is passionate about spreading awareness on climate change and its impacts.