Fuelling climate change disinformation: Global narratives distorting environmental risks in North America, Europe and Latin America

The production and dissemination of disinformation is a global phenomenon in relation to sensitive issues such as climate change. This article analyses the activity (n = 419) of nine independent platforms debunking disinformation in North America, Europe and Latin America. Findings show that most fact-checking results were false or misleading (86.4%). Four main conclusions are drawn. Firstly, regardless of language, geographical or cultural differences, there is a consistent presence of manipulated content across countries, confirming the worrying levels of disinformation on climate change. Secondly, three central narratives for spreading disinformation have been identified: denial of scientific evidence, distortion of science and attribution of ulterior motives to action on climate change, often linked to conspiracy theories. Although there are differences in terms of representation, these narratives are prevalent in the three regions. Thirdly, these narratives revolve around topics such as meteorology, natural phenomena and temperature or the distortion of evidence about the effects of climate change. Finally, social media (52.5%) and websites and pseudo-media (25.8%) are the main sources of climate change disinformation.