Climate Science Under Siege
The goal is not to convince people that climate change is a hoax, but rather to create confusion, uncertainty, and apathy—conditions under which fossil fuel interests can continue profiting.
As Özdemir & Springer (2022) argue, climate disinformation is a systemic feature of neoliberal governance, where economic and political elites shape knowledge production to sustain the status quo.
To understand this disinformation war, we must analyze its tactics, psychological mechanisms, and institutional networks that work together to undermine climate science.
Phase 1: Manufacturing Doubt—The "Scientific Uncertainty" PsyOp
One of the oldest and most effective propaganda strategies is to make the public believe that an issue is still up for debate—even when the science is settled.
This technique was perfected by the tobacco industry, which famously declared, “Doubt is our product.” - (1969 internal memo by an executive at Brown & Williamson, a subsidiary of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.)
Climate disinformation networks have adopted the same strategy.
Kažys (2018) analyzed online climate information and found that disinformation is often not outright denial, but rather the subtle promotion of misleading or outdated scientific claims, presented alongside legitimate sources to create the illusion of ongoing controversy.
- Example: Fossil fuel industry-funded think tanks, such as the Heartland Institute, regularly publish reports suggesting that climate models are unreliable, despite overwhelming scientific consensus (Özdemir & Springer, 2022).
Strategic Goal: Prevent public consensus by portraying climate science as unsettled, ensuring policymakers hesitate on taking regulatory action.
Cognitive Effect: Exploits the brain’s natural tendency to avoid taking action in uncertain scenarios (Pogson, 2021).
Phase 2: Digital Infiltration—Using Algorithmic Warfare to Shape Perceptions
In modern warfare, controlling information flows is just as important as controlling physical territory.
Climate disinformation campaigns exploit digital algorithms to dominate online discourse while suppressing credible scientific narratives.
Pogson (2021) found that in just six months of 2020, 51 climate disinformation ads reached millions of Facebook users, with the highest engagement rates among politically conservative men over 55 in rural areas.
These ads were designed to reinforce ideological biases and weaponize social identity against climate action.
- Tactic: Paid microtargeting of vulnerable demographics, ensuring disinformation reaches those most likely to distrust government and scientific institutions (Pogson, 2021).
Effect: Creates “epistemic echo chambers” where climate disinformation becomes self-reinforcing.
Outcome: Shifts climate change from a scientific issue to a partisan culture war, reducing support for policy action.
Additionally, Kažys (2018) found that search engine algorithms amplify outdated and misleading climate claims, often elevating older, industry-backed studies over more recent peer-reviewed research.
This “digital asymmetry” ensures that users searching for climate-related topics are more likely to encounter corporate-friendly narratives.
Phase 3: Psychological Operations—Weaponizing Emotion Against Science
Misinformation spreads not because it is factually accurate, but because it is emotionally compelling.
Climate disinformation campaigns utilize three primary emotional triggers:
- Fear – Disinfo campaigns exaggerate the economic cost of climate action (e.g., “Net Zero will destroy jobs”).
Anger – They position climate policy as a tool for government overreach (“The Green New Deal is socialism”).
Hopelessness – When denial fails, they push fatalism (“It’s too late to act anyway”).
Özdemir & Springer (2022) highlight that disinformation operates by reinforcing pre-existing worldviews, making individuals more resistant to scientific corrections.
Once an emotional narrative is internalized, new evidence rarely changes the belief—it often strengthens it.
- Example: The shift from outright climate denial to “doomism” (Pogson, 2021).
Effect: Suppresses activism by making climate action seem futile.
Strategic Outcome: If the public believes solutions are impossible, they disengage, allowing fossil fuel industries to continue their operations unchallenged.
Phase 4: Institutional Capture—Embedding Disinformation in Policy & Academia
Disinformation warfare is most effective when it moves from the digital sphere into the institutions that shape policy.
Fossil fuel industries have spent decades embedding their narratives in:
- Universities – Endowing research programs that produce “climate skepticism” under the guise of academic neutrality.
Legislative Bodies – Lobbying lawmakers to defund climate initiatives and promote industry-friendly policies.
Media Networks – Funding think tanks that provide “experts” to mainstream outlets, creating false balance in climate reporting.
A 2021 study found that over 75% of climate policy lobbying in the U.S. is conducted by organizations with ties to the fossil fuel industry (Pogson, 2021).
This ensures that even when governments acknowledge climate change, their policies remain weak or ineffective.
Countering Climate Disinformation Warfare
To dismantle this strategic campaign, we must apply counter-disinformation tactics:
- Algorithmic Interventions – Search engines and social media platforms must be held accountable for elevating misleading content (Kažys, 2018).
Legislative Firewalls – Governments must introduce strict regulations on fossil fuel lobbying and corporate-funded disinformation networks (Özdemir & Springer, 2022).
Cognitive Immunity Training – Educating the public on how misinformation exploits psychological biases reduces susceptibility (Pogson, 2021).
Fact-Checking Infrastructure – Climate science must be aggressively defended through rapid-response disinfo tracking (Pogson, 2021).
The Climate Disinformation War is Ongoing
Climate disinformation is not a random phenomenon—it is a structured, well-funded cognitive warfare campaign that operates across media, politics, and academia.
The goal is not just to spread falsehoods but to create a world where the public is too divided, confused, or hopeless to act.
To win this war, climate science must be defended not just in laboratories, but in the digital and political arenas where disinformation thrives.
The fight for truth is also a fight for action. Recognizing disinformation for what it is—a weapon—gives us the power to neutralize it.
Sources & Further Reading
- Özdemir & Springer (2022) – Decolonizing Knowledge Upstream: New Ways to Deconstruct and Fight Disinformation (Link)
- Kažys (2018) – Climate Change Information on Internet by Different Baltic Sea Region Languages: Risks of Disinformation & Misinterpretation (Link)
- Pogson (2021) – Climate Disinformation Adverts: Real-World Indicators of an Online Problem (Link)
