The New Climate Denial
8 February 2024
CCDH's new report explores how social media platforms and influencers are profiting from spreading climate denial.
The report from The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) shows that in 2023, 70% of YouTube climate denial content contained New Climate Denial narratives, seeking to undermine the climate movement, science and potential solutions.
CCDH used an AI model to measure changes in climate denial on YouTube, gathering transcripts from 12,058 videos from climate denial YouTube channels.
Key Findings:
- Climate deniers have shifted from Old Denial to New Denial. This includes narratives such as: the impacts of global warming are beneficial or harmless, climate solutions won’t work and climate science is unreliable.
- Climate deniers have shifted away from an Old Denial of warming and its human causes. Experts believe climate deniers have changed tactics as the public are aware of the results of global warming and climate change.
- YouTube continues to profit from ads served on Old Denial and New Denial content. Youtube makes up to $13.4 million a year from ads on the channels studied. Their policies bar the monetization of Old Denial, but do not cover New Denial.
- Platforms must update their policies to keep up with New Denial narratives. Digital platforms must demonetize and de-amplify climate denial content.
