How impact storytelling can help to fight climate disinformation

There is no better time than today, Earth Day, to highlight the essential role of storytelling in raising awareness on the issues that put our planet at risk

From climate change and the Covid pandemic to the Ukraine crisis, it is increasingly difficult to tell fact from fiction when consuming news across the various channels available to us. This is especially prevalent across social media.

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter boast four billion users worldwide - all of which have access to the latest news through these platforms. As of 2022, the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide amounts to 147 minutes per day.

The threat of misinformation for the planet

Stories around socio-environmental issues are being undermined by the scale of disinformation and misinformation. According to a ‘Stop Funding Heat’ 2021 study, thousands of climate misinformation posts on Facebook received up to 1.36m views everyday.

In February 2022, the IPCC said, “Misinformation on climate change and the deliberate undermining of science have contributed to misperceptions of the scientific consensus, uncertainty, disregarded risk and urgency, and dissent.”

A recent study by Kantar Public examining public views and attitudes towards climate change disinformation in 11 countries across Europe found that a whopping 27% are ambivalent when asked about causes of climate change.

As the world faces extreme environmental challenges, disinformation is one of the greatest threats to mitigating climate change and biodiversity loss. But there is hope: businesses are fighting back.

A report published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, states that targeted bot attacks on social media are threatening support for actions needed to tackle climate change. Leading by example, Pinterest recently announced it will remove posts and ads with climate change disinformation, becoming the first social media platform to do so. This includes content that denies the existence or effects of climate change, the human influence on climate change, or that climate change is backed up by scientific data. It is a great first step, paving the way to more transparency in the social media arena.

There remains the need – more than ever before, for transparent solution-based journalism that educates and empowers citizens. Headlines around environmental issues are often doom and gloom sensationalization, with a lack of focus on the steps that individuals, governments and corporations can take to save the planet. The reporting around the recent IPCC report is testament to this, with some headlines calling it a “doomsday report”. Many articles also fail to highlight the tangible solutions brought to light in the report including new technologies such as direct air carbon capture, which involves removing carbon from the atmosphere by chemical means.

How can impact storytelling fight misinformation

Today, brands are seen as forces for change and people are turning to them for information and education. According to Edelman’s 2022 Trust Barometer, at 61%, business is the most trusted institution, ahead of NGOs at 59%, government at 52% and media at only 50%. As such, brands have a responsibility to combat disinformation and remind people to question sources and always seek truth. Communicating with transparency and integrity is crucial in building brand trust and credibility as well as connecting with consumers in a meaningful way.

While business is the most trusted source, people also believe it needs to step up on societal issues and is not doing enough to address societal problems, including climate change (52%), economic inequality (49%), etc. A great way for brands to combat misinformation and build that trust is to join forces and align with “impact media” channels that are both transparent and solution-based.

One example is 5 Media, a new impact media foundation on a mission to cover important stories in an inspiring way, spotlighting new perspectives and courageous profiles. These types of media outlets tell stories that not only raise awareness for socio-environmental issues but also encourage citizens to take action. In a similar way, brands need to share powerful stories of innovators at the forefront of socio-environmental change. As well as elevating the work of those making a positive impact on our planet to encourage citizens to take action towards a more sustainable future.

This year’s Earth Day theme is ‘Invest in our planet’, encouraging everyone to act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably) for the protection of planet earth. As the most recent IPCC report outlined, we all have a part to play and changes to make, to help keep the planet below 1.5 degrees. One thing is abundantly clear: to achieve this, the media, governments, brands, and those in positions of power need to be held accountable and join forces to combat misinformation.