If you are among the half of U.S. or U.K. adults who get their news through social media, you might be under the impression that scientific consensus surrounding human-made climate change is still a matter of debate. You would be wrong.
A recent study by Cornell University found that over 99.9% of scientists agree about the impact of human activity on climate change, a level of certainty similar to that of the theory of evolution. And yet that is not the reality that is reflected on Facebook.
When we simulated the experience of a climate-skeptic user on the platform, within a few clicks Facebook’s algorithm recommended content that denied the existence of man-made climate warming and attacked measures aimed at mitigating the climate crisis. Much of this content deployed culture war tactics to polarize debate around climate change and demonize environmental movements.
Read the full investigation at Global Witness
