Information and misinformation about climate change: lessons from Brazil

Abstract

There is a growing movement in online social networks and within some governments to deny the long-established scientific consensus regarding climate change. Scientific research has shown that a series of climatic events in Latin America, and especially in Brazil, are being exacerbated by global warming. These events have had a profound impact on populations. Disruptions to Brazilian rainfall patterns with their devastating environmental and economic effects on agriculture have been directly linked with Amazonian deforestation. Furthermore, the Bolsonaro government, with its erratic environmental policies and ardent followers, has promoted misinformation about climate change and conservation of the Amazon. It is necessary to simultaneously inform society about scientific misunderstandings regarding the environment and the way these misunderstandings are amplified via the internet and social networks.

Mapeando a desinformação sobre o meio ambiente na América Latina e no Caribe: uma análise bibliométrica de um campo incipiente de pesquisa

“…Alguns eventos de destaque ocorridos a partir desse período nos ajudam a explicar essa mirada, sobretudo, a ascensão da extrema-direita no cenário global, com a vitória de Donald Trump nas eleições presidenciais dos Estados Unidos. Tal momento foi intimamente marcado pela postura negacionista de Trump em relação às mudanças climáticas [Silva, 2022;Allen & McAleer, 2018], resultando na saída dos Estados Unidos do Acordo de Paris em 2017 e na contestação do relatório sobre clima elaborado por cientistas do governo no ano seguinte.…”

Indigenous Culture: What can we learn (and teach)?

“…Education can help prevent or mitigate what has been happening in Brazil at the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century. This movement against devastation must be increasingly Silva | Indigenous culture: Science classes intensified, as climate change intensifies, while the spread of false news in relation to this process also intensifies 21 . It is necessary to spread the knowledge that the forest mitigates climate change, global warming, and its increase, by capturing carbon from the atmosphere through the growth of plants 22 .…”

The impact of information disorder on deliberative process

“…Despite 97% of climate scientists worldwide asserting that global warming not only exists but is accelerated by human actions (Cook et al, 2016;Green et al, 2022), skepticism regarding climate change is present in almost every country, followed by disinformation and conspiracy theories (Dahlberg, 2023;Daume et al, 2023;Ejaz, Ittefaq, et al, 2022;Ejaz, Mukherjee, et al, 2022;Fernández-Castrillo & Magallón-Rosa, 2023;Schmid-Petri & Bürger, 2022;Schubatzky & Haagen-Schützenhöfer, 2022;Silva, 2022;Woodley, Barr, Stott, Thomet, Flint, Lovell, O'malley, et al, 2022). On digital platforms, discussions about climate change occur in an environment of polarization, echo chambers, and disinformation, negatively impacting public discourse and leading to civic inaction and rejection of public mitigation policies (Treen et al, 2022).…”

“…Research also demonstrates that factors such as political ideologies, level of education, country of origin, community involvement, and media literacy influence decision-making on climate change (Cremades & Stella, 2022;Dahlberg, 2023;Davis & Lewandowsky, 2022;Hassan et al, 2022;Jylhä et al, 2022;Morote Seguido, 2023;Sill et al, 2023;Silva, 2022;Tillery & Bloomfield, 2022;Villagra et al, 2023;Woodley et al, 2022). In Spain, Fernández-Castrillo & Magallón-Rosa (2023) analyzed patterns of misinformation verification and identified two predominant types of climate skepticism: epistemic and reactive.…”