There’s a New Type of Climate Denial—and It’s Spreading

Over the past few years, climate deniers have changed tactics. “Where once climate deniers would outright reject climate change as a hoax or scam, or claim that humans were not responsible for it, many are now shifting to a different approach, one which attempts to undermine climate science, cast doubt on climate solutions and even claim global warming will be beneficial at best, harmless at worst,” reports Rachel Ramirez of CNN.

The nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) calls this trend “new denial” and says the shift in narrative could be helping YouTube creators get around the platform’s existing ban on monetizing traditional climate denial. “New denial” content has doubled since 2018 and now makes up 70 percent of all climate denial claims posted on YouTube, according to the report.

In some ways the report is a success, Imran Ahmed, chief executive officer and founder of CCDH, told CNN. “The climate movement has won the argument that climate change is real, and that it is hurting our planet’s ecosystems.” But he said it’s also a warning, as the new narrative that the solutions don’t work “could hold enormous influence over public opinion on climate action for decades to come.”

Considering YouTube’s global reach and popularity with young people, this could have major implications as planners, local officials, and advocates in communities across the country seek to advance climate action.

CCDH and other organizations are calling on YouTube and Google to boost their policies to prevent bad actors from monetizing this “new denial” content like it does the “old denial” content.