Tortoise Media, in collaboration with the University of Exeter and with the support of Octopus Energy, has launched a groundbreaking tool called Hot Air. This interactive database and visualization tool aim to shed light on the prevalence of online misinformation related to climate change. Users can now access this tool to identify and monitor climate misinformation across various online platforms.
Bex Sander, the data and graphics reporter at Tortoise Media, expressed, “Hot Air has been a project we’ve been conceptualizing, developing, and rigorously testing for months, and now you can see how the ecosystem of climate skepticism is thriving online. We hope that this publicly-available tool will help inform people about where they get their information and encourage them to critically assess the claims they encounter online. Given that climate change poses a significant threat to our planet, the importance of accurate information cannot be overstated.”
Quentin Willson, the founder of FairCharge and an EVUK advisory board member, highlighted the detrimental impact of climate denial and misinformation on the environment, air quality, health, and the economy. He emphasized the need for factually accurate and informed discussions to combat the spread of misleading information.
The Hot Air tool has already uncovered the origins of deceptive online narratives, such as false claims linking wind turbines to harm whales, attributing temperature increases to volcanic eruptions, and alleging that farmers are compelled to cull livestock to meet net zero targets. By analyzing data from platforms like TikTok, X, and YouTube, as well as news articles and websites, Tortoise and the University of Exeter have identified nearly 300 individuals disseminating climate misinformation.
The database created through this tool revealed a concerning trend – climate denier posts on YouTube grew by 24% between 2021 and 2024, with claims that climate change is a tool for control constituting 37% of such posts. Similarly, on platform X, climate denier posts increased by over 40% during the same period, with more than 40% of these posts perpetuating the false narrative that climate change is a means of control.
The Hot Air tool is now accessible on the Tortoise Media website, providing users with a valuable resource to combat climate misinformation and promote fact-based discussions on this crucial issue. This initiative marks a significant step towards fostering a more informed and scientifically aware society.
This article, based on a press release from Tortoise Media, was authored by Brendan Montague, the editor of The Ecologist.
