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Climate-denial tag topping Twitter searches

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Analysts and campaigners have warned of a surge in misinformation on Twitter since the billionaire Tesla boss fired thousands of staff including content moderators. EPA-EFE/file" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/overseas/11/14/20221114-twitter.jpg"/><figcaption>Analysts and campaigners have warned of a surge in misinformation on Twitter since the billionaire Tesla boss fired thousands of staff including content moderators. <em>EPA-EFE/file</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>The climate change-denial tag &quot;ClimateScam&quot; has become a top search term on Twitter, prompting monitors to warn Monday of a rise in misinformation following Elon Musk&#x27;s takeover of the platform.</p><p>Typing &quot;climate&quot; in Twitter&#x27;s generic search bar returned &quot;ClimateScam&quot; as the top suggested result, followed by &quot;ClimateAction&quot; and &quot;ClimateEmergency&quot;.</p><p>Analysts and campaigners have warned of a surge in misinformation on Twitter since the billionaire Tesla boss bought it and fired thousands of staff including content moderators.</p><p>&quot;Elon Musk&#x27;s acquisition of Twitter seems to be emboldening right-wing contrarians to &#x27;test&#x27; him (i.e. the platform&#x27;s content moderation policy), making statements that contain various types of misinformation including around climate,&quot; said Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD), a group that analyses trends in false information on social media.</p><p>&quot;These posts most often draw on culture wars and energy narratives, and dozens have included similar (if not identical) formats across Twitter as well as Facebook.&quot;</p><p>Its comment came in a report on misinformation trends during COP27, the UN climate summit in Egypt.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/11/11/22/fact-check-how-to-spot-impostor-twitter-accounts">Fact Check: How to spot impostor Twitter accounts</a></li></ul><p>Researchers and campaigners say that despite measures announced by social platforms, climate misinformation is thriving, undermining belief in climate change and the action needed to tackle it.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/11/08/22/defectors-seek-alternatives-to-musk-owned-twitter">Defectors seek alternatives to Musk-owned Twitter</a></li></ul><p>Twitter and other tech giants such as Facebook and Google have said they are acting to make false claims less visible.</p><p>But the Institute for Strategic Dialogue think tank said in a detailed study this year that messages aiming to &quot;deny, deceive and delay&quot; regarding climate action were prevalent across social media.</p><p>Musk promised to reduce Twitter&#x27;s content restrictions and announced plans after the takeover to create a &quot;content moderation council&quot; to review policies.</p><p>Scientists overwhelmingly agree that humans are heating the planet by burning fossil fuels, despite contrary conspiracy narratives thriving online.</p><p>The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said in its 2021 report: &quot;It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.&quot;</p><p>It warned that carbon emissions must be cut to avoid the worst impacts.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2331962" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The climate change-denial tag 'ClimateScam' prompted monitors to warn of a rise in misinformation following Elon Musk's takeover of the platform.