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As Rachel Koning Beals wrote for MarketWatch yesterday, “Facebook, long targeted by critics for allowing misinformation on global warming and other environmental developments to populate users’ social-media feeds unchecked, announced it will launch a new information hub to provide “science-based information” about climate change.”
NPR’s All Things Considered further explained that “Users in the U.S., U.K., France and Germany are seeing links and information from Facebook’s Climate Change Information Center starting Tuesday. It’s similar to the COVID-19 information page launched in March.”
This announcement comes days after officials responding to wildfires in Oregon had to fight rumors that certain groups had intentionally caused fires, leading to chaos and confusion during an emergency.
Why This Matters: While more information is all well and good, ultimately it will not stop the spread of fake news. As Dylan Byers wrote for NBC News, “Facebook will not change its approach to combating climate misinformation outside the hub. It will continue to apply warning labels to demonstrably false information, but will not take down posts unless they pose an immediate safety risk.” And that’s the piece that desperately needs addressing.
Not everyone is convinced that Facebook is committed to elevating climate coverage, especially when the tech behemoth censored a climate scientist’s post earlier this summer at the same time that they allowed climate change propaganda to go unchecked. In responding to a letter from Senators led by Elizabeth Warren, Facebook explained that it has two standards for climate-fact checking which ultimately allow misinformation to proliferate.
Green Cred: Additionally, in an effort to address its greenhouse gas emissions, Facebook also pledged to slash greenhouse gases and purchase enough renewable energy and offsets to cancel out carbon dioxide emissions from its global operations this year. The company also set a goal to reach net-zero from its supply chain, employee commuting, and business travel by 2030.
High heels, wigs, and full makeup may not be the attire traditionally associated with hiking in the great outdoors, yet environmentalist drag queen Pattie Gonia is using her photoshoots to bring awareness to environmental issues and make the outdoors more inclusive for all groups. As Yale Climate Connections wrote, Pattie Gonia says it starts by […]
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by Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer A new study found that men’s consumer spending causes 16% more emissions than that of women when spending similar sums of money on goods. The study juxtaposed the spending habits of single men and women in Sweden, and found that men were more likely to spend on fuel for […]
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You may recall our interview with Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn where she explained the threat that climate change poses to winter olympic sports like hers. Now that the Tokyo Summer Olympics are underway, it’s all the more evident that climate change will continue affecting summer sports in a similar fashion. In Tokyo specifically, where climate […]
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