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The climate crisis is a pressing global issue impacting nations worldwide. While some developed countries have taken strides to tackle the effects of climate change, developing nations like Indonesia grapple with unique challenges.
The lack of public awareness about the urgency of climate change, coupled with the proliferation of misinformation on this subject, compounds the issue.
The Center for Digital Society (CfDS) at the UGM Faculty of Social and Political Sciences unveiled research on the spread of misinformation concerning climate change in the 61st edition of the Digitalk series themed “Countering Misinformation on the Climate Crisis in the Digital Era,” on Tuesday (Jan. 30).
“This research stems from concerns that, unlike other forms of misinformation, environmental misinformation is underestimated, particularly about the climate crisis,” remarked Dr. Novi Kurnia, a researcher and lecturer at the UGM Department of Communication Science.
“I believe it’s crucial because Indonesia boasts the largest tropical rainforest globally, home to many mammal species. Yet, it’s disheartening to note that 18% of global climate change deniers reside in Indonesia.”
This demographic of climate change deniers poses a threat to public awareness of the climate crisis’s urgency.
Dr. Kurnia elucidated that climate change denial groups typically argue that climate change results from natural phenomena rather than human activities, often intertwining political, religious, and ideological elements rather than scientific evidence.
These dissenting factions not only propagate climate crisis denial content but also exert influence over public opinion through such narratives, posing a significant peril, particularly given the populace’s limited digital literacy.
CfDS conducted a survey involving 2,401 respondents, exploring three facets: comprehension and recognition of the climate crisis, information consumption habits, and digital literacy levels.
Survey results revealed that 21.5% agreed and 11% strongly concurred that sinful behavior and religious non-adherence contribute to the climate crisis. Additionally, 25% of respondents concurred that scientists studying climate change are influenced by the elite.
Government efforts to curb fossil fuels are viewed as undermining democracy. These findings underscore public skepticism surrounding the climate crisis.
“It’s noteworthy that misinformation regarding politics, pandemics, and the climate crisis is predominantly disseminated on social media platforms. Following social media, television news garners significant attention compared to print media,” Dr. Kurnia explained.
“Surprisingly, Instagram (39.3%) emerges as the primary source of climate crisis-related content on social media, trailed by YouTube (20.6%) and X/Twitter (19.2%).”
Although most respondents acknowledged frequent exposure to climate crisis information, only a tiny fraction actively sought further information or desired to learn more about the issue.
The proliferation of climate change denial groups across these platforms has precipitated behavioral shifts. Echoing Dr. Kurnia’s sentiments, Septiaji Eko Nugroho, Chair of MAFINDO (Indonesian Anti-Defamation Society), noted that climate change denial groups have evolved their narrative.
“We’re witnessing an intriguing paradigm shift among climate change deniers. Previously, they flatly rejected the climate crisis. However, they’ve now adopted a more nuanced stance, acknowledging the climate crisis but deeming scientists’ proposed solutions ineffective,” Nugroho remarked.
According to Zenzi Suhadi, Executive Director of WALHI, misinformation surrounding climate change stems not only from inaccurate information disseminated to the public but also from myriad global political interests.
“Misinformation’s content and comprehension are crafted to misconstrue facts to garner political backing in global climate dialogues. For instance, industrialized nations engage in contentious debates with southern countries, including Indonesia,” Suhadi said.
“Climate change stems from two primary emissions sources: industrial and deforestation emissions. While industrialized countries concede their industrial operations emit significant carbon emissions, they refute that mitigating emissions from their industries is the solution to the climate crisis.”
Author: Tasya