ENVIRONMENTAL FAKE NEWS AND ITS IMPACTS ON PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56238/arev7n12-143Keywords:
Environmental Fake News, Climate Change, Public Perception, DisinformationAbstract
This study analyzes environmental fake news and their impacts on public perception of climate change, a phenomenon that threatens mitigation and adaptation efforts to the contemporary environmental crisis. Disinformation about climate issues proliferates at exponential speed through digital platforms, undermining trust in science and fragmenting the consensus necessary to confront the crisis. The research is justified by the urgency to understand how disinformative narratives compromise the collective response to the greatest environmental threat in human history. The objective consists of examining the mechanisms of production and dissemination of environmental fake news and their repercussions on environmental attitudes and behaviors. The methodology adopts a qualitative approach of applied nature, combining systematic literature review, content analysis, and critical synthesis of evidence published between 2019 and 2025. The results reveal five main typologies of disinformation: denial, questioning of anthropogenic causes, distortion of evidence, disqualification of scientists, and conspiracy theories, with significant impacts on public perceptions, particularly among individuals with low scientific literacy. It concludes that effective confrontation demands a systemic approach that articulates regulation of digital platforms, quality scientific communication, media literacy, and accountability of disinformation disseminators.
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