Climate Scientists Fleeing Twitter Amid Hostilities
Are you worried about the attacks on climate scientists?
What's the story?
- Under Elon Musk's leadership, Twitter is proving to be hostile toward climate change experts, leading several scientists to vocally leave the platform, citing mistreatment, combativeness, and trolling.
- According to an analysis by the University of London, climate change misinformation has grown to unprecedented levels since Musk's takeover in October 2022. Climate scientists have reported receiving mass spam and insults as climate change denialism thrives on the platform. This is prompting them to seek out new venues and outlets.
Climate change denial on Twitter
- An analysis by the University of London researchers found that more tweets used climate-skeptical terminology in 2022 than any other year. They discovered 850,000 climate-skeptic tweets or retweets in 2022, compared to 650,000 in 2021 and 220,000 in 2020.
- 40% of the tweets containing climate change skeptic language contained the hashtag #climatescam. The 2022 United Nations climate conference set off a doubling of #climatescam tweets. Now, when users search for #climate on Twitter, #climatescam appears as a top result.
- Robert Rohde, from the non-profit environmental data analysis group Berkeley Earth, analyzed the activity of accounts of popular climate scientists and found that the average number of likes was down 38% and retweets were down 40% since Musk's takeover.
What are climate scientists saying?
- Climate scientist Peter Gleick, who has nearly 99,000 followers, announced on May 21 that he would be leaving the platform due to a growth in hate speech:
"[I]n the past few months, since the takeover and changes at Twitter, the amount, vituperativeness, and intensity of abuse has skyrocketed."
- Climatologist Katharine Hayhoe did an experiment by publishing a climate change tweet before and after the takeover to gauge the responses. She noticed a rise in hostile comments from bots that were spreading misinformation. She found that the rates of bots and troll responses had risen 15 to 30 times over a two-month period.
- Hayhoe found that of a master list of 3,000 climate scientists whose accounts she monitors, 100 left the platform after the takeover. She told the New York Times:
"Climate denial on Twitter was already a dumpster fire; now, it's as if it had a litre of gas thrown on it."
- Andrew Dessler, professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University, said:
"Climate communications on Twitter are less useful (now) given that I can see that my tweets are getting less engagement. In response to almost any tweet concerning climate change, I find my notifications inundated with replies from verified accounts making misleading or misguided claims."
- Michael Mann from the University of Pennsylvania said that he believes the attacks are orchestrated, saying:
"I've seen a huge rise in trolls and bots. Many target tweets of mine for attack. The professional trolls manipulate the online environment with strategic posts that generate conflict and division, leading to a feeding frenzy."
"I can understand climate scientists saying this is not a productive place for conversations with each other any more. They've become lightening rods for hate speech and death threats, we are seeing a real escalation of threats against them, intended to drive them off the platform."
What are people saying?
- Twitter has not commented on the algorithm changes that could contribute to the lower visibility of climate scientists' posts.
- Climate change denier Marc Morano said:
"My Twitter account and many others opposing the 'consensus' climate view have all increased visibility dramatically since Musk took over Twitter. Whatever Musk is altering, I hope he keeps it up."
- Musk had previously tweeted in Jan.:
"People on the right should see more 'left-wing' stuff and people on the left should see more 'right-wing' stuff. But you can just block it if you want to stay in an echo chamber."
What is next?
- Many scientists are joining the crowdfunded, decentralized forum powered by Mastodon, which was launched in 2016. Bob Kopp, from Rutgers University, said:
"I don't think I'm getting much value from being on Twitter now, there are more interesting conversations happening at Mastodon."
Are you worried about the attacks on climate scientists?
—Emma Kansiz
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I am a physicist and computer scientist. I have left twitter because it has become a toxic environment. There is great value in having open communication between scientists and educators and people with questions about science, but twitter is no longer a suitable environment. I am not sure any social media is, and that is a shame. Our world has grown smaller, less friendly, and less informative in the current climate of needless histility.
You just can't fix stupid. Must be lots of folk never took any science in high school, any kind of science. Could be our compensated teachers could not help them.
I have never used twitter.
a million wrong opinions don't make said opinion valid.
the level of anti intelectual ideas on a platform like twitter is alarming in itself.
far to many Americans are scienticly illiterate. that is a failing of our educational system.
Twitter has become a force of hate and disinformation.I do not understand why people still use it.
While this is a natural evolving phenomenon, I'm not sure what we can do about it. All the hype to steer away from fossil fuels is a hoax, in my opinion. The government is steering us to electricity because they likely have stocks in many of these sectors.
I'm so sick of the elite deciding our future that will have detrimental affects on consumers.
I've stopped using Twitter when Musk decided to stop verifying user accounts allows deep fake accounts and posts.
I was only using Twitter to communicate with politicians directly in their Twitter feeds but now I can't be sure it's really the person I think it is.
Many of the deep fakes are shared by Russian state new agency making Musk a Putin tool willing or unwilling not sure which but does it matter? The damage is done in the case of the deep fake of Pentagon being bombed that led to a stock market drop.
"A fake image of an explosion next to the Pentagon spread on social media and caused a brief dip in the US stock market on Monday."
"The image was shared by a number of Twitter accounts carrying a “verified” blue check mark, including one impersonating the Bloomberg news agency - called “@BloombergFeed”
"The fake news was subsequently spread by dozens of other Twitter accounts, including Russian state-controlled news network RT, which has been blocked in the EU but has a following of more than 3 million on the platform."
"Twitter initiated controversial changes to its verification system under the leadership of Elon Musk"
"Under the new policy, anyone can get a blue verification checkmark by paying for it, and they don’t need to provide any evidence of identification."
https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/05/23/fake-news-about-an-explosion-at-the-pentagon-spreads-on-verified-accounts-on-twitter
Ever since Elon Musk bought twitter it has become a haven for Nazis, racists, bigots and Fascists-it doesn't suprise me at all that they attack people who tell the truth. It disgusts me, yes-but surprise? Not a bit!
Fact is, there is no such thing as a rational Republican anymore. There are no fine people across the aisle. GOP has become the party of the Fascists, liars and loons.
In the name of free speech, Twitter has become a cesspool of misinformation with no regard truth, accuracty or value. I think it needs to just go down the drain at this point and take the owner with it.
Twitter has become a useless wasteland and Musk is largely responsible for that. He deserves to lose every penny of the $44 billion he spent. Twitter was a great space to hear news and information across scientific specialists and now someone thinks a Google search makes them an expert.I don't blame scientists for giving up on Twitter and most social media because the oligarchs have us where they want us, under informed and devided.
I urge my representatives to vote to eliminate all funding for John Kerry's operation and his attack on American farmers.
For the world of it, I can't understand why lies, hateful comments, outright fabrication, and weird conspiracies that are clearly flat-out lies are protected by freedom of speech.
Freedom of speech needs to protect honesty, not lies. Hurtful comments that are true - then ok. As long as they're factual and honest, then Freedom of Speech applies.
Current anti-science trend is ridiculous!
CAUSES ASKS: "Are you worried about the attacks on climate scientists?" ME: Absolutely. And attacks on journalists, LGBTQ people, non-WASPs, books, etc., etc. Violence in America is a public health crisis stoked by far right magagop media.
Is it obvious who the bad guys are yet?
Sinking like a stone. Listen to ignorant fools and attack experts. God bless America.
We need to not let misinformation on Twitter since I care about climate change with EV's, solar and renewal energy
Not a surprise due to all the election and covid deniers out there.
It is shameful.
Those opposed should just look at what is happening around the world with climate events and see who is right. Not them!
Climate change is a very real threat to this planet. This truth won't change, regardless of what Musk, et. al. say, but he and his cronies can certainly make this planet unliveable sooner by their actions on Twitter.
Twitter's actions also undermine freedom of speech. but that's his goal.
How do you respond to "Are you worried about the attacks on climate scientists?" with a smiley or frowny face? Again Causes fails.
In short, yes, I'm very worried about any sort of "attacks" on anyone, let alone experts sharing their expertise.
Nope. If you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen.
Like Covid-trust scientists who are getting money and power with debatable issues. Remember, all polar bears are extinct
There's overwhelming agreement among global scientists that the climate crisis is real and that humans must act, but the right-wing extremists refuse to believe and refuse to allow these voices to be heard.
Twitter stopped being a neutral platform for honest and factual discourse when Musk bought it, and I don't blame climate scientists for fleeing. Hopefully they can find better outlets to spread their message where people will hear it and listen.
Twitter is no longer a serious place to discuss facts, as Musk has allowed the extreme right to flourish there.