Can we be inoculated against climate misinformation? Yes—if we prebunk rather than debunk, researchers say (phys.org)
TLDR; Summary
- Last year was the hottest on record with temperatures 1.5°C warmer than pre-industrial era
- Climate misinformation still spreads, evolving from denial to questioning solutions
- Debunking misinformation is not always effective, prebunking is a new method
- Prebunking acts like a vaccine against misinformation, reducing its spread
- Studies show prebunking is effective in countering misinformation on topics like vaccines and climate change
- Social media platforms like Meta are adopting prebunking techniques to combat misinformation
- Prebunking can be used to counter climate misinformation claims ahead of events like wildfires
- Prebunking involves providing accurate information in advance to counter misleading claims
- Prebunking is crucial in the fight against misinformation as the world gets hotter