Thread by @seanforachange

THREAD: How leading climate science denial group "The Global Warming Policy Forum" is using Facebook adverts to minimise the impact of man made climate change. Videos, screenshots, background, solutions below 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

(2/14) Here's one advert, in full, run by the "thinktank" in July.

👉🏼 #climatechange paired with alarm / hysteria / exaggeration / cult / irrationality
👉🏼 Of course can't resist a dig at @GretaThunberg
👉🏼 Implying, without directly saying, that #fossilfuels are a net good

(3/14) Before we look at another, I just want to note that Facebook calls this group a "science website" on their front page. This will show up when people hover over the logo or click to learn more, so the videos will be construed by many as #science.

(4/14) Second video of three.

👉🏼 Fearmongering RE green jobs / policies, particularly aimed at those in #poverty
👉🏼 Some casual China xenophobia
👉🏼 Classic #strawman argument using @LeoDiCaprio & @princeharryh
👉🏼 More alarmist language ("green altar")

(5/14) The #poverty theme is particularly galling to me, because this group was founded by #Thatcherite Nigel Lawson and funded by a number of wealthy climate sceptics.

Check out this @DeSmogUK article and other amazing research on the organisation here: desmog.co.uk/2020/03/02/mem…

(6/14) Final video for this thread

This starts part way through. They use #covid19 as an excuse to halt green policies. It's full of so many false assertions I don't have space to list. All pretence is dropped by this video.

(Tweet 10/13 has a link to full vid & other content)

(7/14) In case you missed it, a strong irony running through these videos is they talk about #climatechange alarmism yet they are full of panic and anxiety-inducing terminology, background music and imagery.

I honestly find them hard to watch for that reason.

(8/14) So... before 2014 this kind of material was circulated by the Global Warming Policy Foundation, a UK #Charity.

In 2014 the @ChtyCommission stepped in, so the Global Warming Policy FORUM was created as the "campaigning arm" of the Foundation.

(9/14) The Charity Commission stated that "The (Foundation) website could not be regarded as a comprehensive and structured educational resource sufficient to demonstrate public benefit."

Yet this same content is now running Facebook ads under the guise of a "Science Website"🤷🏽‍♀️

(10/14) Total expenditure in the past year has been £2,500 in the UK, including during the #stophateforprofit period in July. You can go look around yourself at this link: bit.ly/globalwarmingp…

(Yes I made a shortlink in their name 😆)

(11/14) My view - and this shouldn't be controversial - is these sorts of ads, however small the budget, should not be permitted. The ads speak with false authority; purport to be factual without backing up claims (on ad or website). They are acting against our planet.

(12/14) The problem is, Facebook cares more about their profits than #misinformation. If you don't believe that, you can check out the medium article I recently published all about it bit.ly/whyfacebooksuc…

(13/14) What to do?

👉🏼 Spread the word - retweet this thread
👉🏼 Follow the orgs and peeps tagged in the final tweet below, all involved in this area in some way and provide tons of useful resources
👉🏼 Join a relevant campaign. You can DM me if you like for guidance

(14/14) follow these orgs & peeps (also hey guys, you might want to read & RT this ☝🏼) @emorwee @stopfundingheat @consciousadnet @DeSmogUK @Detox_Facebook @algorithmwatch @badvertising11 @nandoodles @catthekin @slpng_giants @StopFundingHate