We’ve just published new research in @SciReports - @TravisCoan1, @cboussalis, Mirjam Nanko & myself trained a machine learning model to automatically detect climate misinformation. Full paper is open-access at nature.com/articles/s4159… In order to train a machine to detect climate misinformation, we first had to build a comprehensive taxonomy of all the different categories of climate myths with 5 main categories (it's not real, it's not us, it's not bad, solutions won't work, climate movement is unreliable).

As part of @IOPenvironment's 15-year anniversary, I'm giving a talk today at 2pm GMT (1am in Melbourne FYI) about our 2013 study finding 97% scientific consensus on human-caused global warming. You can register for free at ioppublishing.org/er-2021/ I'll talk about how due to mostly lucky timing, our study got a lot of attention, highlighted by Presidents, Prime Ministers, TV personalities, etc. As a consequence, the paper has been downloaded over 1.3 million times - not bad for a scientific study iopscience.iop.org/article/10.108…

A useful new resource on climate science denial was just published in the #Research Handbook on Communicating #ClimateChange elgaronline.com/view/edcoll/97… 1/7 I was invited to edit the section on climate science denial by @DrDavidCHolmes & #LucyRichardson - thx to contributions from leading researchers, we put together a concise & comprehensive 3-chapter resource 2/7

It’s challenging debunking misinformation in polarized issues like climate change or COVID. The @crankyuncles game tackles this problem with a critical thinking approach known as logic-based inoculation. crankyuncle.com/game 1/12 We inoculate people against misinformation by exposing them to a weakened form of misinformation. In other words, warn of the threat of being misled & explain the techniques used to mislead. I researched this approach in sks.to/inoculation 2/12

Here’s a short but sweet supercut of bloopers by @Reasondisabled in the original Critical Thinking Cafe video. This moment has become so iconic that the Ellertonesque “we’re done” has become a personal catchphrase for my wife & I, applicable in many everyday situations. Definitely worth an animated GIF!

Logic-based inoculation - explaining the rhetorical techniques used to mislead - is like a universal vaccine against misinformation. This is the approach used in the upcoming @crankyuncles game (coming Dec 15) crankyuncle.com/game 1/10 There are two main ways to inoculate people against misinformation: fact-based & logic-based. Fact-based corrections show how a myth is wrong by explaining facts. Logic-based corrections explain the technique or fallacy used by the myth. 2/10

The upcoming Critical Thinking Cafe video about the @crankyuncles game (coming Dec 15) will include an explanation of FLICC: the 5 techniques of science denial (fake experts, logical fallacies, impossible expectations, cherry picking, conspiracy theories) crankyuncle.com/game FLICC is the backbone of the @crankyuncles game - players build up cranky points (on their way to becoming a fully fledged cranky uncle) by learning the techniques that Cranky Uncles use to deny science.

We'll launch @crankyuncles game on Dec 15 - will also release a Critical Thinking Cafe video introducing the game. Shortly afterwards, will also release bloopers from the film shoot. Here's a teaser blooper of @Reasondisabled responding to my placeholder Skype sound effect. IMO, the best moment in this blooper isn't @Reasondisabled laughing in the second take. It's his attempt to not laugh in the first take (look for the tiny suppressed smile).

Facebook claims to address their climate misinformation problem by releasing an information center, while doing nothing about climate misinformation being spread on their platform. This is like feeding a person poison while handing them a brochure about fresh vegetables. 1/9 Facebook are trying to greenwash their misinformation problem. Their platform is polluting the information landscape with climate misinformation & at the same time, they’re trying to distract us from their unwillingess to deal with the problem. 2/9

Wow! The EPA website features a webpage about global warming using a slideshow by climate denier Richard Linzen which is packed with old, well-debunked climate misinformation epa.gov/environmental-… h/t @bud_ward He commits the false dichotomy fallacy arguing CO2 lagging temp in the past disproves greenhouse warming. This is debunked at sks.to/lag, (Denial101x MOOC) & (Cranky Uncle)

Yesterday's controversy with Sinclair planning to give the Plandemic conspiracy theory an airing brings up the issue - how can the media cover scientific issues that feature misinformation & conspiracy theories without misleading the public?... 1/7 I address the issue of false balance media coverage with @Sander_vdLinden, @maibached & @stworg in the Consensus Handbook sks.to/chb 2/7

Some qualified "good news" is Sinclair have at least delayed airing & promoting the dangerous Plandemic conspiracy theories. So between now and if/when they do air the conspiracy theory, here are some important points to consider about this issue...

https://twitter.com/WeAreSinclair/status/1287110687093714944

Conspiracy theories & misinformation about COVID-19 are dangerous to public health. They erode public trust in institutions & scientific experts, and less likely to listen to advice to avoid spreading the virus, such as social distancing & mask-wearing.

@kmftimm @thermokarst @KHayhoe @ClimateComms @past_is_future We developed a series of short videos on consensus for our @denial101x course. The first video "Consensus of Evidence" looked at how the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming is based on multiple lines of empirical evidence @kmftimm @thermokarst @KHayhoe @ClimateComms @past_is_future @denial101x The second video "Consensus of Scientists" looked at how surveys of the scientific community find that among climate scientists publishing climate research, there's 97% agreement that humans are causing global warming

What's more effective in countering misinformation: facts or logic? @ekvraga, @sojungckim, @LeticiaBode & I just published a study exploring this question. If you have library access, go to journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/19… otherwise open-access pre-press at sks.to/factvsmyth 1/13 We looked at two ways to counter misinformation: fact-based (show how misinformation is false by providing accurate information) or logic-based (explain how misinformation misleads by exposing its rhetorical techniques or logical fallacies)... 2/13

Plandemic is a textbook example of the 7 traits of conspiratorial thinking. So @stworg, @UlliEcker, @Sander_vdLinden & I made a video identifying conspiratorial thinking in Plandemic to build resilience so we’re not misled by other conspiracy theories 1/12 1st trait of conspiratorial thinking is contradictions. Plandemic believes COVID came from a Wuhan lab *and* we’re all infected with COVID from vaccinations. They’re trying to have their COVID cake and eat it too! 2/12

We’ve just published How to Spot COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories, a short guide written with @stworg, @UlliEcker & @Sander_vdLinden. #ConspiracyTheory sks.to/conspir As the U.S. reopens & we expect to see conspiracy theories also rise to explain why COVID cases are spiking. Fortunately, there is a way we can inoculate the public against this type of misinformation - by learning the traits of conspiratorial thinking.

1/11 I’ve just published a deconstruction of Trump’s argument “millions would’ve died if we did nothing so we’ve done a great job”, an example of “lowered expectations”. crankyuncle.com/critical-think… 2/11 Trump’s slow response contributed to the COVID-19 crisis. Over 6 weeks, Trump downplayed the problem, allowing the virus to spread. But when questioned about the number of deaths, Trump referred to the millions who would’ve died if he’d done nothing.

1/8 The last month has underscored the fact that misinformation & science denial is dangerous, can even cost lives. I’ve been applying the critical thinking approach developed for climate misinformation to coronavirus misinformation. Here is a summary of my COVID-19 posts so far. 2/8 From the very beginning, COVID-19 has been framed as an economy vs. lives issue - this is a familiar false dichotomy fallacy (in climate, the false dichotomy is economy vs. environment) instagram.com/p/B-IQUhKnUKn/

1/9 Latest COVID-19 misinformation from @realdonaldtrump is conspiracy theory that hospitals ask for so much medical equipment because of theft. Here's how this fits with the 7 traits of conspiratorial thinking, summarized in Conspiracy Theory Handbook sks.to/conspiracy 2/9 Contradictory: coherence is not a priority with conspiracy theorists. @realdonaldtrump acknowledges the dire nature of the disaster dwelling on freezer trucks as makeshift morgues but is bamboozled why hospitals suddenly go from needing 10,000 masks to 300,000 masks.

1/10 Ok this is a long one. Here's a new blog post about how to use critical thinking to deconstruct misinformation & identify reasoning fallacies (which can be used to inoculate the public). I apply it to climate change but method works with all topics. crankyuncle.com/using-critical… 2/10 This is based on my critical thinking research with @reasondisabled & @davekinkead. The full paper is at sks.to/criticalclimate but if you only have 3 minutes, I recommend watching Critical Thinking Cafe which introduces our methodology & is good fun

1/5 I've just published a blog post (summarizing the 1st part of my webinar on critical thinking & misinformation). This summarizes psychological research into how inoculation can build resilience against fake news crankyuncle.com/how-inoculatio… 2/5 Research by @Sander_vdLinden, @ecotone2 & @MaibachEd found that misinformation can cancel out facts, but that inoculation (explaining how the myth misleads) neutralizes the misinformation...