Agric. & Environment: Climate conspiracy theories flourish a - New Vision
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As COP28 approaches, climate conspiracy theories are surging — a textbook case of how motivated reasoning and information cascades let misinformation outrun science.
Motivated ReasoningInformation CascadeConspiracy Theory FrameworkBackfire Effect
Theory Briefing
- Climate conspiracy theories spiked ahead of COP28, showing how high-stakes political events turbocharge misinformation spread.
- UN officials at the last COP summit urged delegates to counter false narratives — a losing battle when social media rewards outrage over accuracy.
- Motivated reasoning explains why people resist climate science: beliefs tied to identity are defended like tribal loyalties, not updated like hypotheses.