There is a lot of misinformation about climate change out there, and it is important to do what you can to bust the myths! 

The UNDP breaks this broad term into two categories: misinformation and disinformation.

• “Climate misinformation refers to false or inaccurate information about climate change and climate action that is generally spread without malicious intent.”

Climate misinformation may include outdated facts, or commonly held beliefs that are no longer true, if they ever were. For example, many people still refuse to consider adding solar panels to their home because they once learned that they were exorbitantly expensive. Fortunately, that is no longer the case.

• “Climate disinformation is deliberately false and fabricated to deceive people about climate change and climate action for political, financial or ideological reasons.”

Climate disinformation is intentionally promoted in order to confuse the public, or to slow the adoption of meaningful actions to control the warming temperatures and rising seas that climate change brings. Sophisticated media campaigns help well-funded corporations control the narrative. One of the most egregious examples of this is the well-researched fact that major fossil fuel companies have known for decades about the dangerous causal relationship of continued reliance on coal, gas, and oil on planetary warming, but covered it up with media messaging that cast doubt on the majority of scientific studies that supported the need to cut fossil fuel use drastically in order to slow the climate crisis. Check out this new report by the Center for Climate Integrity here.

That makes it all the more important for us to counter mis- or disinformation with the truth: in conversations, on social media, by writing letters to the editor or testifying before the legislature. You needn’t be an expert but must know some current facts. A little education can go a long way towards giving you the confidence to stand up to climate deniers, or simply to correct misguided information. Personal stories are very powerful.

On October 29, Sierra Club Connecticut hosted a webinar on this topic, Challenging Climate Myths in Connecticut, with Danielle Lemmon, a PhD in climate science, comedian, and social media influencer who will talk about how disinformation shapes the public conversation about climate change in the Trump era. You can watch the recording here.

It’s not easy to stand up alone, but you don’t have to! Sierra Club invites you to join the  Climate Truth Tellers team, who work together to counter misinformation and disinformation about climate change on social media. They also focus on amplifying positive messages! 

Our Connecticut Chapter has a social media team too. If you join, you will receive occasional requests to comment on posts and then share them with your networks. Join the team here!

A simple and very helpful way to share information on social media at any time is by asking your friends and family to follow our Instagram and Facebook pages. Or you can share any of our posts and include this request: If you like this post, please add a “like”, share the post, and follow Sierra Club Connecticut on Facebook @CTSierraClub or on Instagram @ctsierra.

Our Communications team does its best to share important news on our work by email, monthly newsletter, and social media. We need and welcome new volunteers to write articles and help with the behind the scenes set up that enable us to keep members informed. Please contact us if you can help us out!

Our Legislative Committee works hard to bring the facts on climate change to our legislators in Hartford. If you are interested in working on climate and energy policy in our state, please contact Steve Lewis.

Good luck spreading the truth about climate change and the real solutions to the climate crisis!

Susan Eastwood is Sierra Club Connecticut’s Communications Committee Chair.