Facebook has a wealth of information on its 2.7 billion monthly active users, presenting advertisers with unparalleled opportunities to promote a brand or message in a highly targeted and effective manner. Over recent years there have been growing concerns at the influence and reach of social media platforms in swaying public opinion on key issues such as COVID-19 and climate change. On the 14th of September 2020, Facebook launched its Climate Science Information Center, stating it is “committed to tackling climate misinformation” through its existing fact-checking program.
New research from InfluenceMap reveals that even under the current program and the new Climate Science Information Center, anti-climate groups are using Facebook’s advertising platform and unique targeting abilities to spread disinformation, intentionally seeding doubt and confusion around the science of climate change. This research reveals and breaks down the presence, messaging strategies, and spread of climate disinformation ads on Facebook's platforms in the US.
InfluenceMap found 51 climate disinformation ads, running in the US during the first half of 2020, on Facebook’s platforms.
In total, the 51 ads gained 8 million impressions over the 6 month period.
If indicative of the last five years, this equates to over 70 million impressions on climate disinformation ads since the Paris Agreement.
Only 1 of the 51 ads identified by InfluenceMap had been taken down by Facebook. The rest were allowed to run for the entirety of their scheduled time.
The distribution of the ads tended towards males, rural states, and people over the age of 55.
This research shows climate disinformation is being propagated by well-known groups such as PragerU, The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Texas Public Policy Foundation, and the Competitive Enterprise Institute among others.
Collectively, the groups identified by InfluenceMap as using Facebook advertising to spread climate disinformation have a total revenue of around $68M per year. The ultimate source of this funding is often opaque.
Utilizing Facebook's advertising tools, anti-climate groups are using a range of disinformation strategies to sow doubt and confusion around the science of climate change. The most common strategy, in the ads identified by InfluenceMap's research, is to attack the credibility of climate science and climate science communicators. Click on the wheel to focus in on a topic.
Size represents the number of ads in which the argument appears. Multiple arguments can appear in one ad.
Furthermore, these groups are taking advantage of Facebook’s powerful targeting tools to reach specific audiences. Facebook allows advertisers to target ads using user information such as age, gender, location, education, and interests.
InfluenceMap's research finds climate disinformation ads are being shown more to older age groups and to males across all age groups. Explore the data with the interactive graph below.
Impressions by gender and age
Climate disinformation ads are being heavily distributed in rural US states, particularly Texas and Wyoming. A growing body of research following the 2016 US election suggests the urban-rural divide has become an increasingly important factor in predicting electoral and public policy outcomes. Hover over the figure to see how many impressions per thousand people climate disinformation ads received in each state.
Impressions per a thousand people
InfluenceMap's research also suggests that the advertisers are using targeting to tailor their messaging to specific audiences. In ads shown predominantly to 18-34 year-olds, arguments contesting the predicted future consequences of climate change were most common, while people aged 55+ were more likely to be shown ads contesting the causes of climate change.
Size represents how common a topic is in ads shown predominately to the relevant age group
Climate disinformation is being propagated on Facebook’s platforms by groups with often opaque funding. Collectively, the groups identified by InfluenceMap as using Facebook advertising to spread climate disinformation have a total revenue of around $68 million per year, based on their latest tax filings. However, the ultimate sources of funding for the climate disinformation ads identified on Facebook’s platform in this analysis remain largely unknown.
Data on the 9 advertisers identified by InfluenceMap's research as spreading climate disinformation in the US using Facebook advertising are shown below.
| Name (with Link to Example Ad) | Total Political and Issue Ad Spend, Jan-July 2020 ($k) | Number of Climate Disinformation Ads Found & Dates Run | Total Revenue ($k) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PragerU | 1,790 | 27 (02/01/2020 - 01/10/2020) | 18,600 (2018) |
| The Mackinac Center for Public Policy | 364 | 4 (21/02/2020 - 06/03/2020) | 11,321 (2018) |
| Turning Point USA | 142 | 1 (23/04/2020 - 28/04/2020) | 11,008 (2018) |
| Life: Powered (Texas Public Policy Foundation) | 59 | 9 (20/01/2020 - 25/06/2020) | 13,665 (2018) |
| Capital Research Center | 29 | 2 (19/05/2020 – 19/06/2020) | 2,943 (2018) |
| Washington Policy Center | 13 | 1 (19/03/2020 – 31/03/2020) | 3,337 (2018) |
| Clear Energy Alliance* | 7 | 1** (10/06/2020 – 16/06/2020) | NA* |
| Competitive Enterprise Institute | 5 | 1 (09/01/2020 – 14/01/2020) | 6,398 (2017) |
| CO2 Coalition | 1 | 5 (14/01/2020 – 04/02/2020) | 572 (2018) |
* A foreign LLC (limited liability company) is a company initially formed in one state which has since registered to do business in another. In the US, private companies including foreign LLCs are not required to disclose their financial information
** This ad was removed by Facebook before planned campaign end