People who deny climate change have enjoyed more media attention for years than recognized climatologists, according to a study. This has created confusion for the general public and a slowdown in the fight against global warming. "Those who are against the current climate change have managed to organize a strong voice in political and scientific communication," note the authors of the study.
The visibility of climatosceptics "49% more important"
For this study published this week in Nature Communications , researchers analyzed 100,000 print and internet articles published between 2000 and 2016, looking for citations and names from hundreds of leading climatologists and an equal number of academics. entrepreneurs and politicians doubting global warming or attributing rising temperatures to "natural" causes. "We found that the visibility of climate deniers was 49% higher," write the authors of the study led by Alexander Petersen, from the University of California at Merced. Even in a selection of leading English-language media such as The New York Times , The Guardian or the Wall Street Journal , these climate deniers have been cited a little more often.
According to science data, the world has already gained + 1 ° C since the pre-industrial era, because of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activity, and climate scientists have long warned against the threats that this warming poses to humanity.