X, formerly known as Twitter, has landed at the bottom of the list in a recent report on social media platforms and their efforts to combat climate change misinformation. This report, conducted by the Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) coalition, assesses how various platforms are tackling the issue of climate misinformation and provides valuable insights into the state of policy enforcement in the social media world. X ranks last in climate change misinformation, highlighting the need for stronger measures to address this critical issue.

The report’s findings are alarming for X, as it received only 1 point out of a possible 21 on the report’s scorecard. CAAD’s assessment paints a grim picture of X’s efforts in combating climate misinformation. According to the report, the platform needs clear policies addressing climate misinformation as it offers minimal public transparency mechanisms and shows no evidence of effective policy enforcement.

Interestingly, the sole point that X earned came from a privacy-related question. However, this point was suspended due to a need for more data regarding the platform’s ability to enforce its policies. CAAD highlighted that while X announced an advertising policy prohibiting climate denial ads in the spring of 2022, there needs to be concrete data on whether this policy has been enforced. In contrast, X ranks last in climate change misinformation, raising concerns about its effectiveness in combating false information related to climate change.

The report also delves into the confusion caused by Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in October. This change in ownership has left many wondering which policies are still in effect and which have been abandoned. The authors note that while some pre-acquisition policies on Twitter/X’s website could potentially combat climate disinformation, many are no longer being enforced, according to external sources.

The Rise of Climate Denial Content

Alarmingly, the report’s authors found that climate denial content is rising on X. In a 2022 CAAD study, it was observed that last year, the hashtag #ClimateScam briefly topped trending charts and continued to attract organic traffic via the platform’s recommendation algorithm. This concerning trend highlights that Twitter leads in climate change misinformation.

In response to these concerning findings, CAAD has put forth a series of recommendations for social media platforms to combat climate misinformation effectively. These recommendations include:

1. Engaging in non-English language enforcement.
2. Monitoring greenwashing advertising tactics.
3. Regularly updating privacy policies.
4. Producing transparent and regular reporting on company misinformation policies.

While addressing climate change is a complex challenge, the spread of climate disinformation should not be tolerated. The CAAD report, highlighting that X ranks last in climate change misinformation among social media platforms, sheds light on these platforms’ critical role in shaping public opinion on climate-related issues. It serves as a call to action for X and other platforms to take more decisive steps in combating climate misinformation and upholding transparency in their policy enforcement efforts.

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