Twitter bans adverts denying climate change
Twitter has banned misleading advertisements that contradict the scientific consensus on climate change.
Banning climate misinformation ads will be a part of the social media giant’s inappropriate content policy.
The firm said: ‘We believe that climate denialism shouldn’t be monetized on Twitter, and that misrepresentative ads shouldn’t detract from important conversations about the climate crisis.’
Twitter is set to adopt a ‘climate-forward approach to ads’ going forward as it claimed to have lowered emissions for the second straight year even as the company grew.
The blog also referenced this month’s report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlighting the urgency of the climate crisis as a contributing factor.
‘The science is clear – urgent action is needed now,’ tweeted the company’s CFO Ned Segal, announcing that it had signed the Science-Based Targets pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Since 2021, conversation about sustainability has grown by more than 150% on Twitter.
‘We’ve seen a 60%+ increase in terms like “restoring” and “rebalancing.” Discussion around waste reduction has increased by over 100%, and decarbonization by more than 50%,’ said the blog post.
The anti-climate misinformation policy seems to apply to advertisements for now.
Earlier this month, Pinterest banned climate misinformation on the platform, saying it would remove false or misleading climate change content and conspiracy theories.
According to the IPCC, disinformation is one of a number of issues preventing governments and the public from addressing climate change.
Recent studies showed that Facebook was sending climate change sceptics down a disinformation rabbit hole.
‘We recognize that misleading information about climate change can undermine efforts to protect the planet,’ said Twitter.
The social media giant that’s reportedly set to be taken over by Elon Musk has said that it would share more on its work to add reliable, authoritative context to the climate conversations happening on Twitter in the coming months.
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