Pipeline Shutdown Delivers Explosion of Misinformation
Misinformation Pipeline Fueled By Colonial Shutdown
In this space each week, triplecheck will share information on the climate misinformation we’re seeing online – what’s going viral, how many people are seeing it, and who’s responsible for moving it. triplecheck was initiated by the Climate Action Campaign and was created to develop innovative tools to help fight misinformation.
Misinformation on climate change circulates freely on social media. An analysis from triplecheck found that more than 9 million people were exposed to climate misinformation over the past 6 days (5/11 to 5/17) that downplays the climate crisis and calls it a hoax. Those people are being fed a steady diet of misinformation from right wing sources from Sean Hannity to Laura Ingraham. Misinformation related to the Colonial Pipeline shutdown and the resulting gas shortages ran rampant last week, with more than 5 million human users exposed to misinformation on this topic on just one day (May 12) alone. Misinformation on the pipeline shutdown ran along two main tracks: the idea that the pipeline shutdown was intentional and last week’s gas shortages provided a “preview” of the impacts of the Green New Deal; and that the Biden Administration’s decision to cancel the permits for the Keystone XL pipeline led to the gas shortages on the East Coast. Those lines of argument were promoted on Twitter by right wing pundits and members of Congress - including Senator Ted Cruz and Congresswoman Lauren Boebert -- and they got significant traction on Facebook as well.
All of this misinformation has been repeatedly debunked – you can find the fact checks here, here, and here. For what it’s worth, CNN also reported on May 13 that “Colonial’s decision to proactively shut down its pipeline last week, a move that has led to panic buying and massive lines at gas pumps…[was because] its billing system was compromised...and they were concerned they wouldn't be able to figure out how much to bill customers for fuel they received.”
Why do people share climate misinformation, even when it’s been proven false? Is it just far right extremists or industry shills who are clicking and sharing?
Unfortunately, climate misinformation is more widespread than that. A 2018 study found that a person’s position on climate change is closely correlated with other political views. In conversation, it becomes a proxy for other political positions. And since people are hard-wired to stick together – to find a group and seek safety within that group – the desire to ensure your acceptance by the group becomes more important than the accuracy of the information you are taking in or sharing.
A fact check isn’t going to fix that problem. We need to be able to change people’s behavior online so that they stop sharing inaccurate information before we can change their minds about climate change in real life. That’s why we started triplecheck (you can learn more about us here). If you haven’t read this yet, check out this study from misinformation researchers at MIT that found that user engagement strategies calling out misinformation sharing online is an effective way to change behavior and slow the spread.
See you next week!