A influência da desinformação na percepção sobre as mudanças climáticas e na promoção do negacionismo climático

Abstract

Given the growing spread of misinformation and climate denial on digital platforms, this study seeks to understand how these phenomena influence public perceptions of global warming. To address this topic, research objectives were defined, with the general objective being: to analyze how misinformation affects people's perception of climate change, contributing to climate denial. The specific objectives are: a) to understand the processes of misinformation; b) to investigate how discourses with denialist content circulate and gain strength within a community; c) to examine how these discourses shape individuals' perceptions of global warming and its causes. The methodology combines a literature review and field research, applying discourse analysis and content analysis. The empirical object examined was a lecture held at the City Council of Caxias do Sul in 2024, broadcast on a YouTube channel, along with the comments posted by viewers. The results show that the speaker employs categories of informational disorder such as Misleading Content, Impostor Content, and Fabricated Content, while also displaying Epistemic Skepticism related to evidence bases, scientific knowledge, and the attribution of human causality for climate change. The viewers, in turn, demonstrate mainly Response Skepticism and Epistemic Skepticism, also resorting to conspiracy theories to support their interpretations. The study concludes that misinformation processes strengthen climate denial by legitimizing artificial doubts and weakening scientific evidence, highlighting the essential role of Public Relations in promoting scientific communication and reinforcing the credibility of environmental institutions. [resumo fornecido pelo autor]