Climate disinformation, which causes doubt in scientific theories, threatens to become equal to information, warned the executive editor of the Raskrinkavanje.me platform, Jelena Jovanović, while the director of the Ozone Environmental Movement, Aleksandar Perović, says that Montenegrin citizens need much more credible and timely information about the consequences of climate change. change.
Journalists of the Raskrinkavanja newsroom, as Jovanović said, come across misinformation and conspiracy theories related to climate change almost every day on social networks and certain media, predominantly portals.
She stated that among them are claims that climate change is completely fabricated, that there are weather control weapons, and that they are deliberately induced and controlled.
Misinformation about carbon dioxide and its percentage in the atmosphere, as well as weather problems, are unavoidable, as Jovanović said.
"There are also nonsensical claims, such as those that someone wants to limit our coffee consumption, or ban agricultural production," added Jovanović, who, along with Teodora Koledin, is the author of the research Denying the Obvious: Relativization of Climate Change through Disinformation.
Jovanović pointed out that media texts of this type almost always include ominous headlines, most often in the form of a warning, with a clear goal - to deceive and intimidate the public.
"Often any attempt to oppose climate change, such as limiting the number of cows a farm can raise, which significantly contribute to gas emissions, is presented as a conspiracy against humanity," said Jovanović.
When asked whether climate disinformation is present in the traditional Montenegrin media, she replied that their reporting on this topic is to the greatest extent professional and based on facts, and if there is an error, it is about content that was not originally created in the domestic media , it is already a question of transmitting disinformation.
Research by the Center for Democratic Transition conducted in December last year showed that the citizens of Montenegro believe in conspiracy theories about climate change at a worryingly high level.
It showed that 46,7 percent of respondents believe that the public often exaggerates the dangers that climate change represents for the planet.
Asked what are the key reasons for the tendency of Montenegrin citizens to believe in conspiracy theories and disinformation about climate change, Perović said that conspiracy theories are a mental characteristic of the population, not only in Montenegro, but also in other countries of the Western Balkans.
According to him, this is brought into the context of the multi-decade socio-economic and educational-cultural crisis to which we are exposed.
"Lack of timely and reliable information, inadequate inclusion of the issue of climate change in the education system, lack of public dialogue with the participation of credible experts, space for politicking and manipulation of the public, which the media also enables, are some of the reasons we identified as expressed," said Perović. .
Jovanović, answering the same question, said that citizens today are flooded with a wave of information, which is more than ever.
"It is becoming increasingly difficult to understand what is true, so climate disinformation, which casts doubt on scientific theories or tries to discredit the science of climate change, threatens to become equal to information," warned Jovanović.
As she said, the problem is further complicated by the fact that disinformation has become more sophisticated, more convincing, and often created through artificial intelligence.
Jovanović pointed out that disinformation misleads the public by abusing official statistical data, reports of international agencies, taking them out of context, or modifying the statements of climate experts.
"All this speaks in favor of the thesis that today we are exposed to disinformation, in a way that anyone can create different misleading content, for which the average consumer of such content, however, must take the time to check their credibility," Jovanović pointed out.
Perović, answering the question whether the Montenegrin public is sufficiently familiar with the risks and consequences of climate change, pointed out that the citizens of Montenegro deserve much more credible and timely information about the consequences of climate change.
"Especially examples from practice, where it can be seen that even we, as a small system, are not spared from global threats," added Perović.
Asked how disinformation and conspiracy theories about climate change can be suppressed, he said that raising public awareness and better knowledge of the issue of climate change, stronger influence in the education system, constant argumented public dialogue and provision of sufficient media space are some of the ways to the existing alarming situation can be improved.
When asked who in Montenegro has the main role in the fight against climate disinformation, Perović answered that the institutions of the system, which are entrusted with the management of our most valuable resources, are the most responsible.
"But there is room to involve the media, civil society organizations, universities, independent experts, as well as the citizens themselves who, by reporting fake news and identifying the source, can expose those behind such illegal actions," Perović pointed out.
Jovanović said that, first of all, the key task is to understand the real causes and effects of climate change, and that after that concrete steps should be taken to reduce the emission of harmful gases and preserve the planet for future generations.
According to her, the obstacles on that path are disinformation and conspiracy theories, which must be suppressed in such a way that citizens must be pointed out to the manipulative and misleading narratives that are present in the public space.
"Additionally, we have to empower them to think critically about the various content that is presented to them every day, to learn to recognize whether it is credible information," Jovanović pointed out.
Perhaps even more important than that, as she pointed out, is that they know which are the credible sources of information through which they can be sure that they will receive scientifically proven, verified and accurate information, based on which they can form certain attitudes and ultimately act.
"This issue is particularly problematic if we are talking about young people, who we know are dominantly informed on social networks, that is, the area where the largest amount of misinformation is present," added Jovanović.
When asked whether fake news, conspiracy theories and climate misinformation can influence citizens not to change their habits and not pay enough attention to environmental protection, Perović answered in the affirmative.
"As in other areas subject to manipulation, where you also do not have quality public information, the cause-and-effect relationships are very disastrous, especially for those target groups that do not recognize individual, i.e., their own agreement to get involved in risk reduction and in the context of protecting public health and life of the environment", stated Perović.
When asked how harmful and dangerous misinformation about climate change can be for the public and how it can affect the credibility and trust in institutions dealing with solving problems related to climate change, he answered that misinformation certainly causes damage, but that the institutions of the system themselves by their actions, they arouse the distrust of citizens.
According to Perović, this is a much more complex problem, as it implies significant efforts to improve the situation.
"I would say that the institutions of the system in the previous period, with their "silence" and inadequate communication with the public, led to the fact that they are not trusted," stated Perović.
Jovanović, answering the same question, said that it is the core of the whole problem.
"We can say with certainty that it is more than obvious that misinformation undermines trust in institutions important for solving the problem of climate change," said Jovanović.
As she said, it is about content that achieves high visibility in a short time, through the combination of certain portals and accounts on social networks.
"Convenient ground for the spread of misinformation is the same speaking area that Montenegro shares with the countries of the region, which additionally "boosts" their visibility and ultimate influence," added Jovanović.
Asked if she thinks that enough has been done in Montenegro when it comes to the fight against misinformation, she said that, unfortunately, citizens are left to fend for themselves and that the state does not have practical mechanisms to deal with this problem.
"It is obvious that misinformation strengthens polarization in society, builds mistrust towards institutions and essentially collapses democracy, and because of them and conspiracy theories, we have come to the point that our children get sick from diseases that were once eradicated," warned Jovanović.
That is why, as she said, it is necessary for Montenegrin institutions to find a solution.
"That solution, of course, must not imply repressive measures, but a systemic and effective response is needed, for which we hope that the citizens of Montenegro will not have to wait much longer," said Jovanović.
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