A polar bear in Repulse Bay, Nunavut Territory, Canada.
Paul Souders | Getty Images
Facebook announced on Thursday that it will now unmask common myths about climate change, leaning even more towards the role of “arbiter of truth” that the company previously renounced.
The social media company said it is adding a section to its climate change information center that will present facts with accurate information about misconceptions about climate change. This includes the fact that polar bear populations are declining because of global warming, as well as the fact that too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere harms the life of Earth’s plants.
The company said it plans to rely on experts from George Mason University, the Yale Climate Change Communication Program and Cambridge University to identify and debunk the myths of climate change.
Facebook introduced these information centers and trusted them as a fundamental part of its tactic to tackle the widespread problem of misinformation about its services. It is a departure from CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s statement last May, when he defended the unrestricted speech by politicians on the platform, and said he did not think “Facebook or internet platforms in general should be arbitrators of the truth.”
Previous examples include a Covid-19 information center that was launched in March and a voting information center that was launched in August.
Facebook launched its climate change information center in September, shortly after the company withdrew a report with erroneous claims that Oregon forest fires were started by members of Antifa. That report went viral on the social network.
Facebook also announced on Thursday that it will start adding information labels to climate change posts that direct people to its climate change information center.
In addition, the company said it will now expand this hub to users in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa and Taiwan. The feature is available in the US, UK, France and Germany.
Users in other countries will be directed by Facebook to the UN Environment Program when they search for terms related to the climate on the service, the company said.