The New Climate Denial
'New' denial narratives attacking climate science/solutions made up 70% of climate-denial content on YouTube in 2023.
Executive summary
AI-generatedThis summary was generated by AI from the original report to make it easier to scan and cite. It is not a substitute for the source — read the original above.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate used an AI classification tool (CARDS) to analyze roughly 4,458 hours of transcripts from 96 YouTube channels between 2018 and 2023, tracking how climate-denial arguments have evolved over time.
The analysis found a marked shift in denial rhetoric: claims disputing that climate change is happening or human-caused ("old denial") fell from 65% of denial content in 2018 to 30% in 2023, while claims attacking climate science, scientists, or proposed solutions ("new denial") rose from 35% to 70% over the same period.
The report concludes that climate-denial messaging on YouTube has largely moved from outright rejection of climate science toward undermining confidence in solutions and institutions, and argues that campaigners, policymakers, and platforms need to adjust counter-messaging strategies accordingly rather than continuing to focus on older denial narratives.
Think this summary is wrong? Contact us.