YouTube's Climate Denial Dollars

This CCDH report investigates monetized climate misinformation on YouTube, using targeted searches (e.g., "climate hoax," "climate scam") and having at least two researchers assess each video against both YouTube's climate-denial policy and the Climate Action Against Disinformation coalition's broader disinformation definition; monetization was verified by inspecting page source code.

Researchers identified 100 videos directly violating YouTube's climate-denial policy, which had accumulated 18.8 million views while carrying ads, and a further 100 videos containing broader climate disinformation that garnered 55 million views, for a combined 73.8 million views across the 200-video sample. Of these, 158 videos showed evidence of ad-revenue sharing between YouTube and creators, while only 8 had ads removed during the study period; ads from major brands including Costco, Nike, Emirates, and Hyundai appeared alongside the content.

The report concludes that YouTube has failed to systematically enforce its own climate-disinformation policy since committing in October 2021 to stop monetizing such content, and recommends more proactive enforcement and an expanded policy scope covering disinformation beyond outright denial.