The Phenomenon of International Climate Disinformation: Political Science and Psychological Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31861/mediaforum.2025.16.139-160Keywords:
foreign interference and influence, international climate disinformation, emotional manipulations, cognitive biases, rhetorical strategies and logical fallaciesAbstract
The article positions climate change as a critically important area not only of national but also of international politics which becomes increasingly vulnerable to external interference. It examines climate change disinformation disseminated through the international interaction of countries. By analyzing the conceptual frameworks of foreign influence and interference, the authors explore approaches to the correlation of these terms, drawing a number of conclusions. In particular, in the context of climate disinformation, it is appropriate to distinguish between foreign interference and influence. Interference is viewed as a distortion of reality, the division of societies, and the weakening of democracy while influence is seen as a negative or positive phenomenon. The former perceives it as an information weapon against geopolitical adversaries while the latter sees it as the ability to transform external influence into a source of development, rather than threats. The presence of two terms in the academic discourse is claimed, i.e., international or foreign (external) climate disinformation, however, preference is given to the former – international climate disinformation. Characterizing the psychological mechanisms of the climate disinformation spread, attention is drawn to the fact that they generally operate in the same way, regardless of whether the disseminator is international or domestic. Emphasis is placed on the role of cognitive biases, emotional manipulations, rhetorical strategies and logical fallacies, direct attacks on scientists and scientific institutions, often accompanied by stereotypes of demonization or dehumanization. Counteracting the psychological impact of international climate disinformation requires special attention to the problem of cognitive (psychological) inoculation.
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