A survey conducted on the Facebook platform in partnership with the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found that every 6 in 10 people in the world want more information about climate change. To cater for the request, the Facebook climate change initiative is announced in a recent blog post named; “Tackling Climate Change Together.”
Facebook climate change initiative put across several new measures
To ensure that people receive the right and reliable information Facebook has introduced the following measures;
- Expanding the Climate Science Center: Facebook has renamed the Climate Science Information Center to Climate Science Center and added new features like; quizzes, to better inform and engage the community on climate change.
- Increasing Reliable Information About Climate Change: The company has pledged a $1 million investment in a new climate grant program, in partnership with the International Fact-Checking Network, to support organizations working to combat climate misinformation. Facebook is also expanding the Facts About Climate Change section of the Climate Science Center with additional facts about climate change.
- Elevating Climate Voices: The social media giant has kicked off a video series to highlight young climate advocates on Facebook and Instagram between Climate Week and COP26.
Steps to combat climate misinformation
From the spreading of fake news to spurring Covid-19 misinformation, Facebook has seen it all and the company has smartly introduced a new program to combat all the fake news and rumours to ensure that only reliable news/information reaches the audience.
Read more: Facebook releases the Questionable Covid Report after Criticism for Lack of Transparency
Facebook announced in a blog post that the climate grant change will invest in proposals that build alliances between fact-checkers, climate experts and other organizations to support projects that focus on combating climate misinformation. The company ended the blogpost by saying; “We continue to be inspired by all of the ways our community is tackling climate change—from the 6 million people in Facebook groups dedicated to protecting our environment to the 3.5 million people who have raised more than $130 million for environmental causes on Facebook and Instagram.”
