Facebook announced on Thursday that it will debunk all myths related to climate change.
The giant company said it is adding a section to its climate change information hub that will feature facts and accurate information about various misconceptions and lies. This will include the fact that polar bear populations are declining due to global warming, as well as the fact that too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is harming plant life.
The company said it plans to rely on experts from George Mason University, the Yale Program on Climate Change and the University of Cambridge to identify and debunk climate change myths.
Facebook has introduced these information hubs and has relied on them as a key part of strategy to combat the widespread problem of misinformation on its services. This is a major reversal from CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s last May that he didn’t believe Facebook or online platforms in general should be clarifying the truth on many issues.
Previous examples include a Covid-19 information hub launched in March and an election information hub launched in August.
In its announcement on Thursday, Facebook said it would begin adding information labels to posts about climate change that would direct people to the climate change information center.
Additionally, the company said it will expand this information hub to users in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, India ,Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa, and Taiwan. The feature is currently available in the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany.
Users in other countries will be directed by Facebook to the UK when searching for climate-related terms, the company said.
Information source: cnbc.com
