Evolution of Climate Denial: Misinformation about Renewables and Implications

• In Event: Climate Change Technology, Public Opinion, and Misinformation

Abstract

Misinformation about renewable energy has become increasingly common in recent years in the United States. This paper examines how such misinformation has developed and become prevalent as part of a pattern of changing climate denial rhetoric from fossil fuel interest groups and polluting interests, which have shifted patterns of misinformation from focusing on the scientific consensus or causes of climate change to undermining emergent solutions. I then look at the impacts of such misinformation upon public opinion, drawing on survey data from the Cooperative Election Survey and Pew Research Center. I show how such misinformation has led to lower trust in the reliability and efficacy of renewable energy sources, and how it has led to increased partisan and ideological divides in public perceptions of renewable energy.

Authors

• Salil Deepak Benegal, Union College

• Lyle A. Scruggs