Most of us in the climate movement spend our time focused on pipelines, climate injustice, broken climate promises, and the need to build renewables. And we should. But there is another front in this fight that is often ignored, to the detriment of both people and the planet. It is time we started talking about social media platforms and the more recent amplification of their harms through artificial intelligence.

I argue that progressive movements, and specifically climate activists, must incorporate into our policy agendas the regulation of social media. If we don’t assert democratic control over these platforms, they—and the far-right movements of this world who thrive on them—will continue to expand their influence over us.

We all know we have a misinformation problem. Take the 2023 wildfires in Canada. Depending on which online echo chamber you entered, they were supposedly caused by arson, “green terrorists,” pyrotechnic drones, directed-energy weapons, or even government helicopters. Conspiracy theories go further, claiming governments lie about climate change to prepare “climate lockdowns.”

Disinformation starts at the top. Last September at the United Nations General Assembly, Donald Trump declared:

This ‘climate change,’ it’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion. All of these predictions… were made by stupid people that have cost their countries fortunes… If you don’t get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail.

Trump knew his audience wasn’t the appalled diplomats politely clapping in New York but rather his online base. Once amplified through social media, his words reverberated endlessly until they showed up in our workplaces, homes, and even among young people who proudly say they’ve “done their own research.” Translation: they’re consuming algorithm-driven disinformation posing as truth.

Here’s the reality: disinformation is not a glitch of social media, it’s the business model. Rage, fear, and sensationalism drive clicks. Clicks equal profit. The platforms don’t just host content; they promote what keeps people angry and addicted.

I understand why so many on the left hesitate to take on this issue—because we value freedom of speech, and any push for regulation feels like a slippery slope toward censorship. But this is a........

© Canadian Dimension