2024 marked a year of destruction wrought by natural disasters and adverse weather events across the globe. Worryingly, these adverse weather events are often accompanied by a surge in climate mis-and disinformation and conspiracy theories across mainstream and alt-tech platforms. Beyond undermining public trust in key climate issues, the proliferation of such content now also carries a significant threat of real-world violence.
A Resolver analysis of the online discourse following recent adverse weather events in the US including hurricanes Helene and Milton and the Los Angeles wildfires revealed how conspiracy theories spread across mainstream and alt-tech platforms quickly metastasized from climate denialism into targeted harassment, hate speech and incitement to violence towards public officials, relief workers and migrant communities. This in turn creates cascading public health risks that extend far beyond the physical damage caused by these ecological disasters.
With an unparalleled bird’s eye view across the risk landscape, Resolver’s analysts were able to track how climate mis-and disinformation narratives following these events soon shifted to overlap with other risk areas including hate speech, racism, harmful & dangerous activities and ultimately, incitement to violence.
Tracking the Spread of Climate Mis-and Disinformation and Conspiracy Theories
According to the latest data collected by the World Meteorological Organization, the number of disasters caused by extreme weather events has increased by a factor of five over the past 50 years, driven by climate change, extreme weather and improved reporting mechanisms.
The US in particular battled 27 separate weather and climate disasters, including severe storms, tropical cyclones, winter storms, flooding, droughts and heatwaves, each of which caused at least $1 billion in damages.
The National Centers for Environmental Information in the US estimated that fatalities arising from the adverse weather events and natural disasters made 2024 the eighth-highest death toll for events like these within the last 45 years.
Climate change is driving an increase in adverse weather events; as the planet warms, ice caps melt and contribute to rising sea levels, which in turn can lead to severe coastal flooding. Warmer ocean temperatures provide more energy for hurricanes to develop and intensify into destructive weather events that wreak havoc and kill hundreds.
Alongside a worsening weather landscape, mis-and disinformation about these adverse events is also increasing, often leaving governments to fight two crises; that of the natural disaster but also of countering the spread of false and inflammatory narratives around the crisis and convincing the public to comply with relief efforts.
As seen most clearly in the COVID-19 pandemic, this phenomenon can significantly hamper public health campaigns and relief efforts if left unchecked. Similarly with adverse weather events, the amplification of false and inflammatory narratives around government agencies charged with the task of supplying financial and physical aid can not only discourage victims from seeking help but also create panic and confusion during a time of crisis.
Conspiracy Theories and Hate Speech Target Relief Workers After Hurricanes
Following the devastating impacts of hurricane Helene and hurricane Milton, which left over 250 people dead and thousands more injured and displaced, climate scientists reviewed the conditions that made them possible. In both cases, research indicated that the disasters were made more likely and more severe by climate change.
Following the devastation caused by recent Hurricanes Helené and Milton, Social platforms saw a surge in climate mis-and disinformation and conspiracy theories blaming the disaster on government weather-controlling projects.
Despite the scientific consensus, in the hours following the disasters, conspiracy theories spread on both fringe and mainstream platforms, many relating to alleged weather controlling projects such as the radio-technology research program funded by the US government, High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program.
This conspiracy theory alleges that the hurricanes were created to be used as a weapon for a multitude of reasons including: to disable and prevent political groups from voting, as a form of governmental control, in order to take control of the land for property development or to make use of its natural resources.
The perpetrator behind this conspiracy is not always specified, sometimes it can be the government while others point to shadowy groups they believe to be the real power behind the scenes. These narratives were mainly shared by right-wing influencers and activists across mainstream and alt-tech platforms. This included popular posts that often reshared videos of news clips or clips from podcasts, which were then further spliced into texts, hashtags, memes, videos and further shared across conspiracy and anti-establishment communities frequenting these platforms.
Similarly, when US homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned in October that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may not have funds sufficient to last throughout the hurricane season, suffering Americans looked for someone to blame.
False allegations began to spread, largely originating from right-wing media outlets, that falsely claimed that FEMA had previously spent $59 million on helping migrants to settle in the US, while victims of the hurricanes would only be eligible to receive $750 in aid.
Despite an official statement from FEMA outlining the facts – that there were funds available for citizens in need and that the $750 was only the initial amount sent to victims – sentiment became increasingly hostile towards migrants and the agency.
Shortly after, racist and anti-migrant hate speech spiked across both mainstream and alt-tech social platforms. Such posts featured ethnic slurs, allegations that migrants entering the US were criminals, promoting white supremacist narratives and engaging in incitement to violence.
Antisemitic hate speech and harassment were also directed at politicians such as Mayorkas, with users pointing out how many FEMA agents were Jewish or had traditional Jewish surnames, for example, Jeremy L Greenberg and Michael A. Coen Jr.
In North Carolina, as one of the worst hit states, misinformation about FEMA spread: that relief workers were not providing victims with aid, taking up valuable rooms in nearby hotels and that they “antagonized and intimidated” victims.
This pressure cooker of mis-and disinformation reached its boiling point when a man was arrested armed with a handgun and rifle outside a storm relief site, having posted threats threatening FEMA employees online.
Conspiracy Theories and Hate Speech in LA Wildfire Aftermath
A similar pattern of mis-and disinformation was also noted in the wake of the devastating LA wildfires of January 2025. The fires, which tore through Los Angeles and San Diego in January 2025, killed 29 people and destroyed more than 18,000 homes and structures.
Once again, researchers concluded that the perfect conditions that made the fires possible were made 35% more likely and 6% more intense due to climate change. In spite of this scientific consensus, conspiracy theories seen following the hurricanes witnessed a revival.
Similarly, following the LA Wildfires, racist and anti-migrant hate speech surged on social platforms including harassment campaigns targeting politicians and FEMA officials.
The most popular conspiracy narratives shared online included allegations that the fires were purposefully started by the government using weather weapons with the purpose of controlling the population and that migrants were receiving more aid than victims of natural disasters.
Many of these narratives appear similar to those witnessed during the hurricanes as, for conspiracy theorists, the events all provide more evidence for their core belief that the government is covering something up. Conspiracy theorist communities and spokespeople are likely to hijack any event, weather-related or otherwise, if it further corroborates their stance of fighting against an unspecified plot.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives were also blamed for the Los Angeles Fire Department’s alleged poor preparedness for the fires. Users targeted non-white or female officials such as LAFD’s Fire Chief Kristin Crowley and LA Mayor Karen Bass with online harassment, as well as misogynistic, homophobic and racist hate.
False claims that Crowley reallocated $57.6 million from the “equipment and infrastructure fund” in order to promote DEI initiatives such as “gay choirs, trans cafes and social justice art” were copied and pasted on multiple platforms.
Regulating Climate Mis-and Disinformation under the DSA and OSA
Platform staff tasked with curbing the spread of such harmful narratives online are now required to adhere to legislation like the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA).
While many current platform guidelines require climate related mis-and disinformation to be explicit denial in order to be violative, the Code of Conduct on Disinformation, which forms part of the DSA framework, is more flexible and takes into consideration some of the newer narratives of climate denial. These include; information that downplays the severity of climate change, false information about the effectiveness of climate-friendly policies and any efforts to create doubt about the scientific consensus on climate change.
The OSA which aims to protect children and adults online is less specific than the DSA however it does mandate platforms to take action against content that spreads false information particularly when it poses a risk to public safety or undermines scientific consensus.
It may take time for the application and enforcement of these pieces of legislation to make an impact but it is already clear that pressure is increasing for platforms to more effectively manage and mitigate against the proliferation of climate mis-and disinformation narratives across their services.
Resolver Trust & Safety teams are in the unique position of covering a variety of risk areas including child safety, harassment, hate speech and violent extremism. Working holistically in this way allows us to track narratives as they evolve and impact other risk areas. By allowing our customers to proactively monitor the trajectory of mis-and disinformation narratives across their platforms, early intervention can limit the spread and damage of misleading claims.
Jodie Molyneux recently conducted a webinar in partnership with EU DisinfoLab on how platforms can combat the threat posed by climate-mis and disinformation. You can watch the full webinar here.
Looking to the future, recent legislation in the UK and across Europe will eventually help tackle the issue. Both the OSA and DSA require the introduction of media literacy; the OSA mandates the UK regulator, Ofcom, to develop a media literacy strategy to help the public critically evaluate content online, and the DSA requires platforms to provide users with the tools and information to understand online risks. Similarly, both pieces of legislation call on platforms to take action against harmful content, with transparency and accountability.
The implementation of the OSA and DSA therefore offers hope in fostering a more informed and resilient public awareness of mis-and disinformation. As we continue to face the challenges posed by climate change and the ripple effects of climate change mis-and disinformation, a collaborative and proactive approach will be essential in safeguarding users and promoting a safer digital environment.
Conclusion
The spike in hate speech, incitement to violence and conspiracy theories in the online discourse around recent hurricanes and wildfires have underscored the profound impact of climate change mis-and disinformation; undermining disaster relief initiatives, exacerbating societal divisions and even, in some cases, putting lives and risk.
The spread of false information about climate change can lead to a lack of trust in the scientific consensus, hindering the global effort required to address the crisis effectively. False narratives about immigration further polarized vulnerable communities, in this case migrants and victims of natural disasters, leading to a less united public front when taking part in environmental initiatives.
Moreover, the resulting confusion and mistrust in authorities can ultimately delay critical responses to adverse weather events like hurricanes, endangering more lives. As the consequences of climate change become increasingly apparent, prompting greater action from political leaders and communities alike, the need to tackle mis-and disinformation will become even more vital.
For the past 20 years, Resolver has partnered with some of the largest social media platforms and technology service providers. Our human-led Trust and Safety Intelligence approach is meticulously tailored to meet our clients’ needs. With a team of over 180 analysts and subject matter experts, we leverage top-tier Trust & Safety detection and analytical technology to deliver precise, timely, and deeply informed intelligence and advice.
We operate at the intersection of freedom of expression and policy enforcement, identifying issues before they escalate into crises. We help our clients understand risks and their trajectories on their platforms, and provide guidance on policy development to navigate the ever-evolving online landscape.
