Using scientific aesthetics to appear credible

Climate deniers use scientific aesthetics to reinforce and legitimize their message. At the same time, their main opponents, climate activists, are portrayed as emotional and irrational. This was demonstrated by researchers from the universities of Gothenburg and Amsterdam, who studied how climate deniers communicate online. The results are published in Environmental policy.

“Misinformation is not just about incorrect facts, but also about the look and feel of those facts. In today’s digital media landscape, messages are spread through images, memes and visual narratives that influence us in an instant, before we even have time to think. By understanding the aesthetic logic behind climate denial, we can also understand why it is so effective,” explains sociologist Anton Törnberg, one of the researchers behind the study.

The research is based on an analysis of the digital communication of eight key players in climate disinformation in Sweden. The material includes 17,848 online articles combining text and images, published on blogs and websites between 2010 and 2023.

Building credibility by imitating science

The analysis reveals clear strategies used by climate deniers. One is to present themselves and their message as rational and objective, rather than ideological, creating an aura of scientific credibility.

“This is done using scientific aesthetics with graphs, diagrams and technical reasoning, often accompanied by rhetoric that signals neutrality and objectivity. A typical example is publications showing a curve of carbon dioxide emissions or a satellite image of global temperatures,” explains Anton Törnberg.

The fact that climate deniers’ messages actually contradict the findings of established science does not stop them from borrowing its language.

“This constitutes what we might call scientific mimicry. This means that climate deniers reject the authority of the scientific community, but copy its language, form and visual aesthetics in order to gain credibility.”

Mobilize emotions through caricatures of the adversary

Another strategy used is to present the opposition as irrational. Climate activists are portrayed as being motivated by emotions rather than reason and fact-based arguments. This contrast is used to reinforce a narrative in which the “rational skeptic” opposes the “hysterical climate cult.”

“The images used are often taken at intense moments, showing angry faces, chaotic protests and people screaming or crying. In some cases, memes and parodies are used in which Greta Thunberg is depicted as hysterical, religious or childish. Sometimes there are images of her in a halo or accompanied by her own statue.”

This tactic is also used to attack the ideological roots of climate policy, which are often presented as sectarian or totalitarian.

“This can be done through memes and images alluding to Mao Zedong. Others use images of Joseph Goebbels, suggesting that current climate communication is propaganda. In some cases, the swastika is replaced with the recycling symbol on a Nazi-like armband, a visual strategy that presents the environmental movement as authoritarian and manipulative,” explains Törnberg.