Twitter bans ‘misleading’ ads about climate change

Twitter levied a new ban on “misleading” advertisements “that contradict the scientific consensus on climate change.” Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have been the venues for a growing wave of climate change denialism in recent years.

According to the company, climate denial should not be monetized on Twitter, and “misrepresentative advertisements should not detract from essential dialogues about the climate crisis.” Though the new policy aims to combat misinformation, it may be modified if Elon Musk’s attempt to acquire Twitter is successful. Musk has always claimed to be a “free speech absolutist.”

In 2019, Twitter shared plans to achieve 100 percent carbon-neutral power sourcing in their data centers by 2022. In October 2021, tech giant Google did something similar when it announced a new monetisation policy for Google advertisers, publishers, and YouTube creators. Google’s policy prohibits ads for and monetization of content that contradicts “well-established scientific consensus around the existence and causes of climate change.”