Can We Be Vaccinated Against Climate Misinformation?

What unsustainable behaviour needs to change:

The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2025 ranks misinformation as the most pressing short-term global risk. Coordinated climate mis- and disinformation is among the most damaging of forms–eroding trust, fuelling division, and delaying essential climate action.

This is not simply a failure of awareness, but a result of manipulative content designed to bypass critical thinking. Emotional language, conspiracy cues, and divisive dichotomies exploit our cognitive shortcuts—making people more likely to dismiss climate science or reject effective policies.

In a world where public consensus is vital for large-scale action, the spread of false information undermines both civic engagement and sustainable behaviour change.

The Green Nudge:

Psychological inoculation—offering a “mental vaccine” against misinformation—is proving effective in building resistance. Roozenbeek et al. (2022) tested this through “prebunking” interventions that mirror vaccine logic: exposing people to a weakened dose of misinformation, paired with a clear breakdown of the manipulative tactic behind it.

In collaboration with YouTube, short ads warned viewers about common manipulation tactics, such as emotional language and scapegoating,explained simply and reinforced with humour. The aim was to help people recognise these tricks and learn how to resist them. For example, Cambridge’s ‘Emotional Language’ prebunking video shows how alarmist words like ‘hoax’ and ‘scam’ fuel doubt about climate science– and how learning to spot these cues makes them far less persuasive.

The results: Within 24 hours, participants were significantly better at spotting misleading headlines using the tactics they had just learned. Across studies, the approach improved critical judgement and reduced willingness to share false content. These effects held up across political affiliations and demographic groups—crucial in today’s fragmented media landscape.

Implications for Communication Campaigns:
For communicators, these findings offer a practical and scalable intervention:

• Prebunking content can be integrated into social media, news platforms, or public service ads.
• Humour and storytelling improve recall, making “cognitive antibodies” stick.
• Campaigns should name the tactic, not just refute the claim (e.g. “This uses fear to manipulate you”).
• Prebunking is more effective before exposure to misinformation than reactive debunking.
• This approach supports media literacy without needing to change minds through argument—making it well-suited for polarised audiences.

Have you used similar techniques or considerations in your own communication campaigns? 
Feel free to comment or get in touch: hello@green-nudges.com

From Nanon Wollenhaupt, an applied behavioural scientist who designs evidence-based interventions for public good. Her work focuses on communication strategies and behavioural change in mental health and sustainability.