Fuelling the climate and science ‘denial machine’ on social media: A case study of the Great Barrier Reef’s 2021 ‘in danger’ recommendation on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook

Abstract

Australian climate policy has been stifled by a network of free-market and extractive industry-advocating actors, yet there is little empirical evidence to show how these actors and information flows behave in online communication spaces during Australian environmental conflicts. Focusing on the UNESCO 2021 ‘in danger’ recommendation for the Great Barrier Reef for 6 weeks, this mixed-methods study of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube uses social network analysis, including cluster analysis and in-depth close reading. We find that a small, yet significant, mix of ideologically aligned partisan actors are fuelling the ‘denial machine’ in Australia by co-opting a scientific report’s findings to argue that the Great Barrier Reef has recovered, and to contest the need for climate action. This article offers insights into the central actors and tactics that could erode public support for Australian climate policy, with similarities to strategies already established in the United States. It also contributes to furthering multi-platform analyses.