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"This is one of the saddest & most eye opening photo I've seen. They cut down all the trees to build windmills to "help nature & the environment". These animals are desperate for the shade & other things provided by trees. There's nothing "clean" or "green" about windmills." - Derrick Evans War Room
Context
Fact
Disinformation on the climate crisis is changing. 2023 has been the hottest year on record, with several natural catastrophes (droughts, floods, wildfires) occurring all over the world. Therefore classical climate denialism, although still present and widespread, may now be less effective in its purpose, because of the more evident consequences of human activities on climate. For this reason, another kind of denialism is emerging: “New Denial”, as recent research has called it. As highlighted also in various EDMO fact-checking briefs, it seems that new false narratives on climate issues are increasingly targeting laws, institutions or activists, as well as countermeasures (such as more widespread use of electric vehicles, renewable energy sources, etc.) aimed at countering the crisis, in order to spread confusion on the issue and undermine support for climate action while the transition to more sustainable sources of energy appears more urgent than ever.
In this context, wind farms are probably an easy target. They have been a subject of debate, even among environmentalists, due to some concerns about the aesthetic impact on landscapes but also more tangible environmental issues. For instance, there have been discussions about the potential impact of wind turbines on bird migration routes and local ecosystems. These concerns are based on a scientific approach and aim to tackle specific issues related to the use of renewable energy sources. But they have been twisted and exploited by disinformers to spread misleading messages, fearmongering and campaigns of false news aimed at polarizing political debates.
2024 was another year in which climate impacts became more tangible and severe, affecting billions of people in their everyday lives. Despite this, we witness the spreading of narratives that pollute discourse and hinder climate actions and solutions. The consequences of climate change are now more extreme, and so too is the nature and ubiquity of mis- and disinformation. Prominent narratives in reports and researches show how consistent anti-renewables content remains on a year-to-year basis. Key lines of attack include claims that renewable energies are ineffective, cause accidents, and/or have severe social and environmental impacts.
Manipulation
High traction posts often focused on the supposed impact on wildlife caused by renewable energies. One post on X claimed to show animals suffering from heat and lack of shade due to forests cleared for wind farms. The post shows a flock of sheep huddled in the shade produced by a wind turbine blade. Although the image is real, there is no correlation between tree felling, wind turbines and the alleged problems that renewable energy causes to the environment. This is a typical case of disinformation and/or manipulated content where a genuine imagery is manipulated to deceive: the “headline” - the content of the post - suggest a false interpretation of the image by conveying a false and misleading message.
Anecdot
The poster (Derrick Evans) is a self-described ‘political prisoner’ of the US Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021.
Teaching part
Teaching objective
To deduce the reasons for misinformation from the analysis of the following photographic source within a social media post.
Knowledge 1: Spread narrative in the post and verification
The aim of the post is clear: there is nothing “green” or “clean” about windmills and renewable energies. The post has reached over 5 million views, and it was re-posted (with such of inner message) several times on other X account and Facebook pages. The post appears also with a contextual label (‘Community Note’ - the form of fact checking that X has given itself) pointing out the misleading nature of the image; this does not appear to have impacted its virality.
Knowledge 2: Photographic source analysis within a social media post
The image is taken out of context.
Remember:
Digital sources are pieces of online content that help us understand and verify events. Just like historical sources, they can be classified based on their connection to reality:
Primary sources: original images or videos captured at the time of an event, such as a photo taken on a smartphone, live-stream footage, or an unedited security camera recording.
Secondary sources: images or videos that have been edited, modified, or republished. These could be news articles that crop or change a photo, AI-enhanced versions of real images, or deepfakes that alter someone’s appearance.
Synthetic sources: images or videos that are completely created by artificial intelligence or digital editing with no connection to real events. These include AI-generated people, fake landscapes, or entirely fictional news images.
When analysing images on social media, we must remember that they don’t exist in isolation—they come with captions, hashtags, likes, and shares that influence how we interpret them. The same image can be framed in different ways to change its meaning, sometimes to mislead or spread false information. That’s why it’s important to check not just the image itself, but also its context, who shared it, and how it’s being used before trusting it.
Evaluation criteria
Deduce the reasons for misinformation by analysing the image and its context within the social media post.
Instruction for the activity
Context: Now that you have understood the connection between disinformation and the way images are used to shape narratives, consider the context of the digital image: Where was it published? What event or situation does it claim to represent? Who are the key figures or elements in the image? Starting point.
Start of activity: Observe the image individually, and once analyzed, answer the questions to identify key aspects related to its source, authenticity, and use. Focus on both the image itself and how it is presented within its digital environment. Initial phase.
In order to answer some of the following questions, you have to do a reverse image search.
Derrick Evans WR on X, Jun 18, 2024
Development of activity. Once you have observed this image, fill in the second part of the worksheet with your group, which allows you to understand a little about the context of it. Development Phase
chart INTERNAL DESCRIPTION.pdfActivity development. Now try to deduce with all the information you have collected so far to understand how and why this source has been manipulated by Franco's propaganda. Final phase
EXTERNATL DESCRIPTION.pdfClosing. Organize your speech based on evidence collected to argue your opinion in relation to what you have learned.
CONCLUSION.pdfInstruction for the teacher
A flock of sheep takes shelter in the shadow of a wind turbine blade
Derrick Evans WR on X, Jun 18, 2024
Solution
Explanation - the fact check process
There are a couple of ways to verify the reliability of the content. First, we could reflect on the image and the message suggested by the author of the post: is there a correlation between tree felling and wind turbines? And again: does logging (real or alleged) really impact animals' lives such as sheep?
There is no evidence that windmills caused trees to be cut down (neither from the image nor from any evidence provided in the post description). Moreover, we should not forget the actual habitat in which sheep graze: open fields in which trees are rare.
Another way is to compare the sources where the image was posted: are they reliable or trustworthy? One method is to do a reverse image search and take a look at the results, checking if there are reliable online sources.
Source of the original post: https://www.sanctuaryatsho.org/blog/2019/8/22/insisting-on-the-highest-and-best-standards-for-animal-care
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