The Effect of Climate Misinformation on Climate Policy Uncertainty
Published in:This is the first paper of my PhD at the University of Essex, 2025
The link between uncertainty, measured by mainstream public discourse in major news media outlets - where climate policy uncertainty is measured - and the encroachment of fake news disseminators such as companies and actors who have vested or ideological interests in continued use of fossil fuels into that public forum is naturally one that is shaped by the following rationale: If the general public believe that climate change is not happening, then sustainable policies will have less political support because of increased public and voter opposition to those policies, thereby increasing uncertainty. In other words, additional personal and individual belief in climate misinformation may be an indicator of larger trends serving to increase already widespread uncertainty around climate policy.
Recommended citation: Rice, James. (2025). "The Effect of Climate Misinformation on Climate Policy Uncertainty." PhD Dissertation (partial).