Last week, Snapchat announced its commitment to reduce its carbon emissions to achieve a ‘Net Negative’ rating by 2030. How much of a coincidence would it be to know that Facebook has recently announced that it’ll be taking stronger action to promote climate science? Behind this decision is, at least in their words, a “renewed push for a broader and more inclusive global effort to combat the growing climate crisis.”
Facebook goes on further to explain:
“Climate change is the greatest threat we all face – and the need to act grows more urgent every day. The science is clear and unambiguous. As world leaders, advocates, environmental groups and others meet in Glasgow this week at COP26, we want to see bold action agreed to, with the strongest possible commitments to achieve net zero targets that help limit warming to 1.5˚C.”
Due to its reach and influence, Facebook has been repeatedly identified as a critical source of climate misinformation, which, to an extent, does hold true. With this “renewed” stance, the company looks to set clear parameters regarding what is acceptable to play its part in the grander scheme of things.
To Curb A Crisis
To start, Facebook is expanding its Climate Science Center so as to grant access to more than 100 countries while also adding a new section that displays each nation’s greenhouse gas emissions in comparison to their targets and commitments. Facebook launched the Climate Science Center just last year in September to connect users to more accurate climate information. Powering the data behind updates are leading information providers, including the UNEP and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
More target tracking dates for nations will help provide higher levels of accountability and, as a result, provide indirect pressure on nations to meet their commitments by virtue of broader coverage and awareness of their progress. Along with this, Facebook is also expanding its information labels on posts about climate change. Users will be directed to the Climate Science Center for more information on related issues and updates.
In higher attempts to combat climate misinformation, Facebook had this to say during the COP26 Climate Summit:
“Ahead of COP26, we’ve activated a feature we use during critical public events to utilize keyword detection so related content is easier for fact-checkers to find — because speed is especially important during such events. This feature is available to fact-checkers for content in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, German, French and Dutch.”
Combating such claims as they progress should help lessen the impact of development tradeoffs and, in turn, negate some of Facebook’s scaling network effects.
To close its recent efforts regarding climate science, Facebook is also improving its internal operations and processes to stay in line with emission commitments.
As per Facebook:
“Starting last year, we achieved net zero emissions for our global operations, and we’re supported by 100% renewable energy. To achieve this, we’ve reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 94% since 2017. We invest enough in wind and solar energy to cover all our operations. And for the remaining emissions, we support projects that remove emissions from the atmosphere.”
The Wrap
At least with respect to its systems and how, as proven by history, it has amplified the spread of misinformation, these changes opt to reverse or at least stop whatever damage has already been done. Not that Facebook itself is a big carbon culprit, but better awareness of what is true and hoaxed will play out better for the environment.
In a broader sense, Facebook achieves a higher digital and literal connection in line with Meta’s overarching push. In supplying more accurate and legitimate information and providing more increased transparency for nations and emission targets, Facebook facilitates a deeper connection with users to take action and do something.
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