The impact of misinformation and conspiracy theories on climate denial and resistance to mitigation

This chapter examines the extent to which climate misinformation and conspiracy beliefs are distinct and consequential barriers to effective climate action, illustrating how these narratives distort scientific evidence, undermine trust in experts, and intensify political polarisation. We trace the evolution of misinformation discourses, demonstrating how they have become a central mechanism for climate science rejection. We critically assess the psychological drivers of misinformation endorsement, alongside the distinct epistemic, motivational, and ideological foundations of conspiracist thinking. Converging empirical findings indicate that climate misinformation directly undermines personal environmental intentions and climate policy support, and that individual-level effects aggregate into broader societal and political consequences. We identify the key rhetorical strategies that sustain these misleading climate narratives and then distinguish between two ideologically distinct forms of climate conspiracism—denialist and warmist beliefs—highlighting their differential consequences for climate attitudes and behaviour. We argue that climate misinformation and conspiracy beliefs are not merely benign misconceptions. Instead, they constitute a significant systemic barrier to climate progress, with important implications for evidence-based intervention design and future research agendas.