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johnfocook.bsky.social
John Cook
@johnfocook.bsky.social
7.4K followers 860 following 90 posts

Researches climate & vaccine misinformation at the University of Melbourne. Founded SkepticalScience.com. Published Cranky Uncle vs. Climate Change. Developed the games Cranky Uncle (crankyuncle.com) and Cranky Uncle Vaccine (crankyunclevaccine.org) .. more

Videos
Sociology 24%
Political science 24%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by John Cook

dananuccitelli.bsky.social
Dana Nuccitelli @dananuccitelli.bsky.social · 3d
I talked to @johnfocook.bsky.social about dealing with climate misinformation, and he recommended learning about the common techniques that bad actors use to distort facts:

Fake experts
Logical fallacies
Impossible expectations
Cherry-picking
Conspiracy theories

or FLICC, for short (4/11)
A history of FLICC: the 5 techniques of science denial
In 2007, Mark Hoofnagle suggested on his Science Blog Denialism that denialists across a range of topics such as climate change, evolution, & HIV/AIDS all employed the same rhetorical tactics to sow c...
skepticalscience.com

Reposted by Michael E. Mann, Katharine Hayhoe, A. E. Dessler , and 2 more

dananuccitelli.bsky.social
Dana Nuccitelli @dananuccitelli.bsky.social · 3d
Joe Rogan has one of the world's most popular podcasts. Unfortunately, like nearly all of the most popular online shows, his tends to spread climate misinformation. For @climateconnections.bsky.social I scrutinize his recent episode with octogenarian climate contrarians Lindzen & Happer 🧵 (1/11)
Five ways Joe Rogan misleads listeners about climate change  » Yale Climate Connections
Rogan exposes millions to climate denial. Let’s break down his tactics.
yaleclimateconnections.org

Reposted by Stephan Lewandowsky, John Cook

ulliecker.bsky.social
Ullrich Ecker @ulliecker.bsky.social · 11d
Happy to share a new paper (accepted at J Environ Psych), led by the amazing @emilyspearing.bsky.social

Black Summer Arson: Examining the Impact of Climate Misinformation and Corrections on Reasoning

osf.io/preprints/ps...

@johnfocook.bsky.social @lewan.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social
OSF
osf.io

johnfocook.bsky.social
John Cook @johnfocook.bsky.social · 27d
Proud to have contributed to the blockbuster new volume Climate Obstruction: A Global Assessment, documenting the many, many ways that corporations & orgs try to block climate action. Comprehensive, global in scope, authors from all over the world & the ebook version is FREE cssn.org/news-researc...
Global Assessment - Brown Climate Social Science Network
Climate advocacy has not failed, climate policy has been sabotaged, explains a new open access book, Climate Obstruction: A Global Assessment.
cssn.org

johnfocook.bsky.social
John Cook @johnfocook.bsky.social · 28d
Fun random statistic - our 2013 paper finding 97% scientific consensus on human-caused global warming just went past 1.5 million downloads (which is not a bad number for an academic paper) iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

johnfocook.bsky.social
John Cook @johnfocook.bsky.social · Oct 12
It’s complementary, there’s no single magic bullet against misinformation which is a complex, interconnected problem requiring multi-pronged solutions. We need better mindsets, critical thinking and BS detection, media literacy and more

johnfocook.bsky.social
John Cook @johnfocook.bsky.social · Oct 8
BTW, you can read the 200+ submissions (such a wealth of useful information not to mention some submissions packed with misinformation) at www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar.... The Uni of Melb submission is #128 (to get clickbaity, you'll never guess who #125 is! ;-)
Submissions
Submissions
www.aph.gov.au

johnfocook.bsky.social
John Cook @johnfocook.bsky.social · Oct 8
Excited to lead a University of Melbourne submission to the Senate inquiry on climate misinformation and also speak to @readfearn.bsky.social at @australia.theguardian.com about the trends in climate misinformation & how to counter it www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Media and political attacks on Australia’s emissions targets ‘straight out of the climate obstruction playbook’, expert says
Prof Christian Downie points to the Business Council of Australia and News Corp newspapers as examples of deliberate obstruction
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by John Cook, Prakash Kashwan

cssn.org
Climate Social Science Network @cssn.org · Sep 22
Experts @timmonsroberts.bsky.social @aronczyk.bsky.social and @johnfocook.bsky.social speak with @trackchangesmedia.bsky.social on the rising threat of climate disinformation in the media, solutions misinformation, and the attack on climate science and scientists themselves.

johnfocook.bsky.social
John Cook @johnfocook.bsky.social · Sep 17
The Debunking Handbook 2020 has now been translated into Basque, making it the 21st translation of this influential guide to the psychological research into debunking misinformation. Many thanks to translator Laida Arbizu Aguirre and Wendy Cook for typesetting sks.to/db2020
Cover of Basque translation of the Debunking Handbook 2020

Reposted by John Cook, Martijn Duineveld

amywestervelt.bsky.social
Amy Westervelt @amywestervelt.bsky.social · Sep 16
If you're a @drilledmedia.bsky.social listener you know I think social scientists are key sources if we want to understand why governments haven't acted on climate. So imagine my nerd delight to get my hands on an incredible new batch of research on climate obstruction. drilled.media/podcasts/dri...
Welcome to the World of Obstruction
Investigating the obstacles to action on climate change.
drilled.media

Reposted by Katharine Hayhoe, Valerie M. Delmotte, John Kennedy , and 13 more

andrewdessler.com
Andrew Dessler @andrewdessler.com · Sep 2
Our 400+ page comment on the DOE climate working group report is now out.

Our conclusion: The merchants of doubt are back, and they're coming for climate science.
DOEresponseSite
On July 29, 2025, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a report from its Climate Working Group (CWG). This report features prominently in the EPA's reconsideration of its 2009 Endangerment Finding. In response, over 85 scientists have come together to write a comprehensive review, which is
sites.google.com

johnfocook.bsky.social
John Cook @johnfocook.bsky.social · Jul 17
Doh thanks for letting me know :-(

Reposted by John Cook

ruthmottram.bsky.social
Ruth Mottram @ruthmottram.bsky.social · Jul 15
"you need to make it cheap and easy for people to make the switch. If it’s expensive, most people won’t do it. If it’s difficult or inconvenient, then forget it."

www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/the-false-...
The false dichotomy of systemic and individual behaviour change
Individuals aren't going to solve climate change, but they are an important part of the system that will get us there.
www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com

Reposted by Nina Jankowicz, John Cook

lewan.bsky.social
Stephan Lewandowsky @lewan.bsky.social · Jul 4
Great coverage of our Anti-Autocracy Handbook by Bob Berwyn: insideclimatenews.org/news/0407202... . It's difficult to make autocracy seem funny but the White House managed to produce a hilarious comment @ninajankowicz.com @noupside.bsky.social @chrischirp.bsky.social @philippmarkolin.bsky.social
New Handbook Aims to Protect Scientists From Autocratic Threats - Inside Climate News
Scientists, experts say, need to help protect democracy, “the system of government in which science, health and humanity are most likely to thrive.”
insideclimatenews.org

Reposted by Stephan Lewandowsky, John Cook

edmo-eu.bsky.social
European Digital Media Observatory @edmo-eu.bsky.social · Jul 2
🌡️ While Europe's #heatwave pushes temperatures above 40°C, today's first session of our training series underlined: #climate #disinformation doesn't just happen, it's a tool used by powerful actors to sabotage #climateaction – and it must be better understood + countered. 1/2

Reposted by Stephan Lewandowsky, John Cook

edmo-eu.bsky.social
European Digital Media Observatory @edmo-eu.bsky.social · Jul 1
Reminder: register by 3 July, 17:00 CEST, and join us as we zoom in on effective responses to #climate #disinformation with:

🔸 @lewan.bsky.social @bristoluni.bsky.social
🔸 @johnfocook.bsky.social @mcbc-unimelb.bsky.social
🔸 @simofons.bsky.social @facta.news

🗓️ 10 July, 10:00-11:30
🔗 loom.ly/G3FV_VQ
Register by 3 July to join Module 2 of the EDMO Training Series on Climate Disinformation

Reposted by John Cook

madhupai.bsky.social
Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · Jun 19
Autocracies often follow a common playbook, built around the “3 Ps”: populism, polarization, and post-truth

This handbook highlights both historic and contemporary measures aimed at attacking scholars, their institutional environments, and their scholarship

zenodo.org/records/1569...

Reposted by John Cook

lewan.bsky.social
Stephan Lewandowsky @lewan.bsky.social · Jun 19
Fantastic team of authors comprising relevant experts and several scholars who have lived under autocracy, including: @karmaos.bsky.social @profsunitasah.bsky.social @chrischirp.bsky.social @ninajankowicz.com @noupside.bsky.social @philippmarkolin.bsky.social @johnfocook.bsky.social 3/12
Authors: Stephan Lewandowsky University of Bristol and University of Potsdam BlueSky: @lewan.bsky.social Vera Kempe Abertay University, Dundee Konstantinos Armaos University of Bonn Linkedin: @karmaos BlueSky: @karmaos.bsky.social Ulrike Hahn Birkbeck, University of London Christoph M. Abels University of Potsdam Susilo Wibisono University of Queensland Winnifred Louis University of Queensland Sunita Sah Cornell University LinkedIn: @drsunitasah Instagram: @drsunitasah Christina Pagel University College London BlueSky: @chrischirp.bsky.social Substack: christinapagel.substack.com Nina Jankowicz American Sunlight Project Renee DiResta Georgetown University BlueSky: @noupside.bsky.social Instagram: @renee.diresta Philipp Markolin Reatch! Research. Think. Change., Zurich BlueSky: @philippmarkolin.bsky.social Henrik Schoenemann Humboldt University of Berlin Ralph Hertwig Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin Henry Crull Louisiana State University Barry Mauer University of Central Florida Dawn Holford University of Bristol Ezequiel Lopez-Lopez Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin John Cook University of Melbourne BlueSky: @johnfocook.bsky.social

Reposted by Cristina F. Fominaya, Nina Jankowicz, Nancy Kanwisher , and 16 more

lewan.bsky.social
Stephan Lewandowsky @lewan.bsky.social · Jun 19
I am privileged to announce the publication of the Anti-Autocracy Handbook: sks.to/autocracy 1/12
The Anti-Autocracy Handbook: A Scholars' Guide to Navigating Democratic Backsliding
The Anti-Autocracy Handbook is a call to action, resilience, and collective defence of democracy, truth, and academic freedom in the face of mounting authoritarianism. It tries to provide guidance to ...
sks.to

Reposted by John Cook

edmo-eu.bsky.social
European Digital Media Observatory @edmo-eu.bsky.social · Jun 11
📣 Join our Training Series on #Climate #Disinformation!

7️⃣ expert trainers
2️⃣ online sessions
1️⃣ pressing challenge

This series is open to all stakeholders working to tackle disinformation & #climatepolicy experts interested in questions on climate disinformation.

👉 Learn more at loom.ly/aNrZHiM.
EDMO Training Series on Climate Disinformation

Reposted by John Cook

ngarrngga.bsky.social
Ngarrngga @ngarrngga.bsky.social · Jun 3
To conclude Reconciliation Week, Ngarrngga hosted a Debunking Myths seminar with Dr @johnfocook.bsky.social with Faculty of Education staff members. We learnt to apply research and specific methodologies to misinformation about Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples. #NRW2025

Reposted by John Cook

docsforclimate.bsky.social
The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health @docsforclimate.bsky.social · May 15
With the rampant spread of mis- and disinformation, how can health professionals fight back with the truth? @johnfocook.bsky.social joined @lisapatel.bsky.social for a new episode of Healthy Climate America to explore this question and more.

Listen here: bit.ly/HealthyClimateAmerca
A promotional graphic for the Healthy Climate America podcast. At the top, the podcast logo features a green and blue caduceus symbol with the text "Healthy Climate America." Below, two circular headshots are displayed: on the left, Lisa Patel, MD, MESc, labeled as "Host: Lisa Patel, Executive Director, The Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health," and on the right, John Cook, Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne Center for Behavior Change." White soundwave graphics are in the background. The main text reads: "New Podcast Episode – Teaching the Choir to Sing: How Health Professionals Can Fight Misinformation." At the bottom, a green banner displays "Listen now: bit.ly/HealthyClimateAmerica.

johnfocook.bsky.social
John Cook @johnfocook.bsky.social · May 1
Excited to present a workshop on misinfo at the “Listen, Engage, Connect: Explore the Science Communication Arena” Summer School at the University of Geneva. Runs from June 23-27. Ideal for students, early-career researchers, science communicators. Register before 31 May at bit.ly/scicomm25
Geneva Summer Schools • Listen, Engage, Connect: Explore The Science Communication Arena
bit.ly

johnfocook.bsky.social
John Cook @johnfocook.bsky.social · Apr 14
I was recently invited to participate in an expert meeting on climate misinformation in the U.S. After much thought and talking to colleagues, I regretfully declined. Like many academics, I consider the U.S. not a safe country to visit atm. Sadly the meeting is in-person, no virtual option :-(

Reposted by John Cook

skepticalscience.bsky.social
Skeptical Science @skepticalscience.bsky.social · Apr 3
In February 2025, @johnfocook.bsky.social gave two webinars for republicEN explaining the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change. The 1st webinar focused on the history of this scientific consensus, the 2nd on the misinformation spread about it.

skepticalscience.com/webinars-con...
Cartoon featuring a cranky uncle archetype claiming there's no scientific consensus on climate change, and when confronted with evidence to the contrary then shifting his argument to say that science isn't done by consensus. Image showing nine pie-charts depicting nine consensus studies published between 2004 and 2021 100% - Oreskes 2004 97% - Doran 2009 97% - Anderegg 2010 97% - Cook 2013 91% - Verheggen 2014 93% - Stenhouse 2014 97% - Carlton 2015 98% - Myers 2021 99% - Lynas 2021

johnfocook.bsky.social
John Cook @johnfocook.bsky.social · Apr 1
Your dogs think neither of you are right.

Reposted by John Cook

skepticalscience.bsky.social
Skeptical Science @skepticalscience.bsky.social · Mar 19
Fact brief #29:

Q: "Is waste heat from industrial activity the reason the planet is warming?"

A: "No - Waste heat’s contribution to global warming is a small fraction of that brought about by carbon dioxide. [...]"

sks.to/gfb-waste?ut...

All fact briefs: sks.to/gfb?utm-sour...
Screenshot of Fact brief #29: Q: "Is waste heat from industrial activity the reason the planet is warming?" A: "No - Waste heat’s contribution to global warming is a small fraction of that brought about by carbon dioxide. [...]" https://sks.to/gfb-waste

Reposted by John Cook

skepticalscience.bsky.social
Skeptical Science @skepticalscience.bsky.social · Mar 9
With the addition of Catalan, Croatian and Indonesian the Cranky Uncle game can now be played in 16 languages!

Thanks to the translator teams across the globe who make these translations possible!

@johnfocook.bsky.social @goodbeast.bsky.social

sks.to/crankyml?utm...

#activeinoculation
Cranky Uncle cartoon character standing with crossed arms in front of country flags depicting the 16 languages the Cranky Uncle game can now be played in.

johnfocook.bsky.social
John Cook @johnfocook.bsky.social · Feb 27
Am about to give a free online talk on countering misinformation about the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming (and misinformation in general). You can register at republicen.org/consensus (this webinar will be recorded & posted on the RepublicEN Youtube channel)
republicen.org