Google says it will ban ads and demonetise YouTube videos promoting climate change denial.
Gatekeepers News reports that Google on Thursday has announced that it will no longer post ads next to misinformation about climate change on its search engine or global video-sharing platform YouTube.
According to the new policy, Google advertisers, publishers, and YouTube creators said it will prohibit the platforms from helping people make money from content that “contradicts well-established scientific consensus around the existence and causes of climate change.”
The internet giant noted that this includes online content referring to climate change as a hoax or a scam, or denying the world’s temperature is rising and that human activity contributes to the problem, Google said in a post.
Google said, “Advertisers simply don’t want their ads to appear next to this content.
“And publishers and creators don’t want ads promoting these claims to appear on their pages or videos.”
The tech giant noted that the policy change aligns with the company’s efforts to promote sustainable practices and confront climate change.
Director of NGO Avaaz campaign, Fadi Quran, said, “Google’s important decision to demonetise climate misinformation could turn the tide on the climate denial economy.
“For years, climate misinformers have confused public opinion and obstructed urgent political action on climate change, and YouTube has been one of their weapons of choice.”
Quran, therefore, urged other online platforms to follow Google’s lead and stop funnelling money to those peddling debunked denials of climate change.
