Responding to climate science denial

Although effectively responding to misinformation is notoriously difficult, research has identified best practices that can be employed. Drawing from literature in psychology, sociology, communication, and political science we identify and review four potential strategies to respond to climate denial. First, prebunking or inoculation may preemptively confer cognitive resistance and limit audience receptiveness to misinformation by teaching individuals how to identify and deconstruct flawed arguments, mitigating their persuasive appeal. Second, communicating the scientific consensus on climate change may provide a gateway to more accurate climate beliefs. Third, directly correcting misinformation can be effective, especially when using best practices that include simple rebuttals, replacement with correct facts, and reliance on expert sources. Fourth, technocognition solutions are particularly important online to facilitate identification and correction of misinformation as it emerges. Based on these strategies, we propose an agenda to help scientists, educators, and practitioners engage more effectively with climate change denial.