Misinformation – A Key Player in Environmental Detriment
- Conserve Resources Staff
- Jun 28, 2022
- 2 min read
The detrimental role of misinformation is a very salient topic in political research, however, its environmental implications are far less studied. A case study in South Korea by Scientific American sheds some light on misinformation’s environmental implications demonstrating that environmental action, too, is adversely impacted by false information.
In Korea, an odd trend exists. Air quality (measured by particulate matter ten micrometers or less) has been improving over the past 20 years, but the public perceive the opposite – they believe air quality has been decreasing since 2013. Understanding why this gap in reality and perception exists may enable both governments and nonprofits to better combat misinformation’s harmful effects.
Public perception in Korea frames China as the main driver behind Korean air pollution, yet NASA’s research indicates 52% of the fine particulate matter at Olympic Park in Seoul comes from South Korean industry and only 34% from Western China. The rationale of South Korean residents is that pollution produced in China blows into South Korea via seasonal winds.
South Koreans’ wrong information can be explained by the availability heuristic. This psychological concept refers to our tendency to recall information that comes to mind quickly when making decisions – a tendency that reinforces public perception that the contribution of China is more than that of South Korea.
Analysis by Scientific American provides an explanation for the tendency of individuals in South Korea to attribute blame to China. During 2013, Seoul experienced an unusually high burst of dust that actually did originate from China. Analysis of news articles demonstrated the public started associating dust with China during this period. The number of articles on pollution that used the word “China” increased over this period, matching a similar rise in comments employing the word.
Shortly after the 2013 pollution event in Seoul, public favor regarding China declined in the wake of economic turmoil. This, in turn, led to another increase in the frequency with which the word “China” was referenced in articles on pollution, lasting until 2019.
The widespread tendency of South Korean news outlets to blame China for their pollution woes supports the claim that this false information can be explained by the availability heuristic. Since South Koreans are constantly exposed to information that says China is the leading player in their country’s pollution, they recall this information most easily and have begun to believe it.
Given the importance of the availability heuristic on South Korean environmental misinformation, the government should take response measures that account for the psychological concept. One such measure is creating an independent committee with mixed political views that enables citizens to petition it with environmental qualms. The diverse viewpoints of this committee would maximize the acceptance of its actions and remove any semblance of political motivation – a key element in detaching South Koreans from fake news.
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