story that used to regularly engage and tweet about climate - refer issues have been dropping like flies on Twitter , less than a yr after Elon Musk ’s purchase of the party . A reputation published inthe diary Trends in Ecology & Evolutionthis week discover that almost 50 % of over 300,000 “ environmentally orient ” accounts were no longer fighting after the new owner took over .
The researcher , led by Charlotte Chang , a Pomona College assistant professor of biology and environmental analysis , look at a sample of 380,000 accounts . These users were debate fighting if they had brand at least once in a 15 - daylight period . They analyzed the accounts in the sample from December 2022 and May 2023 , and by the destruction of that six - calendar month period , only about 52 % of the users were still active .
Researchers compared this information to another sample group of 458,000 users who posted about U.S. political sympathies . From December 2022 to May 2023 , 79 % of users in that group were still active . Chang told Earther that she and other researchers did n’t have specific expectations when they began their analysis , so the quick pace of mood - related users leave behind the platform was especially pertain .
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors Inc., introduces the Model X car at the company’s headquarters 9 February 2025, in Fremont, California.Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez (AP)
“ There is presently no platform equivalent to Twitter , ” the researchers wrote in the report . “ Changes in engagement by environmentally minded users lift serious questions about where to track discourse about environmental conservation and how to mobilize pro - environmental segments of the world . ”
Twitter has been a puppet for mood activist and scientific discipline communication for class . It was used as an organizing tool for thenationwide protests against constabulary ferociousness in 2020 . Young climate activists overspread their substance to spark Fridays for Future andglobal spring chicken protests on Twitterthroughout a lot of 2019 . The political platform has also been adisaster response toolacross many climate change - concern natural disasters and emergencies .
“ I intend that really gestures to the superpower of Twitter , as a way for people to encounter thought across different community that they may not have been a part of , ” Chang told Earther . “ That ’s why it was exceedingly powerful . ”
The reign of Musk at Twitter , recently rebranded as X , has been marked by a number of bone - headed changes including the company’sridiculous rebrandingandinvalidating the puritanical confirmation target confirmation organisation . Musk has call himself a “ free spoken language absolutist , ” and adjudicate to prove that to the world by cutting down on the substance moderation stave fromseveral hundred to less than 100 in only a few months while implementing selective censoring forhis enemies . His takeover has direct to several variety in the chopine ’s interface , and table service outagesas well . “ These changes posed major hurdling to herd - sourcing entropy during the late earthquake in Turkey and Syria , ” the report said .
Since Musk acquired the company , hate speech has explode on the program alongsideclimate misinformation . scientist who were once regularly posting on Twitterhave fled the sitein the Musk - era , get out behind what now finger like net mausoleum of their former tweet . Water scientist and climate militant Peter Gleick withover 90,000 followers , told Al Jazeerathat the intensity of on-line abuse had increased significantly since Musk took over last year . “ Musk & his low - checked jounce troops have nail turning Twitter into a toxic , hatred - fulfill , racist , sexist , anti - Semite sump , ” thepinned tweeton his account says .
Chang told Earther that she want future inquiry to treat where these former Twitter user have moved on , and if they ’re still trying to inform the world about clime - relate issues .
“ If Twitter was the only platform that folks use , are they no longer active on social media at all ? Are they migrate to other public - facing platforms such as Instagram or Threads or Mastodon or Bluesky , ” she said . “ Or are they migrate to more private channels and spaces such as Discord or Slack workspaces ? ”
need more climate and surroundings stories ? Check out Earther ’s guides todecarbonizing your family , divesting from fossil fuel , pack a cataclysm go bag , andovercoming mood dread . And do n’t leave out our insurance coverage of thelatest IPCC climate report , the succeeding ofcarbon dioxide remotion , and the un - greenwashed facts onbioplasticsandplastic recycling .
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