A new online course launching in Aotearoa New Zealand this week takes a deep dive into the world of climate related disinformation.
The course has been created with activists in the climate movement in mind and will cover all aspects of disinformation in and around the climate crisis, from environmental journalism and 15-minute cities to geoengineering.
The Climate Disinformation Night School is a hybrid class with real-time sessions and live interaction. Each week will include a 20-minute pre-recorded lecture and a 90-minute Zoom session to discuss the material and engage in hands-on activities and discussions. A list of resources for each week, including readings, podcasts, and videos, will also be provided.
Participants will learn how disinformation campaigns work and how they impact our ability to respond to climate change. Other content will include how disinformation is being funded, case studies of disinformation campaigns in Aotearoa, as well as how Māori ways of understanding climate change can contribute to fighting disinformation campaigns.
Taking inspiration from the long history around the world of folk education, particularly the Scandinavian and Appalachian traditions, this course is designed to offer a fun, affordable and rigorous experience–that serves the needs of working adults.
Like all folk education, liberation and movement building is at the core of the course. We save ourselves together–and we educate ourselves to build solidarity, share tactics, and create a shared vision for a better future for all of us.
The course is presented by Tohatoha CEO Mandy Henk and disinformation researcher Byron Clark.
Mandy Henk has been involved in education around climate change for more than a decade as a librarian, writer, and advocate for healthy, just, and vibrant digital communities. She is the author of Economy, Ecology, Equity: The Path to a Carbon Neutral Library (ALA Editions 2014).
Byron Clark is the author of Fear: New Zealand’s Hostile Underworld of Extremists (Harper Collins 2023.) and is currently studying Media and Communications at the University of Canterbury, with a particular focus on climate disinformation. A variety of guest lectures will also be contributing.
“This course is an accessible way to learn about what the scholarly literature is saying about disinformation and explore the work of others who are active in countering disinformation to help you develop plans and strategies for your own work that can be applied within your own sphere of influence- participants will present their own plans in the final week,” says Mandy Henk.
The full course costs NZ$400.00 +GST (full price) with variable pricing options available for those who need funding assistance and is open to anyone to register.
The first course is set to begin 4 April 2024, and registrations are now open at the following link: https://www.tohatoha.org.nz/cdns
