Vegetal fuel and recycled oil: are biofuels really sustainable?

A new analysis by Verificat, supported by the EFCSN, examines how the oil industry and online communities communicate about biofuels. The report finds that industry messages often rely on vague, overly optimistic language that downplays the fuels’ real limitations. While biofuels are promoted as a “zero-emission” solution, they in fact produce CO₂ throughout their lifecycle — from production to combustion.

The study also shows that accounts advocating biofuels on social media frequently spread misinformation about electric vehicles (EVs). This techno-optimistic framing, experts warn, risks delaying meaningful climate action.

The road to disinformation: Mapping climate disinformation about transport in Europe

This joint report by Science Feedback and Newtral, based in part on data from the EuroClimateCheck database, reveals that climate disinformation on transport is not the result of isolated falsehoods or outright denial of climate change, but rather a complex and adaptive phenomenon deeply rooted in local political, economic, and cultural realities. It thrives not on the outright rejection of science, but on strategic doubt, distortion, and emotional appeal.

The analysis, which covers Spain, France, Germany, and the UK, shows how misleading narratives subtly exploit each country’s appetite for different forms of outrage by amplifying anxieties related to personal freedom, economic costs, national identity, and technological risks. These disinformation narratives can have a psychologically manipulative, socially polarizing, and politically mobilizing effect on the public.

The studies were conducted with the support of the European Climate Foundation and the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN).