Misinformation about the Covid pandemic and climate change is slowing down an effective collective response to these emergencies.
BBC Monitoring experts Shayan Sardarizadeh and Kayleen Devlin explain the disinformation trends they have seen in 2021 and the effects they have had on the lives of citizens around the world.
Misinformation in 2021, according to the BBC, has focused on 2 main issues, vaccines and climate change.
Among the first false claims about vaccines were the implantation of microchips and the attachment of magnets to the injection site.
Such unfounded theories have led people in many countries around the world to resist vaccination and, as a result, suffer the consequences of infection. This has also greatly increased the number of deaths among those infected with COVID-19.
These claims have also sparked protests in many countries around the world, against vaccine passports and against movement restrictions.
The other topic widely used for creating baseless theories during 2021, according to this BBC study, is climate change.
BBC expert Kayleen Devlin says the false claims on this topic have been made mainly as attacks on activists who have advocated for measures to combat global warming. These claims have called renewable energy devices non-functional.
The full video of this BBC analysis can be opened here.