A rally by members of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation in March 2023. Photo credit: Facebook/ZHRO Zimbabwean HR Activists.
For years now, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation (ZHRO) has used its social media accounts to criticise climate science as well as initiatives designed to mitigate climate change.
ZHRO was established in October 2016. According to its Facebook page, it promotes human rights throughout the world, but specifically in Zimbabwe, the United Kingdom (where it is based), and the member-states of the Southern African Development Community. On its X/Twitter account, it adds that it also promotes peace, honesty and prosperity.
The group, which has over 17,000 followers on Facebook and 1,992 followers on X, usually makes posts criticising the ZANU-PF-led government in Zimbabwe, condemning corruption and human rights violations, and demanding good governance.
Meanwhile, another topic that comes up frequently is climate change. Analysis conducted by Code for Africa using data obtained from Meltwater showed that between July 2024 and August 2025, the account made at least 195 posts on X containing the word “climate” with a combined reach of 351,000.
Many posts from the X account suggest that climate change narratives are “blatant propaganda”, “regime-induced psy-ops”, or a “hysteria” pushed by those in power as part of a “politics of control”. Another term it uses frequently is “gravy train”, suggesting that programmes promoting climate change mitigation are aimed at profiteering. It also uses strong terms like “climate lunatics” and “climate zealots” to describe people with a different view.
A search on Meltwater for climate-related posts made by the @ZHRO_Zimbabwe account in 2024 showed that some of the top keywords were climate scam and #climateemergencyscam.
Meltwater’s AI analysis of the posts by the account this year states that “several of the claims and statements made in the speeches and related posts are found to contain elements of misinformation or disinformation. Some of the findings and conclusions may be based on personal opinions and speculation rather than verifiable facts or evidence.”
We contacted ZHRO with direct messages on their Facebook and X accounts to get a comment about the findings in this article, but the organisation did not respond as of the time of publication.
Images showing the top keywords featured in climate-related X posts by @ZHRO_Zimbabwe between 2024 and 2025.
Images showing an overwhelming negative sentiment in climate-related posts on X by the @ZHRO_Zimbabwe account published between 2024 and 2025.
One statement the account has made repeatedly is that it does not agree with the idea of “Net Zero,” which means a state where the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere does not surpass the amount removed. Carbon dioxide (CO2) accounts for nearly 80 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions, while other gases include methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases such as hydrofluorocarbons. The United Nations target is for the world to reach net zero by 2050 in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
“We do not consent to Net Lunacy!! It’s all ‘Poppycock’ – CO₂ has nothing to do with the climate -but it is a very convenient excuse to control & tax everybody and everything. We need ‘Net Zero Politics,’” the account wrote on December 30, 2024.
“CO₂ is not a problem, CO₂ cannot effect the climate, therefore Net Zero is based on false logic and should be put out to pasture with all the other fake science!” @ZHRO_Zimbabwe claimed in another X post made on January 29.
Screenshot of a post made by @ZHRO_Zimbabwe on January 29, 2025.
In another post made on December 10, 2024, the account wrote: “Net Zero is an objective only the scientific illiterate could follow! It’s all political disinformation. The Sun, the Oceans (via thermodynamic heat transference) and clouds determine the Climate.”
The posts are often made in response to tweets by influential accounts that also promote climate-denying narratives, such as Wide Awake Media (@wideawake_media), James Melville 🚜(@JamesMelville), and Kevin O’Sullivan (@TVKev).
In May 2024, ZHRO on its X account, quoted a post and said, “Please all who can listen: Wake Up. Climate changes on planet Earth are only measurable in increments of 100,000’s years on this 4.5bn year old ‘Rock’.”
In another tweet posted on October 10, 2024, the account wrote, “We need to be prepared for a colder climate! The Global warming agenda is utterly misplaced! In fact it’s disinformation – isn’t it??” The account also reposted a tweet by @PeterDClack from February 2025, stating that carbon dioxide does not have “a defining role in earth’s evolving climate” and instead it is driven by other factors such as the sun, moon, orbital anomalies, tectonic shift, and volcanoes. Peter Clark has similarly claimed that the amount of extra CO₂ emitted into the atmosphere by humans (3-5%) annually probably has nothing to do with “any small temperature rise” the planet is experiencing.
Together, the various tweets suggest that the planet is getting colder, not warmer, and that changes in climate conditions have nothing to do with human activities.
However, it is not true that Earth is getting colder and not warmer. In a statement released in January, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that 2024 was the warmest year on record, according to six international datasets, as global mean temperatures surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said, “Climate history is playing out before our eyes. We’ve had not just one or two record-breaking years, but a full ten-year series. This has been accompanied by devastating and extreme weather, rising sea levels and melting ice, all powered by record-breaking greenhouse gas levels due to human activities.”
While it is true that human activities contribute about 4 per cent of the carbon cycle each year, natural sinks are only able to absorb about 40 per cent of this extra carbon dioxide, causing the emissions to accumulate over the years. The concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere has grown by about 50 per cent since the pre-industrial era and this has disturbed the natural balance.
It is also true that the percentage of CO₂ in the air is about 0.04 per cent compared to other games, but this is not the full picture. Carbon dioxide has such drastic effects on the environment despite its relatively small volume because of its remarkable ability to absorb and radiate heat. “It’s the effect that the material has that is of interest, not the amount,” Reto Knutti, professor of climate physics at ETH Zurich’s Centre for Climate Systems Modelling, explained to Reuters in 2024.
Another finding from analysing the narratives shared by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation on X and Facebook is that it targets climate policies by the Zimbabwean government through protests and posting AI-generated images.
In November 2021, the group organised a protest at the Zimbabwean embassy in the United Kingdom and said it was sending a petition to the UK government to object to Zimbabwe’s “invitation to talk at COP26 about climate matters”. It described the invitation extended to Zimbabwe officials as a “mockery of the COP26 Climate Conference”. It further claimed that any climate action funding to the Zimbabwe government would end up enriching “those within the elite of the Zanu PF Junta”.
Screenshot of an X post by @ZHRO_Zimbabwe from September 2021 in response to Melanie Robinson, former UK Ambassador to Zimbabwe.
In April 2025, the group also criticised the invitation of Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe’s First Lady, Environment Patron, and Wildlife Ambassador, to the First Ladies of Africa Impact & Resilience (FLAIR) Summit. “What the heck does Auxillia Mnangagwa know about climate science? For that matter what do actual climate scientists know about the real climate! This slick talk shop 17-18 June is more scam than science! Zanu PF involved – slam dunk – gravy train,” it posted on X.
ZHRO then canvassed for support in order to prevent Mnangagwa from attending the summit, “as we did in November 2021 when ED Mnangagwa arrived for his pathetic showing at the Climate Conference”.
Screenshot of @ZHRO_Zimbabwe’s post about Auxillia Mnangagwa from April 2025.
Meanwhile, the ZHRO account has not only amplified climate-related disinformation. For example, it has also promoted anti-vaccination narratives. In this post, tweeted on July 13, 2022, the group said, “Health passport or Vaccine passports are a Control Tool only. Resist if you wish to be free.” In another post, the account administrator said they had realised early that the COVID vaccine “causes long-term damage on a large scale”.
There are real-life consequences to the spread of climate and vaccine disinformation as they distort public debate, weaken confidence in science and the government, and delay urgent action. As communities fail to prepare or adapt, the adverse effects show up in rising disaster losses, food insecurity, and heightened vulnerability for already at-risk populations.
A survey conducted by YouGov in 2022 across six countries – including Australia, Brazil, India, Germany, the UK, and the USA – found that between 55 and 85 per cent of the respondents “believe at least one of the climate change misinformation statements included in the questionnaire”.
In an open letter published in 2024 and signed by dozens of organisations and experts, the Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) coalition urged governments worldwide to address the harm caused by the spread of false information about climate change.
“The climate crisis demands urgent action,” the coalition observed. “Disinformation distorts our understanding of reality, putting people and organisations at risk and harming public policies. We cannot let these falsehoods weaken climate action and hinder progress. We call on governments worldwide to lead the way in fostering a truthful and informed public discourse, so we can build a more sustainable future together.”
This article was produced with mentorship from the African Digital Democracy Observatory (ADDO) as part of an initiative by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and Code for Africa (CfA). Visit https://disinfo.africa for more information.
