‘Conspirituality’ and Climate:
How Instagram’s influencers made denialism New Age

At the height of COVID-19, some Wellness and New Age influencers were prominent in sharing anti-vaccine content, with many straying explicitly into conspiracies such as QAnon. In this edition of the Data Monitor, we explore how established climate science and solutions have come under fire within this community, aligning with wider scepticism of ‘the Establishment’ and a belief in ‘higher powers’.

Key Takeaways

• Many influencers post outright misinformation or denial about climate change, including narratives similar to those explored in previous CAAD research.

• Arguments are diverse and often contradict one another. For example, some treat climate change as a hoax or conspiracy, while others claim it is evidence of ‘esoteric forces’.
• Content adopts language highly specific to the community. This increases the resonance for dedicated followers and results in some unique framing on topics such as geoengineering and meat consumption.
• Climate is inextricably linked to discussions around health and vaccines, with an emphasis on bodily autonomy and personal wellbeing.

Method

This includes:

• Esoteric accounts, such as those focusing on crystal healing, tarot reading, hypnotism or astrology, and self-styled “star seed” accounts.

• Lifestyle and fitness influencers, such as bodybuilders, yoga instructors and chiropractors.
• ‘Alternative’ health practitioners, such as nutritional therapists, health coaches, herbalists and wellness bloggers.
• Natural parenting influencers, such as free-birthers, “natural motherhood” accounts or anti-vaxxers.

While the majority of influencers had between 10k and 100k followers, some accounts with a smaller audience (nano-influencers) were included if relevant. Over a 12-month period from October 2022 to October 2023, we surfaced 140 timeline posts mentioning keywords related to climate change and/or the environment. This approach may have missed content using unexpected terminology or subtler, roundabout references to such issues, but provides enough evidence for a qualitative snapshot.

Top Themes

Wellness influencers are using narratives strikingly similar to those explored in previous research on climate mis- and disinformation. This spans everything from outright denial that temperatures are rising, to accusations of elite hypocrisy and falsehoods regarding renewable energies or Electric Vehicles.

Core ideas include:

• Outright rejection of the existence of, or human influence on, climate change.

• Scepticism around the impact of climate change on natural disasters.

• Attacking policy interventions for mitigation, adaptation or decarbonisation.

• Conspiratorial content concerning “elites”, the World Economic Forum and so on.

In addition, various posts amplified figures known for spreading climate misinformation or conspiracies beyond the Wellness community, including Peter Imanuelsen (known online as Peter Sweden) and Bjorn Lomborg. Others engaged in the 'memeification' of climate denial through a counter-cultural frame. (Note: Lomborg's role in the ecosystem of climate change misinformation has previously been covered in CAAD's 'Deny, Deceive, Delay' reports and by organisations like DeSmog).

Indicative post shared by: Russell Brand (3.8m followers)

The influencers in our dataset often adopt unique framing for their pushback on climate science or solutions. This includes claims that:

1. Climate change is a result of disconnection with nature or other powerful forces in the universe. (This is often steeped in New Age beliefs around nature being ‘whole and perfect’ and was especially promoted by accounts describing themselves as ‘starseeds’). 

2. Vegetarianism or veganism are “unhealthy”, while meat eating is “healthy”, “natural” or “sustainable”. (This was primarily spread by ‘carnivore influencers’ such as @CarnivoreAurelius 722k followers).

3. Climate change is a product of “geoengineering” or attempts to “block out the sun”.

4. Climate change is a cover for health problems caused by vaccines and other (elite-driven) public mandates.

Indicative post shared by: Magnified Consciousness (@magnifiedconsciousness, 15.7k followers),

My Body, My Rules

Conspiracies tend to rely on the premise that “everything is connected, nothing is at it seems and everything happens for a reason”. This framework is central to the messaging of wellness and New Age influencers, who link climate change to broader claims about government overreach and attacks on the ‘divine sovereignty’ of the individual. Arguments are intrinsically linked to concerns around bodily integrity, including a common accusation that climate change is a pretext to make people unhealthy.

Equally, natural disasters such as wildfires are presented as part of a globalist plot for control, with posts claiming them to be one or more of the following: a deliberate attempt to enforce mass surveillance; a ploy to deter people from having children; a pretext for spraying harmful chemicals on the land; the exclusive result of arson, not climate change (a trend covered in Vol.2 of the CAAD Data Monitor)

Indicative post shared by: Ian Smith Fitness (@iansmithfitness, 413k followers),

'Pastel QAnon’: How did we get here?

In 2011, academics Charlotte Ward and David Voas referred to the intersection between New Age thinking and conspiratorial beliefs as “conspirituality”: a “broad politico-spiritual philosophy based on two core convictions […] 1) a secret group covertly controls, or is trying to control, the political and social order, and 2) humanity is undergoing a 'paradigm shift' in consciousness.” At the height of COVID-19, investigations showed how influencers in this space became key conduits for anti-vaccine content, and in 2021 researcher Marc-André Argentino coined the term “Pastel QAnon” to describe the Instagram-friendly aesthetic used across social media to share and spread their worldview. The pandemic turbocharged conspirituality as a phenomenon, driven by widely followed influencers on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Post by user Bradley Campbell (@drbradleycampbell, 322k followers), whose bio includes “Robin Hood-ing healthcare back to the masses” and includes a number followers can text for “personal help".

Post by user Truth_Crunchy Mama (@truth_crunchy_mama 36.3k followers).

What now?

Experts such as Stephanie A. Baker have shown how “wellness influencers employ micro-celebrity practices of authenticity, accessibility and autonomy” to build trust with followers. As such, the potential influence of these accounts on their audience should not be undermined, even if communities occupy a fringe or relatively distinct space online.

Two posts by Lauren Johnson (@naturalnursemomma 343k followers)

Although merely a snapshot, this Monitor shows how ‘conspiritualists’ could be influencing views on climate change in novel ways, framing denialism within wider emotional, metaphysical or even religious belief systems. Such accounts are adept at couching harmful or unsubstantiated ideas in visually appealing content with mass appeal. Moreover, by centring the individual in much of their rhetoric, it may resonate at a deeper personal level than wider public discourse on climate science, impacts and potential solutions.

Our findings expose a risk that, as the impacts of climate change become more visible, people will turn to ‘alternate’ explanations over verified data. That impulse may be driven by fear, a sense of overwhelm or impotence, rather than an inherent scepticism. The Wellness community often frames its worldview through proactive advice based on notions of agency and reclaiming one’s own power; a powerful counterpoise to wider trends of ‘climate dread’ and ‘doomerism’ which appear on the rise in many countries. As such, knowing how to inoculate and debunk against conspiratorial content becomes ever more important, as does positive messaging on how people can tackle the climate crisis.

Post by Dr Mercola (@drmercola 501k followers)

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