What is the available evidence of how social media can be used to achieve both climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction?
Excerpt of the main findings and takeaway from our new study
Social media platforms like Twitter (X), Sina Weibo, Facebook, and others have emerged as key spaces where people share experiences, seek help, and coordinate around climate hazards and disasters. This review synthesises 88 peer-reviewed studies published between 2013 and 2025 that apply social media-generated data and models to climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR). Using a rigorous PRISMA-guided approach, we map current evidence and reveal critical gaps to guide future efforts.
Key Findings
Research on this topic has surged since 2020, with most studies focusing on Asia-Pacific, the USA and Europe, while Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East remain severely underrepresented. Information and communication technology leads the field, followed by GIS/remote sensing, public administration, civil protection, urban planning and others, including ecology, tourism, migration, mental health, linguistics, journalism and food science.
Twitter (X) dominates as the most-studied platform, followed by Sina Weibo (13%), with limited work on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Dcard, TikTok and Flickr. Common methods include topic modelling, sentiment/emotion analysis, semantic analysis, image/video analysis and geospatial analysis, mostly using real-time data mined via APIs and Python programming, though 43% of studies report no programming tools, signaling access and skills gaps.
More studies develop adaptation/risk models than analyze specific events; floods lead single-hazard research, followed by hurricanes and COVID-19, but droughts are absent despite their global prevalence. Social media advances SDG 13 (targets 13.1, 13.3) and Sendai Framework priorities 1 and 4, yet neglects resilience-building, preparedness capacities, mental health support, social cohesion and “building back better.” Challenges include digital divides, misinformation, data restrictions and platform policy shifts.
Takeaway
Social media demonstrably supports CCA-DRR through engagement, prevention, information, recovery and coordination, yet evidence gaps persist in resilience, mental health, cohesion and post-disaster rebuilding. Geographic, linguistic and digital biases marginalize vulnerable voices, underscoring needs for equitable access and misinformation tracking.
We propose a social media-integrated CCA-DRR governance framework linking technology access, user capabilities, emotions, and governance to pre/during/post-event functions. This offers a roadmap for research/practice to harness platforms’ potential while addressing limitations for more inclusive, resilient climate action.
All rights reserved.
Access the full article from the publisher’s website at: 10.1007/s11069-025-07951-4.
License: CC BY 4.0
Suggested citation: Turay, B., Ihinegbu, C., Akwafuo, S., Turay, A., Ajagbe, A. B., & Gbetuwa, S. (2026). The scientific evidence of the applications of social media to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction: current status, implications and way forward. Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 122(6), 1-28.
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