These self-described trolls tackle climate disinformation on social media with wit and memes

Most days, when Mary Heglar wakes up, the first thing she does is reach for her phone in search of a fight.

Armed with her Twitter handle and “deep reserves of anger,” the 37-year-old climate essayist and podcaster haunts the feeds of fossil fuel companies, harnessing memes and the native language of the Internet to engage her particular brand of climate activism against the flow of misinformation in the digital ether.

Greenwashing, as her target is known, spans industries and takes many forms — from a backslapping tweet on green job creation to a slick net-zero emissions campaign that defies company practice. The strategy relies on unsupported, exaggerated or misleading claims to paint corporate action as being greener than it is.