Climate change deniers who spread disinformation ​about global warming are now downplaying the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic, according to analysis.

The environmental news website DeSmog, which keeps a record of individuals and groups who spread disinformation about global warming, found at least 70 fringe figures were now voicing scepticism about the science on Covid-19 and pushing for an end to social distancing.

They included InfoWars founder Alex Jones, who previously claimed the Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax, and James Delingpole, an editor for right-wing website Breitbart London.

“The climate war has largely been about confusing the public and making people trust in science and government less,” DeSmog’s executive director, Brendan DeMelle, told The Guardian.

“And here we are in a pandemic where science and global cooperation are critical, and that’s a threat to the ideology of a lot of these … organisations.

He added: “You end up with this conspiracy theory about big government taking over our lives, taking away our freedoms, subjecting us to stay-at-home orders that we have to liberate ourselves from.”

Jones, a notorious conspiracy theorist who has been banned from Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, attended a rally in Texas last weekend where he called for an end to social distancing measures.

Yesterday The Independent reported that almost half of the British population believes coronavirus is a “man-made creation.”

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The research suggested that 8 per cent of people think that 5G technology is spreading the virus.

Earlier this month, a number of mobile phone masts were set on fire as theories spread on social media claiming 5G was linked to the spread of coronavirus.