Last Month France and Brazil published the “Joint France-Brazil press release: accelerating climate action.” Within this significant declaration aimed at bolstering global climate efforts, they also expressed firm support for upholding information integrity in the fight against climate change. The two nations explicitly called on other countries to join efforts to “combat climate disinformation,” under the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change, highlighting the necessity of a united front against false or misleading narratives.
“We call on other countries to join our efforts to combat climate disinformation and reaffirm the centrality of scientific knowledge and the knowledge and wisdom of Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities.”
You can see the full joint briefing here.
What is the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change?
Brazil is leading the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change, which aims to combat disinformation on climate change. Launched in partnership with the UN and UNESCO, and supported by several other nations including France and organizations, this initiative is the first official multilateral recognition of the danger of disinformation on climate action. It will develop effective strategies against the spread of false narratives, support independent journalism, protect environmental defenders, and advocate for the democratic regulation of social media platforms, thereby setting a global benchmark for tackling disinformation in the digital age.
The announcement of their support programme comes with a call to submit proposals to strengthen information integrity on climate change.
More info: https://www.unesco.org/en/information-integrity-climate-change
Civil Society Reactions to the Joint Presser
- “We had been eagerly awaiting a clear and ambitious stance from our French President of the Republic in support of the multilateral effort to combat climate disinformation, given the growing scale of the phenomenon and the threat it poses to the implementation of the Paris Agreement. That moment has now come. This marks a pivotal step in Franco-Brazilian cooperation to promote trustworthy and accurate environmental information.” Eva Morel, co-founder of the French NGO QuotaClimat
- “Intentionally misleading claims about climate change and climate solutions threaten our ability to understand and address this vast problem. Lives are literally at risk. Understanding the roots of disinformation, and the private interests that drive it, is crucial to addressing it. The Climate Social Science Network and its 800 members in 49 countries is excited to help make UNESCO, France and Brazil’s initiative a success.” Timmons Roberts, Ittleson Professor of Environment and Society, Brown University and Executive Director, Climate Social Science Network
- Polluters and propagandists use social media to evade information integrity standards like fact checking that hold traditional media to a base level of accuracy, which is why efforts like the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change are so vital in cleaning up our disinformation-drenched digital information environments. As an advisory member of the Initiative, the Climate Action Against Disinformation coalition happily welcomes this new support in the fight for information integrity. Philip Newell, Climate Action Against Disinformation communications co-chair.
Current Developments on Climate Information Integrity: Making Progress Amid Escalating Threats
Information integrity on climate change is a prerequisite for effective climate action. This issue’s prioritization is evident in the escalating political, legal, and regulatory pressure facing the disinformation economy, and is concretely manifested in initiatives like the UN Global Principles for Information Integrity and the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change.
However, we face sophisticated disinformation campaigns targeting climate action and democratic values. Tech elites wield unprecedented power, attacking democracies and institutions, while the fossil fuel companies hire the Public Relations industry to manipulate the public and sow confusion to protect their interests. The information ecosystem is polluted and cleaning it up is vital to protect climate debate and disarm the disinformation used to derail climate action.
Progress on Protecting Climate Information Integrity:
Over the past year, governments and international actors have increasingly recognized and initiated formal efforts to address threats against information integrity on climate change. This growing awareness is evidenced by a rise in policy discussions, the development of international frameworks, and the implementation of initiatives safeguarding public discourse around climate from the obstructive effects of disinformation and manipulation.
- EU takes action for climate information integrity: In April 2024, The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG-CLIMA) formally recognized climate disinformation as a significant risk in its communication to the European Parliament. This marked the first official acknowledgment of this threat by DG-CLIMA. To ensure information integrity on climate, the Commission will take concrete steps to monitor disinformation’s spread and impact, enhance policy tools and digital solutions, ensure DSA compliance and proper climate science coverage on social media, and collaborate internationally against this threat to democracy.
- UN Fossil Fuel Ad Ban Push: On World Environment Day in 2024, UN Secretary-General Guterres delivered a strong speech at the American Museum of Natural History, urging a global ban on fossil fuel advertising akin to tobacco. He called on advertising and PR firms to cease enabling the industry and urged news media and tech companies to stop accepting such ads, emphasizing the need to combat greenwashing and prioritize planetary health over fossil fuel promotion.
- First City to Ban Fossil Fuel Ads with a local law: Following UN Secretary-General Guterres’ recent appeal for governments and media outlets to prohibit fossil fuel advertising, much like tobacco ads, The Hague has become the first city to take concrete action. By passing a groundbreaking local law set to take effect on January 1, 2025, the city will ban advertisements promoting fossil fuel products and high-carbon services such as cruise ships and air travel. This landmark decision marks the first instance of a city utilizing local legislation to restrict fossil fuel advertising and represents an initial governmental response to the UN’s call, paving the way for similar measures to be adopted in the fight against climate change as a new study in Nature Climate Change shows it would be popular across the EU.
- Landmark Initiative for Climate Information Integrity: Brazil, in partnership with the UN and UNESCO, has launched the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change, a multilateral effort to combat disinformation and promote accurate information surrounding climate change. While launched at a G20 event, this initiative represents the first instance of governments collaborating with the UN at a multilateral level to specifically address climate disinformation, signifying a new era of international cooperation. The initiative, which already includes Chile, Denmark, France, Morocco, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, aims to foster international collaboration, hold digital platforms accountable for the spread of climate disinformation, advocate for responsible regulation of digital platforms, and support independent journalism and climate action advocates.
- Poland Exposes Russian Climate Disinformation Campaign: A new report from a Polish military commission revealed a significant Russian disinformation effort specifically targeting green energy and climate policy in Poland. The extensive analysis of documents uncovered Russia as the primary driver of online discussions against green energy, highlighting a deliberate attempt to undermine public support for climate action. This finding underscores the broader strategy of foreign interference aimed at weakening Poland and the West by exploiting and amplifying divisions around critical issues like the clean energy transition.
- Broad Recognition: Leading organisations across various backgrounds are increasingly acknowledging the threat posed by disinformation to climate action and information integrity. Influential entities such as the Global Covenant of Mayors, NATO, the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), the European Digital Media Observatory, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) are recognizing the growing importance of addressing this challenge.
All these actions from 2024 and 2025 demonstrate a significant trend in the broader climate movement and among governmental and multilateral institutions towards understanding and tackling the risks associated with misleading information in the climate domain.
The Corrosive Impact of Disinformation on Climate Information Integrity:
Despite growing awareness and some initial steps, concrete action to combat climate disinformation remained significantly insufficient in the face of increasingly sophisticated and pervasive campaigns until now. These malicious efforts, beyond merely targeting climate action, actively undermine democratic values and institutions. The immense power wielded by tech elites, sometimes employed in ways that attack democratic processes, further exacerbates the problem. Simultaneously, fossil fuel companies, in collaboration with the PR industry, continue to refine their manipulative tactics to sow confusion, protect their interests, and maintain their dominance. Here are key trends observed throughout the year:
- Disinformation threatens Energy Transition: In 2024 and 2025, a concerning trend has continued to emerge with threats to the clean energy transition fueled by deliberate disinformation campaigns. Fossil fuel interests and anti-democratic forces are strategically spreading false narratives that exploit local concerns to manipulate public opinion against clean energy projects globally, from Australia to the USA, Europe, UK, and Africa. These attacks delay projects, hinder policy, and contribute to societal polarization and democratic backsliding by eroding trust and obstructing climate solutions.
- Climate Impacts Weaponized by Disinformation: A disturbing trend is intensifying: the weaponization of climate impacts through crisis disinformation. Exploiting the vulnerability following extreme weather events, these actors disseminate often opportunistic content that capitalizes on heightened emotions and existing grievances for engagement and profit. From Valencia to Los Angeles to Rio Grande do Sul, viral and dangerous narratives are leveraged to fuel anti-government sentiment, pollute public understanding of climate realities, and dangerously undermine effective responses during critical times, effectively turning climate impacts into tools for division and distrust. The recent blackouts in Spain also show the danger of disinformation.
- Booming Fossil Fuel Ads: For decades the fossil fuel industry has used the tobacco industry’s product defense strategy, executing a full court press spanning denial and doubt for the purpose of delaying climate action. The latest evolution of this strategy are multi-billion dollar advertising campaigns. Study after study reveals the breadth and penetration of adverts that mislead the public and policymakers, while corporations fail to live up to purported targets. In Brazil this is the same as elsewhere globally, providing ample evidence of why an industry wide ban must be enacted.
- Dangerous Harassment of Scientists and First Responders: Over recent years, the steady assault on scientists has been emboldened by changes in the social media landscape, with nearly 40% of scientists reporting online harassment about climate in 2023, with women scientists subjected to particularly nasty and frequent misogynistic harassment, rising to over 50% of scientists who talk about climate in the media facing harassment, especially on X/Twitter, in 2024, a dynamic pushing some US meteorologists out of their jobs, spreading beyond climate to virology, and even to reports of people hunting relief workers sent to help after a hurricane.