Climate disinformation is rampant and is causing havoc in the fight to save the planet and ourselves
The production and circulation of misleading information about the nature of climate change — and the available solutions — are causing obstructions in the human response to the climate crisis, according to a recent report from the International Panel on the Information Environment (Ipie).
The report, “Information Integrity about Climate Science: A Systematic Review,” draws on research by hundreds of scholars and thousands of peer-reviewed studies published over the past decade, and includes a methodologically rigorous review of 300 papers on policy solutions.
It is the first global, systematic assessment of information integrity about climate science.
Who is spreading climate disinformation, and why?
To recognize disinformation, we first need to look at who spreads it and why. Business actors and industries, such as those involved in fossil fuels, are direct stakeholders in spreading climate disinformation. These strategies help them obstruct and delay policies that would harm their profits.
Alongside them, there are many political actors acting as collaborators, particularly among the growing right-wing populist parties in Europe, who, as noted in the report, are “actively contravening climate science.”
How?
Among the report’s findings are various ways to undermine information integrity.
This ranges from outright denial of climate change to skepticism regarding its nature and proposed solutions, sometimes even taking the form of conspiracy theories.
Moreover, commonly used communication practices such as greenwashing, which involves misleading information claimed by companies and corporations regarding their climate commitments and actions, are often employed in the form of marketing.
A third category that operates in conjunction with the above is the dissemination of science misinformation.
Science misinformation, which was most recently prevalent during COVID-19, is employed extensively by economic actors such as fossil fuel companies to mislead the public.
So far, social media platforms have largely been blamed for “fake news” and the spread of misinformation. Since 2025, work has been done to explore the implications of generative forms of artificial intelligence for the domain of climate change communication, the report says.
However, Dr. Klaus Jensen of the University of Copenhagen, who co-led the Panel’s review, said the problem was deeper than social media: “Alliances of industry and conservative think tanks actually target misinformation at the key people who will be making decisions. Those links are particularly worrisome because it’s something approaching a conspiracy.”
This said, it cannot be ignored that traditional mass media are still heavily reliant on and responsible for spreading climate disinformation. It’s not just right-wing-aligned media that push this kind of narrative; commercial messages like advertising remain a staple of mass media content, the report shows.
For example, ExxonMobil’s communication strategies have been shown to include paid editorial statements that downplay the impact of the company’s activities on the natural environment and yet have been published in widely read mainstream media such as The New York Times.
Related Articles: The Anti-Climate Formula: ‘Deny, Deceive, Delay’ | How Education and Social Media Regulation Can Combat Science Denial
What must be done?
The consequences of widespread disinformation will be costly, as it influences public opinion and policymaking over time and across various social and cultural contexts. It achieves the intended goal — delay and obstruct — very well, as people lose faith in climate science and in a hopeful future for themselves.
The report has identified several strategies to repair and maintain the integrity of information related to climate science. This includes:
- Legislation and regulation to mandate standardized carbon reporting by private corporations and public institutions;
- litigation to enable state and non-state actors to hold enterprises accountable for engaging in greenwashing and other misleading communication;
- establishing coalitions among civil society to counterbalance the alliances of corporations, policy lobbies, etc., and finally,
- investing in education programmes to improve science and media literacy of citizens as well as of policymakers.
Fortunately, this report is not a dead letter and its findings are resonating: Brazil, host of the upcoming COP30 climate summit, will rally nations behind a separate UN initiative to crack down on climate misinformation.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.com — In the Featured Photo: Old Exxon sign in the sky, with wires sweeping the shot, Tennessee, USA, November 8, 2020. Featured Photo Credit: Unsplash.
