Rio de Janeiro, 19 November 2024 – The Brazilian government, UNESCO and the United Nations launched a joint effort Tuesday to strengthen research and measures to address disinformation seeking to delay and derail climate action. The Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change is an important intervention to boost support for urgent climate action at a time when scientists are warning that the world is running out of time.
“Actions to combat climate change are also greatly affected by denialism and disinformation. Countries cannot tackle this problem individually. This initiative will bring together countries, international organizations, and networks of researchers to support joint efforts to combat disinformation and promote actions in preparation for COP30 in Brazil,” said President Lula at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
While initially discussed in the G20 framework, the Initiative is being established as a dedicated multilateral collaboration among States and international organizations to fund research and action promoting information integrity on climate issues. Aiming to expand the scope and breadth of research into climate disinformation and its impacts, the effort will gather evidence from around the world to inform and bolster strategic action, advocacy and communications.
Countries committing to the Initiative will contribute to a UNESCO-administered fund, with a goal of raising an initial USD 10 to 15 million over the next 36 months, to be distributed as grants to non-governmental organizations to support their work to research climate information integrity, develop communication strategies and undertake public awareness campaigns.
“Without access to reliable information about climate disruption we can never hope to overcome it. Through this initiative, we will support the journalists and researchers investigating climate issues, sometimes at great risk to themselves, and fight the climate-related disinformation running rampant on social media,” urged Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s Director-General.
UNESCO and the UN have become key partners of the Brazilian government in this challenge, and other countries and international organizations aligned with climate goals and commitment to information integrity are now being invited to join. So far, Chile, Denmark, France, Morocco, the United Kingdom and Sweden have already confirmed participation.
“We must fight the coordinated disinformation campaigns impeding global progress on climate change, ranging from outright denial to greenwashing to harassment of climate scientists. Through this Initiative, we will work with researchers and partners to strengthen action against climate disinformation,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The risk posed by disinformation to achieving climate goals has been recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which stated in 2022 that “deliberate undermining of science” was contributing to “misperceptions of the scientific consensus, uncertainty, disregarded risk and urgency, and dissent.”
The Initiative responds to the commitment in the Global Digital Compact, adopted by UN Members States in September, which encourages UN entities, in collaboration with Governments and relevant stakeholders, to assess the impact of mis- and disinformation on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
