The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has launched the ‘Strengthening media capacities to combat climate misinformation and disinformation’ project, funded by UNESCO. This global initiative aims to empower journalists, enhance public trust in climate reporting, and spearhead a labor union-driven effort against climate misinformation.
A report from Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) and the Observatory of Climate Integrity (OCI) highlighted a 267% increase in false or misleading climate content ahead of COP30 in Brazil, with numerous AI-generated examples circulating, such as a fabricated video depicting floods in Belém. Thiago Tanji from the São Paulo Union of Professional Journalists emphasized that this disinformation confuses the public, undermines debate, and intimidates activists.
At COP30, UNESCO and the Brazilian Government launched the Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change, promoting commitments to uphold accurate climate information. Global patterns of climate disinformation were observed, such as false claims about offshore wind farms harming whales in Australia and misleading reports about Victoria Falls drying up in Zimbabwe, impacting tourism.
A survey by the IFJ revealed that 44% of journalists view misinformation as a top challenge in environmental reporting, with 49% citing a lack of training as a significant barrier. To address this, the IFJ plans to develop an online training module to equip journalists with skills for accurate reporting on climate issues, emphasizing the importance of information integrity for future climate action.
