Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change launches Call to Action (Mutirão)
The call seeks to identify and amplify concrete initiatives that promote information integrity in addressing climate change disinformation. Selected proposals may be featured as part of the official programme at COP30, to be held in Belém in November. COP30 Presidency backs new effort to boost support for urgent climate action as scientists warn time is running out
The Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change — a coalition that brings together the UN, UNESCO, UNFCCC, Brazil, and six other countries (Chile, Denmark, France, Morocco, the United Kingdom, and Sweden) along with civil society partners — is launching a call to action for concrete solutions to address disinformation and related tactics seeking to delay and derail climate action.
The call is part of the Global “Mutirão” (Call to Action) convened by the COP30 Presidency through the Action Agenda to accelerate and scale up the implementation of solutions to the climate crisis. With the support of the COP30 Presidency, the goal of the Mutirão for information integrity is to gather and enhance the global visibility of impactful initiatives from governments, the private sector, civil society, public institutions, academic institutions and international organizations. Selected efforts will be presented at COP30 in November. The deadline for submissions is August 31, 2025.
For the first time, the issue of information integrity has been included in the COP Action Agenda, at the initiative of the COP30 Brazilian Presidency, acknowledging the importance of addressing climate disinformation to boost support for urgent climate action at a time when scientists are warning that the world is running out of time.
As President Lula stated at the G20 Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024:
“climate action is also deeply affected by denialism and disinformation. Countries cannot solve this problem alone. This initiative will bring together global efforts to ensure access to reliable information and foster concrete action towards COP30.”
Launching the Global Initiative at the G20 Leaders’ Summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for strengthening action against “coordinated disinformation campaigns impeding global progress on climate change, ranging from outright denial to greenwashing to harassment of climate scientists”.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay highlighted the initiative’s role in supporting professionals working on the frontline of information integrity: “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.”
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 first-ever UN Global Risk Report released this month also named mis- and disinformation the world’s top vulnerability, already unfolding and globally underestimated, while environmental risks represent five of the top 10 most importante risks across all regions.
Interested parties may respond to the call with existing actions in areas such as:
Research on disinformation and other threats to climate information integrity;
Tools and methods to promote climate information integrity;
Communication strategies and campaigns;
Support for environmental journalism;
Protecting scientific data and data sets related to climate change;
Transparency in the advertising supply chain;
Media, information and digital literacy related to climate change.
In addition to sharing concrete actions, the “Mutirão” also invites stakeholders to contribute to the Global Fund for Climate Information Integrity (managed by UNESCO under the scope of the Global Initiative). Submissions will be evaluated by the Steering Committee and Advisory Group of the Global Initiative and may be included under the COP30 Global Climate Action Agenda, which gathers commitments and practical solutions to strengthen international climate governance.
COP30 CEO Ana Toni emphasized the importance of tackling this issue, as well as recognizing past climate achievements such as the Paris Agreement. “If we start to doubt the system we are part of and abandon multilateralism, that is exactly the aim of disinformation: to isolate us and bring everything to a standstill,” said Ms. Toni.
Frederico Assis, Special Envoy for Information Integrity at COP30, highlighted that tackling climate disinformation requires a collaborative and coordinated global response: “False or misleading information can undermine the credibility of the entire COP process, discourage public engagement, and fuel narratives that legitimize inaction. In the end, the burden falls on the most vulnerable people, communities, and nations — especially in the Global South. That’s why ensuring the integrity of climate change information is not a mere technical formality, but an ethical and political duty in defense of our common future”.
Launched during the 2024 G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the Global Initiative brings together partners from various countries and international institutions such as the IPCC, WMO, IOM, IPIE, CAAD, the Forum on Information and Democracy and the Global Knowledge Network.
Interested organizations can access the application form until August 31, 2025