New Report: Ten priorities to tackle climate disinformation

Report of the Workstream of the Partnership for Information and Democracy co-chaired by Armenia and Brasil

In its latest report, the Forum on Information and Democracy releases the results of its Workstream on Information Integrity on Climate Change and the Environment. Led by the governments of Brazil and Armenia over the last 12 months, the report notably calls for a reform of digital advertising, the protection of environmental journalists and embedding information integrity within climate and environmental governance.

While latest data shows that the world is off track for the 1.5°C pathway, climate disinformation has become yet another challenge to overcome in the fight against climate change and the preservation of the environment. The new report by the Forum on Information and Democracy proposes concrete steps governments can take to tackle this issue.

“Climate disinformation has increasingly been weaponised for political gain and action from States and relevant stakeholders is urgent. The report of our Workstream on Information Integrity on Climate Change and the Environment outlines clear reforms governments can undertake, in line with the principles outlined in the Partnership for Information and Democracy, notably the right to freedom of opinion and expression.” Camille Grenier, Executive Director, Forum on Information and Democracy.

The culmination of a year-long process

In their foreword, the governments of Armenia and Brazil which have co-chaired the workstream since February 2025 highlight the urgency of their mission: “protecting information integrity is not merely a technical challenge but a foundational requirement for democratic governance and effective climate action in the 21st century. This urgency is particularly evident in contexts where environmental stress, societal resilience, and trust in public information are closely intertwined.”

By co-chairing this work facilitated by the Forum on Information and Democracy, both governments have supported an international process which has brought together almost 100 policy makers, researchers and civil society experts from 30 countries to define concrete measures capable of tackling what both the UN and the World Economic Forum have defined as a top threat to humanity.

The workstream held four meetings between February and December 2025. An in-person meeting was held in Yerevan, Armenia in May and first results were presented on the margins of COP30 in Belém where most countries participating in the workstream endorsed the Belém Declaration for Information Integrity on Climate Change.

A Comprehensive approach to tackle climate disinformation

The report highlights that information ecosystems are characterised by climate and environmental disinformation, repression, and restricted access to environmental data. Citizens report that it is more and more difficult to distinguish between accurate and false information on climate change on social media while environmental journalists  who investigate and report on these issues face increasing threats and harassment.

It presents a comprehensive roadmap for governments to support the production of reliable information which include the effective protection of environmental journalists and defenders, reforming the digital advertising market and economic incentives driving disinformation and strengthening platform’s accountability.

The report also recommends strengthening and empowering the different networks of actors working on information integrity, notably by expanding research and building institutional capacity and multilateral coordination.

Towards COP17 on Biodiversity and COP31 on Climate Change

Focusing on concrete policies governments can undertake, the workstream is complementary to other efforts led in the field, including the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change led by Brazil, UNESCO and the UN.

After the success of COP30 in Belém, the workstream will feed into other international high-level conferences such as COP17 on Biodiversity to be hosted by Armenia in October 2026 and COP31 in Turkey.

Translating these recommendations into concrete measures at the national level is a joint objective of both the workstream and the Global Initiative and first results are already being observed in countries such as Armenia, Brazil, Belgium, France. FID is currently mapping policy measures governments are taking and will publish a second report in 2026.

Main recommendations

• Embed information integrity directly within climate and environmental governance frameworks, recognising that climate action cannot be achieved without access to reliable information.
• Reform digital advertising and economic incentives to disrupt the monetization of environmental disinformation.
• Enhance transparency and corporate accountability to expose vested interests, counter greenwashing, and regulate environmental claims.
• Protect environmental journalists and defenders as the basis for an informed public debate and accountability.

• Strengthening regulatory and platform accountability ensuring that such spaces contribute to access to reliable information and are held responsible for their systems.

• Reinforcing media freedom, sustainability, and high-quality environmental journalism as a public good.

• Improving science communication, data integrity, and digital inclusion to ensure universal access to reliable environmental information.
• Advancing environmental and media literacy to build societal resilience to disinformation.
• Expanding research, monitoring, and shared methodologies on environmental disinformation and to influence operations.
• Building institutional capacity and multilateral coordination,aligning national efforts with international initiatives such as the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change.

Download the report on the ten priorities to tackle climate disinformation