In the face of growing disinformation that undermines global climate action, an international coalition has issued a call to strengthen information integrity on climate change ahead of COP30 in Belém.
The aim is to build momentum for urgent climate action, as scientists warn that time is running out.
The Global Initiative for Climate Change Information Integrity launched a public call on Thursday to identify and elevate concrete efforts to counter climate disinformation. Selected proposals may be featured in the official programme of COP30, scheduled for November 2025 in Belém, Brazil.
Supported by the Brazilian COP30 Presidency, this initiative brings together a broad coalition including the United Nations, UNESCO, the UNFCCC, Brazil, and six other countries (Chile, Denmark, France, Morocco, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), as well as partners from civil society.
For the first time, information integrity has been included in the official COP agenda, reflecting the Brazilian presidency’s recognition that climate disinformation must be addressed to secure greater public and political support for urgent action.
“Climate action is deeply affected by denialism and disinformation. No country can tackle this alone,” Brazilian President Lula da Silva warned during the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024.
Disinformation declared a global risk
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for stronger measures against “coordinated disinformation campaigns that hinder global progress on climate change — from outright denial to ‘greenwashing’, and even harassment of climate scientists.”
The first-ever UN Global Risk Report, released earlier this month, ranked disinformation as the world’s top vulnerability, while environmental risks made up five of the ten most significant threats across all regions.
Stakeholders are encouraged to submit existing actions in several areas: research on climate disinformation, tools promoting information integrity, communication strategies, support for environmental journalism, scientific data protection, advertising transparency, and media literacy education.
“False or misleading information can erode the credibility of the COP process, dampen public engagement, and fuel narratives that justify inaction,” warned Frederico Assis, Special Envoy for Information Integrity at COP30.
Submissions are open until 31 August 2025 via the website: https://www.gov.br/secom/mutiraoglobal.
Proposals will be reviewed by the initiative’s steering committee and advisory group, and may be included in the Global Climate Action Agenda at COP30.
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