According to the Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), rhetoric and misinformation about climate change and the deliberate undermining of science have contributed to misperceptions of the scientific consensus, uncertainty, disregarded risk and urgency, and dissent. This not only presents a key barrier to climate actions, but it also jeopardises civic discourse and confidence in public institutions. The Institute of Strategic Dialogue (ISD) observed how the affiliation of ‘climate lockdown’ with anti-elitist tropes marked a turning point for the narrative and its entry into wider discourse, as well as its resonance with a diverse set of audiences. In March 2022, the European Parliament already recongnised the seriousness of the threat landscape by emphasising the urgent need to address climate mis- and disinformation.
In our Online Info Session after COP27, Jennie King, who is overseeing ISD’s portfolio on Climate Disinformation, will provide an introduction to the general threat landscape and present evidence-based policy paths. This will be followed by a panel discussion on possible countermeasures,
Background
The international think & do tank ISD Germany, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has launched the independent Project AHEAD – an information and dialogue series that creates an integrated understanding of the threat of disinformation in the areas of global health, migration, gender equality and climate change.
