G20 Announces Initiative to Crackdown on Climate Change Disinformation

by Tim Hinchcliffe | The Sociable

The G20 Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil concludes with the announcement of a global initiative to crackdown on so-called climate change disinformation.

Announced as a collaboration between the United Nations, UNESCO, and the Government of Brazil, the “Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change” is an attempt “to address disinformation campaigns that are delaying and derailing climate action.”

“The Initiative responds to the commitment in the Global Digital Compact, adopted by United Nations Members States at the Summit of the Future in September 2024, which encourages UN entities, in collaboration with Governments and relevant stakeholders, to assess the impact of mis- and disinformation on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals”

G20 Leaders Summit, November 2024

The crackdown on climate change disinformation has three objectives:

• Establish and manage a Global Fund for Information Integrity on Climate Change to fund in-depth research and strategic advocacy and diplomacy actions that contributes to exposing and dismantling climate-related disinformation
• Promote information integrity on climate change in the international institutional agenda and establish specific goals as well as common lines of action.
• Strengthen global information integrity and tackling misinformation by supporting public communications campaigns, civil society and scientific groups worldwide, and engaging key audiences and stakeholders

On the financial side, “The fund will seek to support the integration of international research collectives to address identified gaps and respond to the challenges posed by the increasing levels of disinformation to the full exercise of freedom of expression and other fundamental human rights, as well as to the implementation of evidence-based policies to address climate change.”

“We must fight the coordinated disinformation campaigns impeding global progress on climate change, ranging from outright denial to greenwashing to harassment of climate scientists. Through this Initiative, we will work with researchers and partners to strengthen action against climate disinformation”

Antonio Guterres, G20 Leaders Summit, November 2024

“We must fight the coordinated disinformation campaigns impeding global progress on climate change, ranging from outright denial to greenwashing to harassment of climate scientists” Antonio Guterres, G20 Leaders Summit pic.twitter.com/2fkR0hAP2a

— Tim Hinchliffe (@TimHinchliffe) November 20, 2024

The global initiative ticks several commitment boxes from previous initiatives, including the UN’s “Global Principles for Information Integrity” and the “Global Digital Compact” that was part of the “Pact for the Future” that was signed at the Summit of the Future in September.

So far, six UN member states have joined the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change; they include Chile, Denmark, France, Morocco, Sweden and the UK.

Speaking at the G20 press briefing on information integrity, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming said that information pollution was “flooding our feeds with conspiracies and lies.”

“We don’t just have a problem with pollution from emissions, we face an information pollution, too, which is flooding our feeds with conspiracies and lies”

Melissa Fleming, G20 Leaders Summit, November 2024

“We don’t just have a problem with pollution from emissions, we face an information pollution, too, which is flooding our feeds with conspiracies and lies”: UN Comms Director Melissa ‘WE OWN THE SCIENCE’ Fleming, G20 https://t.co/lJOF6jmLU2 pic.twitter.com/dCL4JYsRCM

— Tim Hinchliffe (@TimHinchliffe) November 21, 2024

Fleming claimed that climate disinformation was “powered by special interests” and “deceptive advertising” who are looking “to obstruct the energy transition,” who are “seeking to deny scientific facts,” who are “eroding trust in climate science and solutions while harassing the very people who are trying to bring those facts.” Read Full Article >

Related:

Climate-Con and the Censorship Industrial Complex – Part 1: Faking Consensus

Climate-Con and the Censorship Industrial Complex – Part 2: The Real Enemy