Climate Disinformation to Be Addressed at COP30

In a landmark move at the United Nations climate conference (COP30), world leaders have formally acknowledged climate disinformation as a significant obstacle to global climate action, marking the first time in three decades that information integrity has appeared on the official agenda.

The Declaration on Information Integrity was launched on November 12, establishing shared international commitments to combat climate misinformation and promote evidence-based information. Twelve countries have endorsed the declaration so far, including Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Uruguay, Netherlands, and Belgium, though notable absences include major economies like India and China.

“COP30 will be the COP of truth,” declared Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the conference opening, setting a tone that positioned factual information as essential to climate progress. Lula didn’t mince words about the threat of misinformation, stating, “In the era of misinformation, obscurantists reject not only the evidence of science but also the advances of multilateralism. They manipulate algorithms, sow hatred and spread fear.”

French President Emmanuel Macron reinforced this message at the Leaders’ Summit preceding the conference, warning that climate disinformation threatens democracies, the Paris Agreement, and global security.

The groundwork for addressing climate misinformation within the UN climate process began at COP26 in Glasgow, where civil society organizations advocated for action against falsehoods undermining climate science. These efforts culminated a year ago when Brazil, UNESCO, and the UN established the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change to investigate, expose, and dismantle climate-related disinformation.

The newly launched Declaration urges governments to fund research on climate information integrity, particularly in developing nations. It also calls on the private sector to commit to information integrity in business practices and ensure transparent, responsible advertising that supports reliable journalism.

Since its June 2025 launch, the Initiative’s Global Fund for Information Integrity on Climate Change has received 447 proposals from nearly 100 countries, including India. With initial funding of $1 million from Brazil, the Fund has begun supporting projects across multiple continents, with nearly two-thirds of eligible proposals coming from Global South nations.

João Brant, Secretary of Digital Policies for Brazil, addressed questions about expanding participation, noting, “We are interested in all the countries that are committed to the principles related to the Initiative — freedom of expression, access to information and information integrity as part of that.”

Charlotte Scaddan, Senior Advisor on Information Integrity at the UN Department of Global Communications, added that the UN is engaging with all 193 member states on information integrity issues, building on commitments made in the Global Digital Compact, a framework guiding cooperation on digital technology.

The urgency of addressing climate misinformation was underscored throughout the conference’s third day, officially designated as Information Integrity Day. At a separate press conference led by the Union of Concerned Scientists and Climate Action Against Disinformation, Thais Lazzeri, Founder of media studio Fala, emphasized, “The world is finally recognizing the climate crisis is also an information crisis.”

An open letter supported by more than 400 signatories, including civil society organizations, corporations, and Indigenous communities, called for “a strong, ambitious, and mandatory decision at COP30 to uphold information integrity on climate change.” The letter warned that climate disinformation threatens public health, human rights, and global security.

Jennifer Morgan, Senior Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, described the Declaration as “a crucial and encouraging step,” while cautioning that it should be viewed as “a starting point, not a finish line” in addressing the deliberate weaponization of climate issues to fuel polarization.

As COP30 progresses, the focus on combating climate misinformation signals a growing recognition that effective climate action requires not only scientific and political consensus but also a shared foundation of factual information.