Australia Must Combat Tech Giants Fueling Climate Disinformation, Former Defense Leaders Warn

Australia needs to take decisive action against major US technology companies that are exacerbating fossil fuel dependence and spreading climate misinformation, according to a stark warning from former defense leaders.

In a newly released report titled “The Climate Disinformation War: How to Fight Back for Australia’s Democracy and Security,” the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group (ASLCG) highlights how powerful anti-climate action coalitions have emerged in recent years, combining far-right political movements, the digital technology sector, and fossil fuel interests. The report suggests these forces have been strengthened by the election of US President Donald Trump.

“There has been a failure to understand how energy dependence on fossil fuels will cause both economic disruption and more perilous physical conditions for Australians,” said retired Admiral Chris Barrie, former chief of the Australian Defence Force. “Now the two issues are colliding. We are facing an unprecedented energy crisis made worse by the world’s failure to face its fossil fuel addiction.”

The report characterizes the situation as a full-scale “disinformation war” being waged against democracies through traditional media influence, coordinated online campaigns, and algorithmic amplification designed to shape public perception at an unprecedented scale. This war has escalated to become a national security threat with significant implications for Australia’s sovereignty, economic resilience, disaster preparedness, and institutional trust.

“Layered on top is a climate disinformation war globally and in Australia that is actively undermining the capacity to build a renewable, clean energy future and curb coal and gas exports,” Admiral Barrie added. “If these threats are not checked, accelerating climate change will crash society as we know it.”

The ASLCG, whose executive members include Cheryl Durrant (former director of preparedness and mobilization for the Australian Defence Force) and Retired Colonel Neil Greet (former Australian Army officer), points to the current global energy crisis as evidence of the fossil fuel system’s fragility. They note how quickly online spaces can become flooded with misleading information about renewable energy during times of crisis.

“Australians now live in a world increasingly shaped by propaganda and disinformation rather than factual information,” the report warns. “The release of lightly regulated and unreliable generative AI products has accelerated this trend, driving information systems deeper into a crisis of verification and accountability.”

The document singles out the current US administration as “a dominant purveyor of climate disinformation and propaganda” with an aggressive anti-climate and anti-renewables agenda. It also highlights how major US technology companies are playing a central role in the global spread of misinformation.

“US foreign policy is now organised around increasing the USA’s geopolitical dominance through forcing dependency on US tech companies and the fossil fuel sector,” according to the report. “At the same time, consolidation of information power among a small number of global technology and media platforms has concentrated control over digital communication infrastructure in the hands of a small group of private actors.”

This concentration of power is particularly concerning as many tech giants are reducing content moderation efforts around harmful disinformation while resisting cooperation with democratic governments attempting to regulate them. The report also notes that these media monopolies are harming climate journalism by cutting climate reporting teams in traditional media outlets.

The ASLCG outlines several concrete recommendations for Australian policymakers to counter these trends. These include implementing comprehensive anti-trust measures similar to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act to prevent tech platforms from becoming “too powerful to regulate,” creating enforceable regulations for social media and AI systems, and urgently developing rules around generative AI technologies that can rapidly scale disinformation.

Additional recommendations include reforming Australia’s defamation laws, improving election transparency, investing in public resilience initiatives, supporting independent journalism, and establishing secure communication systems. The report also advocates for increased funding for climate observatories, think tanks, and data collection infrastructure, as well as becoming a signatory to the UN Conference of Parties Declaration of Information Integrity on Climate.

“The public is increasingly anxious about disinformation and reform in these areas is politically popular,” the report states, suggesting that there may be a window of opportunity for meaningful action despite the scale of the challenge.