AI-Generated Climate Misinformation Emerges as Major Threat, Senate Inquiry Finds

Climate action faces a new adversary in what a federal Senate inquiry has dubbed “AI slopaganda,” as generative artificial intelligence platforms increasingly enable climate misinformation to propagate autonomously.

A comprehensive report released last week by the Senate select committee on information integrity on climate change and energy reveals a disturbing trend after nearly eight months of investigation. The inquiry found that Australia has some of the highest levels of concern about information integrity globally, with climate change and environmental misinformation ranking among the top misleading content encountered by Australians.

According to the report, this proliferation of misinformation is having devastating consequences beyond climate policy itself. It’s polarizing public discourse, reducing understanding of climate science, eroding support for necessary action, and undermining trust in scientific institutions.

The committee discovered that traditional sources of climate falsehoods—including fossil fuel industry interests, misinformed community members, and clickbait websites—are now being supplemented by AI systems that create a self-perpetuating cycle. These systems generate new misinformation based on existing false content, which then becomes fodder for further AI-generated fabrications.

“In addition, false and misleading information about climate change or the environment was one of the top misinformation topics encountered by Australian audiences, with levels of disinformation tending to spike around extreme weather events,” the report states.

The inquiry also highlighted how misinformation campaigns targeting renewable energy projects have intensified community tensions, leading to harassment, intimidation, physical abuse, and even death threats against bushfire survivors, landholders, and community group members.

Through parliamentary privilege, detailed evidence emerged about the increasing use of “astroturfing”—campaigns that appear grassroots but are actually highly coordinated and well-financed, often linked to think tanks, commercial interests, or political organizations. The role of “dark money,” referring to the lack of transparency around donations to think tanks and affiliated organizations, was also scrutinized.

Dr. Jeremy Walker from the University of Technology Sydney provided a 75-page submission outlining evidence for what he describes as a global climate misinformation campaign coordinated by the Atlas Network. His submission begins with an image of a check issued by Exxon to the Atlas Economic Research Foundation in 1998 and states plainly: “Climate policy has not failed, it has been defeated.”

Walker claims ExxonMobil directly commissioned Atlas to establish hundreds of think tanks worldwide to defeat climate policies such as carbon taxation and effective UN treaties. In Australia, he identifies several organizations as Atlas affiliates, including the Institute of Public Affairs and the Centre for Independent Studies, though some have disputed his characterization.

The Queensland University of Technology Digital Media Research Centre noted in its submission that these tactics mirror those previously employed by the tobacco industry to fight anti-smoking regulations.

Despite the seriousness of the threat, the committee acknowledged the dangers of silencing debate, noting that such actions would likely further erode trust in communities, science, experts, public institutions, and the democratic system.

The committee’s recommendations include joining global efforts to combat misinformation, strengthening regulators to tackle greenwashing, increasing transparency in campaign materials, providing more funding for social science research and independent monitoring, and improving oversight of corporate involvement in school systems.

The report also notes that while certain mainstream media outlets have amplified climate obstruction narratives, false information spreads fastest via digital platforms, particularly through recommendation algorithms and bot networks.

As the information landscape becomes increasingly contaminated, quality independent journalism becomes more vital than ever—yet also faces mounting threats. The inquiry’s findings underscore the urgency of addressing not just climate change itself, but the sophisticated ecosystem of misinformation that hampers effective action.

“Big Tech has stolen our attention, mental health, children’s wellbeing, livelihoods and elections,” the report concludes. “Now it’s coming for reality. We shouldn’t fall over ourselves to help it.”