Climate Misinformation Campaigns Delay Action, Threaten Public Health Across Australia

False claims about climate change and renewable energy have migrated from the fringes of the internet to mainstream discourse, according to a comprehensive new Senate report. The parliamentary inquiry, supported across political lines by Labor, the Liberals, the Greens, and Independent senator David Pocock, has uncovered coordinated misinformation campaigns actively working to mislead the Australian public.

These targeted efforts have already succeeded in delaying climate action and stoking fear throughout communities, particularly in eastern Melbourne, where health experts warn of serious public health implications.

The inquiry found these campaigns operate with clear objectives: to delay action on reducing climate pollution, erode public trust in climate science, and inflame community conflict around renewable energy projects.

Dr. Cara Platts from Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA), who co-authored the organization’s submission to the inquiry, emphasized the tangible health impacts of climate inaction.

“We’ve had the 11 hottest years on record in the previous 11 years – those numbers have real world impacts: increased heat days, increased mortality and higher burdens on our hospital systems,” Platts told the Eastern Melburnian.

She highlighted the gas industry’s promotion of natural gas as a particularly concerning example of disinformation that leads Australians to make decisions detrimental to their health.

“Our most recent peer-reviewed evidence shows that gas appliances in homes increase indoor air pollution, particularly affecting children’s respiratory health and asthma rates,” Platts explained.

The DEA recommends a multi-faceted approach to combat climate misinformation, including new legislation, litigation against perpetrators, collective community action, and broader public education campaigns.

The scope of the problem appears substantial. According to a 2025 survey by the News and Media Research Centre, 74 percent of Australians express concern about misinformation – the highest rate globally. This climate of uncertainty makes communities particularly vulnerable to false narratives around renewable energy projects.

Andrew Bray, National Director of RE-Alliance, who also submitted evidence to the inquiry, identified information gaps as a critical factor enabling misinformation to spread.

“One of the biggest contributors to community anxiety is not being able to access easy, factual, locally relevant and trusted information,” Bray told the Gippsland Monitor. “When there’s an information void, we just see it filled time and time again by false and exaggerated claims.”

Local climate action groups are witnessing these dynamics firsthand. Lighter Footprints, a volunteer-run organization based in Melbourne’s inner-east covering Boroondara, Stonnington, Whitehorse, and Monash, has been working to counter false narratives at the community level.

A representative from the group noted the psychological challenge of combating entrenched misinformation: “Once people have got ideas implanted in their mind, it’s quite hard to shift them or to get them to open their mind to other possibilities. We’ve just got to reach that tipping point where momentum pushes back against the misinformation. We’re asleep at the wheel when we’ve got this huge opportunity to have such a productive and bright future.”

The Senate report distinguishes between two forms of false information. Disinformation refers to deliberately created and spread false or misleading content designed to deceive or influence audiences. Misinformation, while also false or inaccurate, spreads without malicious intent.

According to the inquiry, a recognizable “climate obstruction” playbook is being deployed across Australia and internationally to delay action on energy transition. These tactics follow predictable patterns that ultimately slow down renewable projects and undermine both policy initiatives and public support for clean energy.

The findings raise significant concerns about Australia’s ability to meet its climate commitments and protect vulnerable communities from both climate impacts and the health effects of continued fossil fuel use. As climate misinformation continues to spread from fringe platforms to mainstream media channels, experts emphasize that addressing this information crisis has become essential to enabling effective climate action.