As the dangers posed by climate change become increasingly evident worldwide, the need for reliable and accurate information on the impact of the environmental crisis is more crucial than ever.
To address this, the United Nations, together with the Organization’s education and science agency, UNESCO and the Brazilian government, launched the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change on Tuesday.
The joint effort announced at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brazil aims to strengthen research and measures to address all disinformation which has the effect of delaying or derailing climate action.
Speaking at the G20 Session on Sustainable Development and Energy Transition, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the initiative will “work with researchers and partners to strengthen action against climate disinformation”.
“Coordinated disinformation campaigns are impeding global progress on climate change” he added in a social media post.
At a time when scientists are warning that the world is running out of time, the initiative will boost support for urgent climate action.
“We must fight the coordinated disinformation campaigns impeding global progress on climate change, ranging from outright denial to greenwashing to harassment of climate scientists”, said Mr. Guterres.
Aiming to expand the scope of research into climate disinformation and its impacts, the effort will gather evidence from around the world to inform and bolster strategic action, advocacy and communications.
Speaking at the launch, UNESCO’s Director-General Audrey Azoulay said that “without access to reliable information about this existential challenge, we can never hope to overcome it”.