How Big Carbon uses disinformation to sabotage climate action, and how we stop them

The report argues that 'Big Carbon' (fossil fuel and agribusiness) and 'Big Tech' collaborate to create a 'false social reality' that makes the vast majority of people who support climate action feel like a minority. It details a history of obstruction, from the 1959 warnings to oil executives to the 2009 'Climategate' hack-and-leak attack, and analyzes modern digital tactics used to sabotage UN COPs. The document highlights specific disinformation trends in Brazil leading up to COP30, including the use of generative AI to create fake flood imagery. It concludes by proposing structural solutions such as the EU's Digital Services Act, greenwashing laws in France, and the Global Initiative on Information Integrity on Climate Change (GIIICC).

• Climate disinformation creates a significant perception gap where a global majority supports climate action but believes they are in the minority. While 89% of the global public want more climate action and 69% would contribute 1% of their monthly income to fight it, the public believes only 43% would do so, and policymakers estimate only 38%.
• In Brazil, climate disinformation is driven by far-right figures and polluters, often accompanied by physical violence. In 2024, at least 146 land and environmental defenders were killed or disappeared globally. In Brazil, a lie regarding environmental regulations was shared at least 1,383 times on social media before congress passed the 'Devastation Bill'.
• Digital platforms are being used to target COP30 with increasing intensity, including the use of generative AI. Between July and September 2025, COP-related disinformation increased by 267%, with approximately 14,000 examples found online, including an AI-generated clip of a fake flood in Belém.
• The 2009 'Climategate' event is cited as a pivotal 'hack-and-leak attack' that shifted climate denial from a scientific dispute to a partisan identity. Hackers stole scientists' emails and shared them with bloggers who misrepresented the data, which was then amplified by right-wing media to sabotage the Copenhagen COP.
• The fossil fuel industry uses 'Big Tech' algorithms and funding to manufacture a 'false social reality' and fuel culture wars. For example, approximately 80% of major US anti-trans organisations have received fossil fuel funding to recruit from the 'manosphere' and solidify support among conservative white men.
• Fossil fuel entities spend millions on social media advertising to warp public perception. Between October 24, 2023, and October 24, 2024, eight fossil fuel entities paid Meta $17 million for approximately 700 million impressions.

APA

Climate Action Against Disinformation (n.d.). How Big Carbon uses disinformation to sabotage climate action, and how we stop them. https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/CAAD_DenyDeceiveDelay-Demystified_03-2.pdf

Chicago

Climate Action Against Disinformation. How Big Carbon uses disinformation to sabotage climate action, and how we stop them. n.d. https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/CAAD_DenyDeceiveDelay-Demystified_03-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Action Against Disinformation |title=How Big Carbon uses disinformation to sabotage climate action, and how we stop them |url=https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/CAAD_DenyDeceiveDelay-Demystified_03-2.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateactionagainstdisinformationndhow, author = {{Climate Action Against Disinformation}}, title = {{How Big Carbon uses disinformation to sabotage climate action, and how we stop them}}, institution = {Climate Action Against Disinformation}, url = {https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/CAAD_DenyDeceiveDelay-Demystified_03-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }