Facts, Fakes, and Climate Science

The report identifies a shift from outright climate denialism to 'strategic skepticism,' where powerful economic and political actors sow doubt about the feasibility and cost of climate solutions. It highlights that policymakers are primary targets of this misinformation, which is disseminated through corporate reports, lobbies, and social media, ultimately eroding public trust and delaying climate action. The document recommends four key policy levers: standardized carbon reporting legislation, litigation against greenwashing, the creation of multi-stakeholder coalitions, and enhanced science and media literacy.

• Climate misinformation has evolved from 'denialism'—which questions the fact of climate change—to 'strategic skepticism.' This newer approach accepts climate change as a fact but focuses on sowing doubt regarding its human causes and the cost-effectiveness or feasibility of available policy solutions.
• Powerful actors, specifically fossil fuel companies, governments, political parties, and nation-states, intentionally spread misleading narratives. These efforts are supported by 'scientific hired hands' and are disseminated via social media, mass media, and private channels such as corporate sustainability reports.
• Policymakers, including elected officials and civil servants, are strategic targets of misinformation because they are the critical links that translate science into policy. They are targeted through partisan policy briefs, industrial lobbies, and interpersonal networks.
• The dissemination of misinformation and conspiracy theories creates a 'vicious cycle' that erodes public trust in climate science and institutions. This leads to reduced public engagement with climate policy and empowers political elites to further promote skepticism.
• There is a significant lack of research on climate information integrity in the Global South, with current evidence and research heavily concentrated in the Global North.
• The report identifies four effective policy interventions to improve information integrity: legislation for standardized carbon reporting and content labeling, litigation against greenwashing, building cross-sector coalitions, and improving science and media literacy for the public and policymakers.

APA

Elbeyi, E., Jensen, K. B., Aronczyk, M., Asuka, J., Ceylan, G., Cook, J., Erdelyi, G., Ford, H., Milani, C., Mustafaraj, E., Ogenga, F., Yadin, S., Howard, P. N., & Valenzuela, S. (2025). Facts, Fakes, and Climate Science. International Panel on the Information Environment. https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643ecb10be528d2c1da863cb/6a719b58f6fb61df25e1d461_SPF%20Climate%20FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Elbeyi, E., K. Bruhn Jensen, M. Aronczyk, J. Asuka, G. Ceylan, J. Cook, G. Erdelyi, et al. Facts, Fakes, and Climate Science. International Panel on the Information Environment, 2025. https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643ecb10be528d2c1da863cb/6a719b58f6fb61df25e1d461_SPF%20Climate%20FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Elbeyi |first1=E. |last2=Jensen |first2=K. Bruhn |last3=Aronczyk |first3=M. |last4=Asuka |first4=J. |last5=Ceylan |first5=G. |last6=Cook |first6=J. |last7=Erdelyi |first7=G. |last8=Ford |first8=H. |last9=Milani |first9=C. |display-authors=etal |title=Facts, Fakes, and Climate Science |publisher=International Panel on the Information Environment |date=2025 |url=https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643ecb10be528d2c1da863cb/6a719b58f6fb61df25e1d461_SPF%20Climate%20FINAL.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{elbeyi2025facts, author = {Elbeyi, E. and Jensen, K. Bruhn and Aronczyk, M. and Asuka, J. and Ceylan, G. and Cook, J. and Erdelyi, G. and Ford, H. and Milani, C. and Mustafaraj, E. and Ogenga, F. and Yadin, S. and Howard, P. N. and Valenzuela, S.}, title = {{Facts, Fakes, and Climate Science}}, institution = {International Panel on the Information Environment}, year = {2025}, url = {https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/643ecb10be528d2c1da863cb/6a719b58f6fb61df25e1d461_SPF%20Climate%20FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }