Policy Digest #12

The document is divided into two main sections: a report on regulatory developments in Canada, Ireland, the UK, and the US regarding online streaming, safety codes, advertising, and AI; and a snapshot of literature on climate disinformation. The latter highlights the shift from outright climate denial to 'delay discourses' and 'culture wars' frames, the role of fossil fuel interests in seeding misinformation, and the impact of fringe websites and algorithmic amplification on digital platforms.

• The UN Department of Global Communications defines climate mis- and disinformation as content that undermines the scientific consensus on human-induced climate change, noting that much of this content is "seeded by the fossil fuel industry". The UN proposes a Code of Conduct for Information Integrity on Digital Platforms based on principles such as transparency, human rights, and user empowerment.
• Research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) indicates that climate disinformation has evolved from direct denial toward a "culture wars" frame, using conspiracies like "climate lockdown" or linking climate issues to divisive social topics to distract and delay action.
• An ISD analysis of 32 fringe climate-denying websites from the US and nine European countries found that mentions of these sites on Twitter increased significantly since early 2022, often using hashtags like #ClimateScam and promoting the "World Climate Declaration" published by the Netherlands-based group CLINTEL.
• The Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) identified 12 "delay discourses" that accept climate change exists but justify inaction by redirecting responsibility, pushing non-transformative solutions, emphasizing policy downsides, or surrendering to the change.
• The Consensus Handbook describes the "Gateway Belief Model", where public perception of expert agreement influences whether individuals believe global warming is real and if action is needed. It suggests "inoculating" the public by exposing them to misinformation alongside warnings and preemptive counter-arguments.
• The European Parliament's Special Committee on Foreign Interference called for the EU to better combat disinformation from "malicious and authoritarian countries such as Russia and China", suggesting a global code of conduct on disinformation modeled after the IPCC.

APA

Institute for Strategic Dialogue (2023). Policy Digest #12. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/ISD_DPL_Policy-Digest_12.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Strategic Dialogue. Policy Digest #12. 2023. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/ISD_DPL_Policy-Digest_12.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Strategic Dialogue |title=Policy Digest #12 |date=28 August 2023 |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/ISD_DPL_Policy-Digest_12.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforstrategicdialogue2023policy, author = {{Institute for Strategic Dialogue}}, title = {{Policy Digest \#12}}, institution = {Institute for Strategic Dialogue}, year = {2023}, month = aug, url = {https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/ISD_DPL_Policy-Digest_12.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }