Understanding the global climate disinformation landscape

The document identifies climate disinformation as an escalating geopolitical threat driven by hostile states, fossil fuel interests, and AI, which undermines public trust and climate action. It highlights a critical gap in international response due to the closure of the U.S. Global Engagement Center (GEC) and urges the EU to expand its global role through multilateral cooperation, partner support, and investment in information integrity tools.

• Climate disinformation has evolved from simply discrediting science to more sophisticated campaigns by hostile states and fossil fuel interests using AI to manipulate public perception of climate risks and the costs of climate action, thereby threatening global climate goals and societal cohesion.
• The closure of the U.S. State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC), which previously coordinated responses to foreign information manipulation and developed deepfake detection tools, has created a substantial gap in the international capacity to counter disinformation on climate and energy.
• The EU is positioned to lead the global fight against climate disinformation by leveraging its existing digital regulations and FIMI monitoring, provided it expands its role through multilateral cooperation, strategic communication, and investment in information integrity tools.

APA

NewClimate Institute (2025). Understanding the global climate disinformation landscape. https://newclimate.org/resources/publications/briefing-understanding-the-global-climate-disinformation-landscape-and

Chicago

NewClimate Institute. Understanding the global climate disinformation landscape. 2025. https://newclimate.org/resources/publications/briefing-understanding-the-global-climate-disinformation-landscape-and.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=NewClimate Institute |title=Understanding the global climate disinformation landscape |date=9 December 2025 |url=https://newclimate.org/resources/publications/briefing-understanding-the-global-climate-disinformation-landscape-and |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{newclimateinstitute2025understanding, author = {{NewClimate Institute}}, title = {{Understanding the global climate disinformation landscape}}, institution = {NewClimate Institute}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://newclimate.org/resources/publications/briefing-understanding-the-global-climate-disinformation-landscape-and}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }