Search Climate Insights Directory
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Weaponising social media
The report documents a coordinated strategy in Guatemala where social media disinformation is used to delegitimise Indigenous leaders and land activists, facilitating their criminalisation by the state. It highlights the roles of Attorney General Consuelo Porras and networks of 'fake news' accounts in targeting figures like Luis Pacheco and Leocadio Juracán. The document argues that social media giants—Meta, X, and TikTok—are complicit by failing to moderate hate speech and disinformation, which often precedes legal persecution.
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Document type: Report
Weaponising social media: How Indigenous leaders and climate activists are smeared and criminalised in Guatemala
The report documents a systematic campaign in Guatemala where social media platforms—specifically Facebook, X, and TikTok—are used to disseminate disinformation to justify the criminalisation of Indigenous leaders and land defenders. It highlights the role of Attorney General Consuelo Porras and the Prosecutor's Office in pursuing charges of terrorism and sedition against activists like Luis Pacheco and Leocadio Juracán. The document identifies a network of 'net centres,' including the Foundation Against Terrorism (FCT) and fake news sites like XelaNews, that coordinate with state authorities to delegitimise defenders by labelling them as 'terrorists' or 'puppets' of foreign interests. It further details the criminalisation of the Maya Poqomchi’ communities of Washington and Dos Fuentes in land disputes with Agropecuaria Pananish, and calls on social media giants to improve content moderation to protect vulnerable activists.
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Document type: Report
Stolen voices: Russia-aligned operation manipulates audio and images to impersonate experts
Operation Overload is a high-volume Russian influence campaign that impersonates over 80 organisations, including media outlets and universities, to sow division in democratic nations. In early 2025, it targeted 10 countries—primarily Germany, France, and Ukraine—using AI-cloned voices and forged logos to spread narratives against Ukraine and destabilise domestic politics. While most content had limited organic reach, one video claiming USAID paid celebrities to visit Ukraine garnered over 4.2 million views. The operation relies on bot networks and commercial services to amplify its content and frequently tags research organisations to distract them with debunking requests.
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Document type: Briefing
Generative AI and the German Far Right: Narratives, Tactics and Digital Strategies
The report analyzes the use of generative AI by the German far right to create tailored social media content, including AI-generated influencers and imagery depicting migrant crimes. It highlights the role of the AfD and far-right community groups in spreading these narratives and notes a significant failure in the enforcement of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), as most reported AI-generated far-right content remained unlabeled or unremoved.
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Document type: Report
POLLUTING EDUCATION The Influence of Fossil Fuels on Children’s Education in Canada Report Summary
The report documents how at least 39 oil and gas companies and 12 industry-tied organizations influence Canadian K–12 education through branded materials, government partnerships, and funding of third-party nonprofits. It argues that this 'petro-pedagogy' obscures the industry's role in climate change, promotes individual action over systemic change, and creates a conflict of interest in classrooms. The authors call for immediate policy action at federal, provincial, and local levels to implement comprehensive, science-based climate education free from corporate interference.
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Document type: Executive summary
Climate of Confusion: Bot-like accounts sharing climate disinformation and conspiracies
Global Witness analyzed 45 bot-like accounts on X, finding that many consistently spread climate disinformation and conspiracy theories. These accounts often frame climate action as a 'scam' or a tool for elite control, linking climate denial to other divisive political stances. The report highlights the difficulty of verifying account authenticity due to limited data transparency from social media platforms like X.
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Document type: Report
Letting hate flourish
A joint investigation by Global Witness and the Internet Freedom Foundation found that YouTube and Koo failed to act on the majority of reported misogynistic hate speech in India and the US. YouTube removed none of the 79 reported videos, while Koo removed only six of 23 reported posts. The report argues that profit-driven business models and inadequate content moderation pose risks to women and election integrity in 2024.
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Document type: Report
Take-back Trickery: An Investigation into Clothing Take-back Schemes
An investigation using airtag trackers on 21 items of good-quality clothing submitted to ten fashion brands in the UK, France, Belgium, and Germany found that these take-back schemes often fail to prioritize reuse. Findings show items in excellent condition were downcycled, destroyed, or shipped to African markets where they often become waste, while others remained stagnant in warehouses. The report argues these schemes provide a false sense of environmental responsibility and often encourage further consumption through discounts, calling for stronger EU legislation and extended producer responsibility.
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Document type: Executive summary
Trashion : The stealth export of waste plastic clothes to Kenya
The report exposes how the used-clothing trade is used by the Global North to export plastic waste to Kenya. It estimates that over 300 million items of synthetic, unsellable clothing are exported to Kenya annually, leading to severe environmental pollution in the Nairobi River and at dumpsites like Dandora. The investigation highlights the failure of sorting at the source and the role of recycling companies that claim circularity while exporting waste. It recommends the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, eco-design requirements, and a virgin plastic tax to curb overproduction and the export of synthetic waste.
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Document type: Report
A Deadly Ring of Coal: VALEs poisoned gift to Mozambique
The report documents a pattern of violence, land-grabbing, and pollution associated with VALE Moçambique's Moatize coal mine and Nacala Logistics Corridor. It details the forced resettlement of thousands of families, the use of state police to repress protesters, and severe health crises resulting from air and water pollution. The document also highlights VALE's legal battles to avoid disclosing environmental monitoring reports and its planned sale of assets to Vulcan Minerals.
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Document type: Report
THE CLIMATE DIVIDE
The report finds that Facebook's algorithm actively recommends climate disinformation to users who show an initial interest in climate-sceptic content, often leading them toward more extreme conspiracy theories. Despite the company's stated commitment to combat misinformation through its 'climate science centre' and flagging systems, the investigation found that a vast majority of recommended content for a sceptical user was disinformation, with only a small percentage of such posts carrying informational flags. The report argues that this environment polarises public opinion and hinders the implementation of climate mitigation policies, recommending that governments implement legislative oversight and algorithmic transparency, similar to the European Union's Digital Services Act.
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Document type: Report
Net-zero pipe dreams: WHY FOSSIL FUELS CANNOT BE CARBON NEUTRAL Investigation
Carbon Market Watch analyzed 18 "carbon neutral" fossil fuel claims, primarily involving liquefied natural gas (LNG), and found that every claim failed to meet basic criteria for environmental integrity and transparency. The report argues that fossil fuels cannot be carbon neutral because the firms involved are not aligned with 1.5°C pathways and rely on flawed "tonne-for-tonne" offsetting. Key failures include the omission of Scope 3 emissions in one-third of claims, a total lack of transparency regarding the price paid for carbon credits, and the use of impermanent nature-based sinks to offset long-term fossil carbon emissions. The report recommends that fossil fuel firms cease these claims, stop new exploration, and shift toward a "contribution" model for climate finance.
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Document type: Report
Busting the myth of science - based formula
The report examines Nestlé's infant milk products across 40 countries, finding that the company often uses nutritional science as a marketing tool rather than a formulation guide. It highlights inconsistencies where products contain ingredients like sucrose and flavourings that Nestlé's own labels advise against in other markets. Furthermore, the report notes that Nestlé uses health claims for probiotics and prebiotics in some regions despite these being prohibited in the EU due to insufficient evidence. The investigation concludes that product development is driven by consumer trends and profit maximization, leading to 'premium' products with varying compositions and prices that lack a clear scientific rationale.
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Document type: Report
Dirty Fashion
The report exposes severe pollution from viscose production in Asia, where manufacturers dump untreated wastewater and emit toxic gases, impacting local health and ecosystems. It identifies direct sourcing links between these polluting sites and major brands like H&M and Zara, arguing that the 'green' image of viscose is misleading due to the use of hazardous chemicals like carbon disulphide. The authors call for a transition to closed-loop production systems and mandatory supply chain due diligence.
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Document type: Report
Performance-Based Specifications: Exploring when they work and why
This report investigates the application of performance-based specifications (PBSs) in public procurement within the European Union and the United States, focusing on their role in supporting sustainable development goals and environmental benefits.
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Document type: Report
Climate Change Research Distorted and Suppressed
The report details multiple instances where the George W. Bush administration intervened in federal scientific reporting to downplay the human role in global warming. Key examples include the removal of climate sections from EPA reports, the censorship of a USDA brochure on carbon sequestration, and the editing of scientific summaries by a non-scientist former oil industry lobbyist to increase perceived uncertainty. The document asserts that these actions undermined the integrity of federal agencies and contradicted the scientific consensus established by the IPCC and the National Academy of Sciences.
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Document type: Report
An Investigation into the Bush Administration’s Misuse of Science
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) reports a systemic pattern of scientific interference by the Bush administration across multiple federal agencies. The investigation details the suppression of climate change data at the EPA, the manipulation of mercury emission standards, and the censorship of research on airborne bacteria at the USDA. It further documents the appointment of underqualified or industry-linked individuals to scientific advisory panels and the use of political litmus tests for nominees. The report argues that these actions undermine public health, safety, and national security, and calls for executive and congressional action to restore scientific integrity in policymaking.
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Document type: Report
An Untrustworthy Barometer: Edelman Polling Promotes Clients’ Standing in Society
The report by Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) critiques the Edelman Trust Barometer, alleging that the PR firm uses 'organized lying' and opaque data to promote the idea that business leaders are the most trusted figures in society. It highlights contradictions between Edelman's findings and other research from the UN and University of Oxford, particularly regarding public trust in corporate climate efforts. Furthermore, the document exposes a conflict of interest, noting that while Edelman claims climate change is a major crisis, it maintains extensive contracts with major fossil fuel companies including Shell, Chevron, and TotalEnergies.
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Document type: Report
Disinformation Dollars: How Google earns money from and funds articles that promote climate denial
A Global Witness investigation found that Google's AdTech business finances and earns revenue from The Epoch Times' climate denial content, potentially breaching Google's own publisher policies. The report estimates that these activities generated approximately $1.41 million in combined annual revenue for Google and The Epoch Times across English, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese websites.
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Document type: Report
Renewable energy at what cost? A closer look at DRC’s nascent lithium sector
An investigation into the Democratic Republic of Congo's nascent lithium industry reveals significant risks related to governance, transparency, and environmental impact. The report highlights that mining concessions near Manono are controlled by a small group of individuals with close ties to government officials and former President Kabila. It warns that without urgent due diligence and adherence to international standards, the green energy transition could repeat the mistakes of fossil fuel extraction by undermining local communities and the environment.
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Document type: Executive summary