On the occasion of World Environment Day, the Forum on Information and Democracy joins its partners in calling for decisive action to promote and protect information integrity on climate change and the environment, notably by protecting environmental journalists. Both ecosystems require urgent action, in line with democratic principles, open governance and a common understanding of reality.
Defined as deliberate spread of false or misleading information about climate change, intended to create confusion, delay policy action, or undermine public trust in the science and urgency of climate change, climate disinformation has become a top priority of the information integrity agenda.
Not only does it intend to slow down efforts to address climate change, but it is also used as a political weapon from certain sides, notably in the case of environmental catastrophe such as the floodings in South of Brazil last year which saw a disinformation campaign aiming at discrediting the responses brought by the government.
In that sense, information integrity on climate change is a major democratic issue. In response to these challenges, the Forum on Information and Democracy has made the topic a priority of its annual action plan and is involved in different international processes to tackle environmental disinformation and support environmental journalism.
A call to protect climate journalism
Joining forces with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) to mark World Environment Day, the Forum is notably calling to ensure the safety of environmental journalists and the financial sustainability of these costly yet crucial investigations.
As RSF recalls, at least 200 journalists have been attacked for their work on environmental issues over the last ten years. Among them, 25 have been murdered such as Dom Philipps, killed in 2022, while working on a documentary on indigenous communities in the Amazon.
“By joining this call, we hope to ensure that the current debate on information integrity for climate change does not water down the importance of environmental journalism compared to other topics of the information integrity agenda. It is crucial that all aspects are taken into account, specifically with regards to the price some journalists have paid for their work.”
– Camille Grenier, Executive Director, Forum on Information and Democracy
Towards COP 30 in Brazil and COP 17 in Yerevan
As the implementing body of the International Partnership for Information and Democracy, the Forum is bringing together like-minded States in its newly established workstream, led by the governments of Armenia and Brazil. It offers a vital space to identify the challenges the information space poses and identify key policy and regulatory solutions.
Beyond promoting solutions at the national level, it brings the topic of information integrity to two major upcoming international environmental events – the COP 30 and the COP 17. It calls upon States to recognise that climate change cannot be tackled, and the environment cannot be protected unless the citizens have access to reliable information and the public debate is shaped by facts and diverse sources.
At the first closed-door meeting of the Partnership of its kind at the Yerevan Dialogue on 27 May in Armenia, States underlined their commitment to address information integrity at the COP 17 on Biodiversity to be held in 2026 in Armenia.
All experts are invited to contribute to this work by sharing their expertise on information integrity challenges that environmental protection faces. A call for contributions is open till 30 June.