Obstructing Climate Action: How Climate Misinformation is Fueling Global Catastrophe

According to a new report by the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE), the climate crisis is being dangerously accelerated by a flood of misinformation. Further orchestrated by fossil fuel interests, rightwing political actors, and nation states, a recent article for the Guardian (Carrington, 2025) outlines how the IPIE’s review of 300 studies finds that misinformation is not only creating doubt about the climate crisis, but it is also actively obstructing efforts to address it. 

The IPIE report presents the multifaceted nature of climate misinformation, ranging from subtle greenwashing to conspiracy theories. These actors who are amplifying false information are also targeting key decision makers, with what researchers call “conspiratorial” efforts to derail climate policy from within. Beyond fossil fuel companies, the report identifies other industries complicit in the spread of misinformation including animal agriculture, tourism, aviation, and fast food. Dominant political actors are also involved, where figures such as U.S. President Trump and rightwing populist parties in Europe, consistently amplifying denialist rhetoric and conspiracy theories.

With just five years left to halve global emissions and until 2050 to reach net zero, misinformation is muddying public discourse, polarizing society, and undermining trust in institutions. The report calls for the implementation of a multi-prolonged response comprising: stronger regulations on social media, greater transparency by fossil fuel companies using required standardized emissions disclosures, long-term climate literacy efforts, and legal action through the establishment of broader, systemic legal frameworks. 

Despite growing efforts to combat climate misinformation, the article warns that much of the existing research is limited to the English-speaking world, with huge gaps in our understanding of how climate misinformation is occurring across other international continents. The findings of the IPIE report underscore the urgency of the dual crisis at hand - that of environmental degradation and climate misinformation. To prevent a climate catastrophe, governments will have to treat the integrity of information as a cornerstone of climate policy, strengthening regulation, enforcing transparency, and holding actors and industries accountable.

Image source: IPIE, June 2025 Report Cover