In this age of rapidly advancing digital technology, information is being communicated with astonishing speed and efficiency worldwide, stimulating greater awareness of global issues, such as the impacts of climate change and environmental deterioration. The challenges that come with this global informative network are significant, as certain actors capitalize on global digital platforms in order to spread inaccurate information about the climate crisis. False statistics are broadcast on an enormous scale, and are then amplified by unsuspecting viewers. Content moderation on online platforms has been reduced, rather than expanded, and the lack of sufficient allocated capacity building resources means digital media consumers have little recourse for harms. Climate disinformation seriously undermines efforts to educate the public on environmental issues, and erodes trust in climate action-based institutions.

UN General Assembly Resolution 76/227 states that compromised information integrity has widespread, direct, and acknowledged impacts on the work of the United Nations and the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly climate action towards the Paris Agreement goals that are urgently needed to ensure planetary health for current and future generations. Greenwashing is a dangerous form of disinformation, as it blurs the lines of what is publicly viewed as sustainable, and is a major concern for Least Developed Countries, marginalized communities, youth, and all parties that are focused on upholding the scientific climate-based recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other climate action-based institutions (1). 

With the recent explosion of falsified information and synthetic content, the presence of disinformation on online platforms has become a major public and international concern. The 2024 World Economic Forum Global Risks Report cites mis- and dis-information as the number 1 risk worldwide over the next two years (2).

This expression of concern has been mirrored by public response, with a collaborative survey of eight countries by the Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford showing that the proportion of people concerned by the rise of polarizing mis- and dis-information rose to 80% in 2023 (3).

Policies are not matching the pace of technological development, allowing time lags where certain systems and platforms are not governed and moderated, allowing false information to spread unchecked. Stronger international cooperation in the form of multilateral and action-oriented solutions are needed to enhance global digital governance challenges that current and future generations are facing. The International Telecommunications Union has shown that children and youth are more connected than any other age group, with three-quarters of children and youth aged 15 to 24 years using the internet. Youth have enormous potential to create well-informed, effective solutions as the most connected generation, as well as being the generation that will inherit the adverse effects of the climate crisis, however in order for this expertise to be operationalized into positive action for climate, youth voices and other diverse, intersectional perspectives need to be gathered and heard within the confines of the United Nations and beyond.

Sources;

1.  Our Common Agenda Policy Brief 8 Information Integrity on Digital Platforms. 2023. United Nations

https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/our-common-agenda-policy-brief-information-integrity-en.pdf

2.  World Economic Forum 2024 Global Risks Report

https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-risks-report-2024/digest/

3.  Climate change news audiences: Analysis of news use and attitudes in eight countries. 2023. By Dr. Ehaz, Mitali Mukherjee and Dr. Fletcher. Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford

https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/climate-change-news-audiences-analysis-news-use-and-attitudes-eight-countries#header-4

 Photo Credit: United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Photo by F. Brown