“Portugal has not been the target of disinformation campaigns as intense as those in other countries,” noted Philip Newell, co-chair of communications at the Climate Action Against Disinformation coalition, regarding the recent blackout that affected the Iberian Peninsula. He highlighted how it serves as a reminder of how bad actors exploit uncertainty to cast doubt on renewable energy sources.
Furthermore, “the fossil fuel industry has known for decades that it was contributing to climate change and has since been funding and spreading climate disinformation,” Newell remarked, contrasting this with other forms of misinformation, which makes climate disinformation particularly challenging.
According to the communications co-chair, climate disinformation “is used to empower politicians and lobbyists funded by fossil fuels with rhetoric to reject the scientific consensus that fossil fuel burning is causing climate change.”
He mentioned that the coalition is collaborating with the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) and the Code of Practice on Disinformation in the European Union (EU) to work alongside various organizations aiming to improve the integrity of climate information.
The CAAD (Climate Action Against Disinformation) coalition consists of over 50 global organizations aiming to combat climate disinformation through policy, research, and accountability to foster a global dialogue on effective climate solutions.
