COP30: ‘Truth is climate action’, say nations signing declaration to combat climate disinformation

In a historic first for global climate diplomacy, countries at the 30th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) in Belem, Brazil have adopted the world’s first ‘declaration on information integrity on climate change’. This marked a watershed moment in the fight against climate disinformation.

The declaration formally committed governments to uphold the integrity of public information, protect scientists and journalists and counter the deliberate spread of false narratives that undermine climate action.

The declaration, launched on November 12, 2025 and championed by Brazil along with a coalition comprising Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay, represented the first collective acknowledgement that the information crisis is now a climate crisis.

It committed signatories to promote transparent communication, invest in media literacy and collaborate with civil society and international organisations to ensure that climate data and science are publicly accessible, credible and protected from distortion.

“This is a historic step — a declaration that truth itself is now part of climate action,” said Melissa Fleming, UN under-secretary-general for global communications. “Combating disinformation is not censorship; it's protection of science, trust and democracy in the age of climate emergency.”

The launch coincided with the first-ever thematic day on information integrity at the UN climate conference, which is a milestone in its own right. It followed the release of an open letter “Climate Action Requires Truth: COP30 Must Codify Information Integrityˮ by Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), signed by over 375 organisations and experts.

The letter called on countries to adopt binding frameworks that ensure governments, digital platforms and corporations are held accountable for spreading or enabling climate falsehoods. It warned that unchecked disinformation has already eroded public trust, delayed policy and fuelled polarisation, particularly in the lead-up to major national elections and climate decisions.

“Fossil fuel interests and their enablers have spent decades distorting climate science, seeding doubt, and delaying action,” said Jennie King, head of climate research and policy at Institute for Strategic Dialogue and coordinator of CAAD. “We cannot win the race to net zero if we lose the race to truth.”

The declaration followed years of mounting evidence of organised climate disinformation campaigns, from greenwashing and astroturf movements to manipulated social media algorithms amplifying climate denial. The UN has increasingly recognised information manipulation as a structural barrier to climate progress.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly warned of the “pollution of the information ecosystem”, calling on governments and tech companies to “stop the war on science” and act against disinformation just as seriously as they act against emissions. “We need a ceasefire on climate lies,” Guterres said earlier this year.

According to CAAD’s Global Climate Disinformation Index, misleading or false content about renewable energy, climate finance and the role of fossil fuels has tripled since 2020. The rise was significant on online platforms with weak moderation policies.

The declaration, advocates said, is therefore both symbolic and practical: It recognised disinformation as a systemic obstacle to climate justice, and committed states to develop coordinated responses within the UN climate framework.

“This is a recognition that democracy, science, and climate action are deeply intertwined,” said Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “When lies thrive, lives are lost — to floods, fires, and failed policy. This declaration is a call to defend the public’s right to know.”

Civil society groups described the adoption as a breakthrough, but also as a starting point. Laurence Tubiana, chief executive of the European Climate Foundation and architect of the Paris Agreement, said: “This declaration can’t just live on paper. Governments must now put in place real mechanisms to ensure climate information integrity, including transparency in corporate lobbying and accountability for false advertising.”

The open letter called for six immediate measures:

1. Establishing national frameworks on information integrity within climate policy.

2. Strengthening public-interest journalism and independent science communication.

3. Ensuring platform accountability for climate misinformation.

4. Protecting whistleblowers, researchers and climate defenders from harassment.

5. Promoting open access to data and public literacy on climate science.

6. Embedding information integrity in international climate finance and adaptation plans.

The initiative has already drawn growing international attention, with observers calling it the “fourth pillar of climate governance”, alongside mitigation, adaptation and finance. Experts said it could influence how future Global Stocktake and Transparency Framework negotiations handle public information.

“The climate crisis is also a crisis of communication,” said Jennifer Morgan, Germany’s State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action. “We cannot mobilise the global public if the truth is drowned by misinformation. Information integrity must be treated as a global public good.”

As COP30 enters its second week, momentum around the declaration signals a shift in how the world defines climate accountability. Beyond carbon and finance, negotiators now face a new question: how to build a foundation of truth in an era of viral falsehoods.

“Climate action begins with information integrity,” CAAD’s open letter concluded. “Without trust in science, there is no trust in solutions. Truth is the foundation of hope.”