Climate disinformation

Protect yourself from climate disinformation

Be aware
Understand that climate disinformation is widespread and deliberately designed to mislead. It affects us all, but awareness is the first line of defence.
Be prepared
Equip yourself with the right tools to detect and counter disinformation. Recognise red flags, fact-check sources, and engage critically to stay resilient.
Be informed
Although climate disinformation tries to delay climate action, people are already working to protect their communities with EU support. Meet them and discover our stories.

There is a lot of talk about climate change – but some of it is designed to mislead.

Climate disinformation is the intentional spread of false or misleading information about climate change and climate action. It can take many forms, from denial and conspiracy theories to softer, more insidious arguments that seek to muddy the waters.

Those who push climate disinformation deliberately finance, create and spread content to obstruct climate action. For example, they try to cast doubt on the scientific consensus or sway people’s opinions in order to reduce pressure to regulate pollution or prepare for the impacts of climate change.

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action launched the ClimateFactsMatter campaign with experts EDMO and EU Disinfo Lab to help you spot disinformation.

How to spot climate disinformation

Tip#1 GET THE FULL STORY
Climate disinformation often cherry-picks data. Check several trusted sources to see the full picture.
Tip#2 WATCH OUT FOR FAKE EXPERTS
Some climate "experts" are anything but. Always check their claims against trusted sources.
Tip#3 RESIST EMOTIONAL TRAPS
Disinformation likes loaded language. If a post is making you angry or scared – pause and verify the claims.
Tip#4 NO QUICK FIX FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
Disinformation often sells "easy" solutions to climate change. Beware – it’s likely too good to be true.
Tip#5 WATCH OUT FOR AI-MADE FAKES
AI generated images are common in climate disinformation. If something looks off, zoom into the details or do a reverse image search.

EU-level climate action

Want to dig deeper on climate change and climate action? Here are some suggestions for further information.

Climate change is real and a serious threat.

Human activities, principally through emissions of greenhouse gases, have unequivocally caused global warming, concludes the latest synthesis report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN body for assessing the state of knowledge of climate change.
Copernicus data shows that Europe is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world.
The European Environment Agency’s European Climate Risk Assessment outlines major climate risks facing Europe today and in the future.

People across the EU support climate action.

The latest Eurobarometer survey on climate change shows a that a large majority of Europeans (85%) see climate change as a serious problem. 85% also believe that climate action should be a priority to improve public health, and 83% say better preparation for climate impacts will improve daily life.

The challenge is huge, but climate action is bringing results.

While more action is needed to curb global climate change, the EU’s experience shows that cutting pollution, shifting to cleaner energy and moving towards a low-carbon society is feasible and benefits public health, environment and the economy.
The EEA reported a 37% reduction in EU emissions since 1990.
The annual EU Climate Action Progress Report outlines current key policies and results.

What is the European Commission doing to boost societal resilience to disinformation?

The European Commission sets out a series of concrete measures to empower, protect, and promote strong and resilient democracies across the EU. These actions are aimed at boosting our collective capacity to counter foreign information manipulation and interference and disinformation and strengthening the overall democratic resilience of our societies.

Providing fact-based information: EuroClimateCheck constantly publishes the latest climate disinformation articles curated by some of Europe’s leading fact-checking organisations.
European Climate Pact activities cover climate science and disinformation.
The European State of the Climate Report analyses climate conditions across Europe and the Arctic. It covers key climate impacts, and long-term evolutions.
Monitoring and analysis: The 2025 special Eurobarometer on climate change included questions on climate disinformation for the first time.
It found that 49% of EU citizens find it difficult to differentiate between reliable information and disinformation about climate change on social media, and 52% don’t think the traditional media from their country provides clear information on climate change and its causes and impacts.
There are factsheets for every EU country.
Mainstreaming media literacy: We all need to think critically about the information we see. Media literacy skills empower us to make informed choices about the content we share.
The Creative Europe Programme supports cross-border media literacy projects that build our resilience against disinformation.
The Toolkit for secondary school teachers helps educators show older students how to spot disinformation online.

Resources and tools to stop climate disinformation

Awareness-raising campaigns like ClimateFactsMatter are key to the EU's approach to countering climate disinformation. They highlight the risks of false or misleading information and the methods used to spread it.

Climate disinformation is a constantly evolving threat. Many international, European and national organisations provide resources to help you spot false claims.

Follow our Instagram and YouTube channels for latest updates on the ClimateFactsMatter campaign and facts on climate action.
Check out our articles on 5 things you should know about climate and energy topics.
The ClimateFactsMatter campaign partners with two of Europe’s leading disinformation monitoring organisations:
- EU DisinfoLab is an independent non-profit that gathers expertise on disinformation in Europe, for example in its Climate Clarity Hub.
- The European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) publishes monthly fact-checking briefs and constantly updates its fact-checking map with examples on various topics. It covers all current affairs, not just climate change. Their training series on climate disinformation is worth a watch.
The EU Climate Action Academy provides a selection of resources to help you boost your knowledge of climate issues and how to address climate disinformation. It also highlights ways to help us talk to other people with different ways of understanding climate issues than our own.
The European Commission Library Guide on Climate Disinformation provides access to climate disinformation-related information published by the European bodies, in addition to work by international researchers and think tanks.
The UN Myth Busters webpage is a great place to read essential climate change science.