Climate misinformation webinar with Michael E. Mann, Robin Millington, and Anna Siewiorek

On January 29, The Climate Reality Project Europe hosted a webinar and interactive workshop on climate misinformation, disinformation, and greenwashing. The session brought together experts from science, finance, and advocacy to unpack how misleading climate narratives are evolving and what it will take to rebuild trust at a critical moment for climate action.

The webinar was organized by The Climate Reality Project Europe and facilitated by Shooka Bidarian, Regional Organizer for Northern Europe, who opened the session by setting the scene:

“We’re surrounded by climate information every day, but some of it is framed to mislead or delay action. These narratives shape decisions, policies, and public trust at a moment when clarity matters most.”

Understanding a changing information landscape

With key terms established, the discussion moved into how climate misinformation has adapted over time. Professor Michael E. Mann explained how messaging has shifted away from outright denial toward other strategies which downplay impacts, delay solutions, deflect responsibility, create division, and promote doomism. Mann warned that doomism is increasingly used to demobilise those who already care about climate change, convincing them that it is too late to act.

Mann also highlighted the role of artificial intelligence, cautioning that we now face the risk of infinite disinformation, where misleading narratives can be endlessly generated, recycled, and amplified at unprecedented scale. He closed by emphasizing that urgency must be paired with agency. The most meaningful individual action, he said, is joining collective action that drives systemic change.

From denial to sabotaging solutions

Anna Siewiorek, Campaign Lead for Climate and Strategy, highlighted a major shift in disinformation campaigns. Rather than denying climate science outright, many efforts now focus on sabotaging solutions and creating confusion. She described the rise of hybrid influence networks combining bots, fake outlets, influencers, and traditional media, increasingly scaled through AI systems.

Her message was clear. Countering this level of coordination requires systemic cooperation, long-term support for journalists, and inclusive narratives rooted in people’s everyday lives.

Robin Millington, co-founder of Planet Tracker, unpacked how greenwashing has evolved, warning of a growing trend toward greenhushing as companies retreat from public commitments in a polarised environment. She argued that progress depends on working constructively with corporates through positive engagement, stronger governance training, and incentives aligned with long-term resilience rather than short-term gains.

A way forward, together

The session made clear that responding to climate misinformation and disinformation is not a technical challenge alone, but a collective one. Building trust will depend on cooperation across journalism, science, policy, and the private sector, alongside clearer rules for emerging technologies like AI. Moving forward requires communication that is accurate, inclusive, and rooted in people’s lived realities. Strengthening the information ecosystem is essential to enabling the collective action climate solutions depend on.