Information on climate change is often shared in the media and on social media, but how can we establish its trustworthiness?
In an evolving media landscape, there are many places people are exposed to information on science – TV and radio, newspapers (in print and online) and social media as well as through conversations with family and friends. This provides an ever-increasing opportunity for learning but can also make it difficult to establish the trustworthiness of the information we come across especially as it can often be quite compelling and fast-flowing.
But is misinformation1 really a problem?
The World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2024 perception survey ranked misinformation and disinformation1 as the risk with the highest likely impact globally over the next two years and fifth highest risk over ten years. Specifically in relation to climate science, the UN, UNESCO and the Brazilian Government launched the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change at the G20 summit in 2024 in order to strengthen efforts to address disinformation.
Having access to trustworthy, evidence-based science allows us all to make informed decisions that can affect our daily lives, whether that is taking medical advice to keep us well or considering how we can take action to reduce the impacts of climate change so that ourselves and future generations can stay safe and thrive.
Conversely, incorrect information also influences people’s beliefs, increases distrust or affects behaviour, e.g. whether someone does or does not take a particular action. According to the UN, “Disinformation can be spread by state or non-state actors. It can affect a broad range of human rights, undermining responses to public policies or amplifying tensions in times of emergency or armed conflict.”
Critically engage with information
By establishing whether information we read or hear is factual, we can help curb the spread of misinformation. Knowing when to look more carefully at the information we see can be difficult especially when social media algorithms can often result in an echo chamber of similar, and therefore potentially all the more compelling, viewpoints which may or may not be based on evidence. On that basis, it is always wise to pause before sharing, especially if the information seems sensationalist, alarmist or highly emotive. Based on advice from UN Verified, our How to spot misinformation webpage shares tips on critically engaging with content you come across. In short…
Pause – Take a moment to think about whether the source is an expert and whether the information is recent and up to date.
Fact check – dig a little deeper to check the information’s origin and think about whether the source might be biased or have an ulterior motive for sharing misinformation.
Resist popular myths – repetition makes it easier to believe statements we see or hear but escape the echo chamber and seek out other views.
Only respond/share if you are sure – if not you could be inadvertently spreading misinformation.
Which sources are reputable?
If you are not already involved in a field of expertise such as climate science, you might not instantly know where to go for accurate information. Here are some suggestions:
- Scientists are highly trusted (83% in a recent Government survey) – seek out scientists in the relevant field and look for peer-reviewed science.
- Government organisations and academic institutions or international expert bodies can provide useful background information and peer-reviewed science. You can take a look at our Tackling climate misinformation webpages where we share the evidence around some topics which are regularly subject to misleading claims.
- Fact checking organisations may have already done the research for you especially if they are common misconceptions.
What about the weather?
Even the weather forecast can be subject to forms of misinformation, with misleading or exaggerated headlines appearing online at times. Now, some like to publish stories of this nature as it’s good for views, but it’s only by improved public understanding of the weather forecast that these stories can lose their appeal.
Our Checking your weather forecast in the news webpage can help you watch out for misleading or exaggerated headlines around the weather.
1 Disinformation is the deliberate creation and/or sharing of false information with the intention to deceive and mislead audiences. The inadvertent sharing of false information is referred to as misinformation. Malinformation deliberately misleads by twisting the meaning of truthful information. As it is not always possible to be certain of the intent behind information we see or hear, we use the term misinformation as short-hand for dis-, mis- and mal-information (DMMI).