Press Release - Information Integrity Takes Center Stage at COP30 as the IPIE Warns: Climate Action Depends on Public Trust
Read The NewsNovember 21, 2025 - Belém, Brazil - At COP30, the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE) issued a clear warning: global climate action will falter unless the world strengthens the integrity of the information people rely on to understand, debate, and respond to the climate crisis.
Across high-level events, scientific panels, and media engagements in Belém, the IPIE’s latest research on threats to information integrity about climate science shaped policy conversations and galvanized international attention. The IPIE's flagship report, Information Integrity about Climate Science: A Systematic Review, was repeatedly cited by governments, UN agencies, and civil society — underscoring its rapid emergence as a foundational reference for climate communication and governance.
Coverage in Forbes, The Guardian, and The New York Times further amplified global awareness of the growing risks posed by climate misinformation, while highlighting the IPIE’s role in placing information integrity on the formal climate agenda for the first time.
A Landmark Moment for International Cooperation
A major milestone came with a new international declaration now signed by ten countries, drafted by the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change — an initiative for which the IPIE is a founding member. The declaration affirms shared commitments to protect information integrity about climate science and reflects mounting global consensus that combating climate misinformation is essential to effective, science-based climate policy.
Professor Phil Howard, CEO and President of the IPIE, said:
Climate action only works when people can trust the information they receive. At COP30, we saw unprecedented recognition of this principle, and growing demand for independent, multilingual, and globally representative evidence to guide the next phase of climate governance.
IPIE Contributions at COP30
The IPIE was represented by Professor Klaus Bruhn Jensen (University of Copenhagen), Chair of the Scientific Panel on Information Integrity about Climate Science, and Professor Rose Marie Santini (University of Rio de Janeiro), member of the Scientific Panel on Indexing the Information Environment.
Prof. Klaus Bruhn Jensen presented the flagship IPIE report in multiple high-level forums, including:
- Research and evidence to strengthen information integrity on climate change
- High-level event on the Global Initiative for Information Integrity about Climate Change (GIIICC)
- Sessions on Strategic Communication, Digital Literacy and global Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE)
His analysis, showing how climate facts are distorted, challenged, and weaponized in the information ecosystem, was echoed across negotiations and side events.
Prof. Rose Marie Santini led a widely attended session on “Information Integrity – Strengthening Media and Advertising for Climate Action”, featuring international partners from the Conscious Advertising Network, the Forum on Information and Democracy, the UN, and Magamba Africa. She also appeared in major Brazilian media, becoming one of the leading voices in the host country on climate misinformation.
What We Heard at COP30
Across negotiations, civil society forums, and informal conversations, three themes emerged with striking consistency:
- Demand for rigorous, multilingual research, especially from the Global South
Policymakers emphasized the need for evidence produced with and by communities on the frontlines of climate impacts.
- A need for actionable tools for governments
Countries requested concrete guidance to counter climate misinformation and strengthen public trust — from digital literacy programmes to regulatory options for misleading environmental claims.
- Calls for deeper collaboration across sectors
Researchers, governments, media, civil society, and the private sector increasingly recognize that resilient information environments are a shared responsibility.
What Comes Next
Responding to this growing demand, the IPIE will:
- Launch the next round of scientific assessments on how climate misinformation circulates through global media systems, with expanded multilingual and Global South participation.
- Develop practical tools with UN agencies and national governments to strengthen climate communication, digital literacy, and public trust.
- Support the GIIICC’s 2026 global report, a major milestone in international efforts to protect information integrity in climate action.
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Further details about the IPIE can be found at www.IPIE.info.
For media inquiries, interviews, or more information, please contact Press@IPIE.info.
About the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE)
The IPIE is an independent, global scientific organization dedicated to strengthening the integrity of the world’s information ecosystems. Through interdisciplinary research, international collaboration, and practical guidance, the IPIE supports governments, civil society, and institutions working to uphold trustworthy information as a foundation for democratic resilience and sustainable development.