Promoting information integrity about climate change

Promoting information integrity about climate change

CGIAR research mapping disinformation about the Amazon biome strengthens policy responses and public trust in Brazil.

Disinformation has become a critical obstacle to effective climate action. Global institutions have warned that false and misleading narratives can erode public trust, polarize debate, and weaken evidence-based policymaking. In Brazil, these risks are particularly acute. The country’s vast digital engagement, combined with the global importance of the Amazon biome, means that online narratives about climate change can quickly influence both domestic policy debates and international perceptions. 

Recognizing this challenge, CGIAR Climate Security, under the Climate Action Science Program, set out to generate evidence on how climate-related disinformation circulates online and how it shapes public understanding of the Amazon. The objective was not only to document the problem, but to ensure that research findings reached the institutions responsible for climate communication and digital monitoring in Brazil.  

Building partnerships for policy relevance 

From the outset, the work was anchored in partnerships designed to connect research with decision-making. CGIAR Climate Security joined Brazil’s chapter of the Global Initiative for Information Integrity about Climate Change, a network created by UNESCO, the UN Secretariat, and the Brazilian Government. In Brazil, this network known as the Rede de Parceiros pela Integridade da Informação sobre Mudança do Clima (RPIIC) brings together more than 100 civil society organizations, universities, and research institutions. It has been formally recognized by Brazil’s Social Communications Secretariat (SECOM/BR)  as a key supporting body for national coordination on climate information integrity.  

These alliances positioned CGIAR’s research within Brazil’s principal platforms for policy discussion and advocacy on climate communication. They also created direct pathways for evidence to inform how government actors understand and respond to emerging disinformation risks.  

Mapping disinformation dynamics online 

With partnerships in place, CGIAR researchers focused on understanding how climate-related disinformation circulates on social media, particularly on Telegram. This platform was identified as a priority because of its limited content moderation, its use by conspiracist communities, and its influence on wider information flows across the digital ecosystem. 

During a Digital Methods Initiative summer school at the University of Amsterdam, CGIAR led a data sprint that mapped disinformation narratives circulating in conspiracist Telegram channels. The exercise identified recurring themes, the types of accounts amplifying them, and links between conspiracist discourse and climate-related narratives. 

Building on this work, CGIAR later analyzed Portuguese, Spanish, and English Telegram discussions that referenced the Amazon biome. The analysis examined how the Amazon was portrayed online, which narratives gained visibility, and how misinformation and disinformation intersected with political and policy debates. Findings from the Portuguese-language analysis were integrated into Panorama do Debate Digital Sobre Clima no Brasil, a joint report coordinated by Brazil’s information integrity network. The report represents one of the first coordinated efforts to map Brazil’s digital climate information ecosystem.  

From evidence to institutional uptake 

The research findings proved immediately relevant. Brazil’s COP30 Presidency selected CGIAR’s case study on representations of the Amazon for inclusion in its “Bank of Solutions” within the Granary of Solutions web portal. This recognition positioned the work as a practical contribution to national and international efforts to safeguard information integrity around climate change. CGIAR also published an English-language working paper, expanding access to the findings for global stakeholders.  

At the same time, CGIAR invested in tools and capacity to support sustained monitoring of digital spaces. Researchers developed TeleCatch, an open-source software that collects data from public Telegram groups and channels. Tutorials on using the tool were delivered during the Digital Methods Initiative summer school, strengthening methodological capacity among researchers. A second tool, Telegram Analytics, provided a transparent and reproducible pipeline for organizing, visualizing, and interpreting Telegram data. Both tools were used in the Amazon analysis and shared openly with the research community.  

Strengthening government capacity 

Capacity strengthening extended beyond academia. CGIAR trained staff from Brazil’s Social Communications Secretariat responsible for monitoring digital messaging platforms at the national level. This training addressed an identified skills gap, equipping government actors with practical tools to interpret platform dynamics and respond to disinformation risks more effectively. 

“CGIAR Climate Security’s contribution to the Brazil Chapter of Global Initiative for Information Integrity about Climate Change (GIIICC) helps us understand complex digital dynamics, strengthening our capacity to counter climate disinformation with informed and efficient strategies that promote public trust.”  

“A contribuição do CGIAR Climate Security para a Rede de Parceiros pela Integridade da Informação sobre Mudança do Clima (RPIIC) nos ajuda a compreender dinâmicas digitais complexas, fortalecendo nossa capacidade para enfrentar a desinformação climática com estratégias informadas e eficazes que promovem a confiança pública.”  

~ Samara Castro, Chief of Staff, Social Communications Secretariat of the Presidency of Brazil (SECOM/BR) 

 Looking ahead 

Future work will refine and scale these research approaches to other geographies, while maintaining close engagement with policy and advocacy partners. In Brazil, the combination of targeted research, open-source tools, and direct capacity strengthening has demonstrated how evidence can support concrete institutional action. By grounding responses to climate disinformation in rigorous analysis, CGIAR’s work is helping safeguard public trust, an essential condition for effective climate adaptation and mitigation.  

This work is carried out with support from the CGIAR Climate Action Science Program (CASP) and the CGIAR Food Frontiers and Security (FFS) Science Program. We would like to thank all funders who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund: https://www.cgiar.org/funders/