BELÉM: US President Donald Trump calls climate change “a con job” and a gigantic hoax. Other leaders have been known to say that the climate hasn’t changed, we have. The United Nations has now decided to fight such climate disinformation by populist leaders and vested interests like the oil and gas industry through a new initiative.
As the Amazon hosts the climate summit (COP30) this year, Brazilian President Lula has called it the “COP of truth,” a pointed nod to a growing threat. While negotiators debate climate finance and fossil fuel phaseouts, false information is undermining the factual, scientific basis needed for any agreement to work. For India, where millions rely on social media for news, this struggle over accurate information may prove as important as negotiations over money or energy policy.
The volume of false climate claims is staggering. Between July and September 2025, online posts containing COP-related misinformation surged by 267%, with over 14,000 documented instances. The methods have grown more sophisticated. Artificial intelligence now generates fake videos of flooding in Belém, and forged statements from major institutions. These deepfakes spread faster than fact-checkers can respond.
Behind much of this fake news lies deliberate strategy. Energy companies and their lobby groups have pushed more than 2,400 false or misleading claims about renewable energy since last year’s climate summit. Their message is consistent. Renewable energy won’t work reliably, it costs too much, and switching away from fossil fuels will destroy jobs. This is not honest debate. It is an organized effort to delay action.
India faces a particular vulnerability. Surveys show that 57% of Indians incorrectly believe natural gas, a fossil fuel, helps fight climate change, while 41% think electric vehicle batteries cannot be reused. More troubling is the fact that one-third of Indians believe the country cannot afford climate commitments by 2050, a narrative that blends legitimate concerns about equity with manufactured doubt. In India, climate denial has wrapped itself in arguments about fairness and development rights, making it harder to counter with simple fact-checking.
The problem worsens because India lacks strong systems for verifying climate claims and ensuring transparency around data. Unlike many countries with established fact-checking networks, India’s climate discussion remains vulnerable to polarized, politicized narratives on renewable energy, forest protectionand economic growth.
Social media platforms, where most Indians learn about climate issues, promote sensational content regardless of accuracy. Research shows unreliable sources consistently attract more engagement than trustworthy ones.
This is why the UN, UNESCOand summit host Brazil have jointly launched a new Global Initiative on Information Integrity for Climate Change. For the first time, tackling false information stands alongside traditional negotiations as a core element of climate diplomacy. The initiative asks governments and technology companies to take concrete action by removing platforms that profit from lies, stopping corporate greenwashing, and requiring companies to prove their climate claims are true.
India needs to seize this moment. The country has built credibility through transparent emissions reporting and large renewable energy investments. That reputation now faces erosion from coordinated campaigns exploiting real concerns about development and jobs. More importantly, if Indians cannot distinguish between scientific fact and industryfunded messaging, public support for climate action will weaken precisely when it matters most.
The fight over climate facts is no longer a side issue at COP30. Without restoring truth to the centre ofglobal climate negotiations, agreements will fail. India’s task is to recognize that defending facts about climate change, such as harm from fossil fuels, about renewable reliability, about fair transition plans, is itself a form of climate justice. Before the world can act on the science, it must first believe it. And in today’s world, protecting that belief requires deliberate institutional defence of truth.