Climate at a Crossroads

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Tackling disinformation in economic and environmental policy

  At a time of mounting climate urgency, the integrity of our public discourse is under siege. Coordinated disinformation campaigns propelled by actors with particular interests, and accelerated by our algorithmically driven digital sphere, are not only sowing doubt about proposed solutions to mitigate climate change — they are undermining the very policy tools they require. 



Although the scientific consensus on climate change is growing, and innovative economic policies and tools have the potential to make a difference, disinformation is becoming ever more sophisticated, shifting from outright denial to a more nuanced politics of delay, distortion, and inaction. Climate disinformation is no longer just an environmental issue – it’s a structural barrier to democratic governance. 
 This day-long event brings together global experts in climate and economic policy, media, and civil society to explore how climate disinformation is restraining progress. In the face of growing gaps in informational integrity there is a growing need for multi-sectoral, coordinated responses that work.


Join us, in Ottawa or online, for a riveting day of insights and conversation about how to ensure democratic governance in this new and contested climate crisis landscape.

50 Sussex Drive, Ottawa   Thursday, October 9, 2025 9:30 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. ET   General Admission: Free with registration Livestream: Free with registration REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE

9:30 AM – 10:45 AM ET Panel 1: Mapping The State of Climate Disinformation

  Climate disinformation has evolved from efforts to contest the science to coordinated campaigns directed at influencing public opinion, markets, and policy. This panel will explore the current landscape of climate disinformation. What are the dominant disinformation narratives and strategies around climate change and mitigation? How are particular interests and actors amplifying them? And how do these evolving tactics undermine both policy and collective action?

Geoff Dembicki, Investigative Reporter and Global Managing Editor, DeSmog Chris Russill, Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University; Academic Director, Re.Climate Michael Khoo, Policy and Development Co-Chair, Climate Action Against Disinformation Sonja Solomun, Assistant Professor, Max Bell School of Public Policy; Deputy Director, Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy, McGill University

Bios (Read More)

  Geoff Dembicki is global managing editor with the investigative media outlet DeSmog. He is author of The Petroleum Papers, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year that is being turned into a dramatic TV series.

Chris Russill is an Associate Professor in the School of Journalism and Communication and an Academic Director at Re.Climate, a centre for climate communication and public engagement, both housed at Carleton University. His work focuses on how climate communication has been transformed by changes to our information environment, and how communicators struggle with disinformation, crisis management, and public engagement as a result. More on Chris’ work can be found here.

Michael Khoo is co-founder of UpShift Strategies and co-chair of the Climate Action Against Disinformation Coalition at Friends of the Earth where he pioneered its 2018 campaign to pressure Google, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest and Twitter to adopt climate disinformation policies. The work was cited by President Obama as “a good example about how social media companies can respond to disinformation when they want to.” Originally from Toronto, and of Malaysian and British descent, Michael lives in Washington, D.C.

 

11:05 AM – 12:20 PM ET Panel 2: Markets Under Pressure: Ecofiscal Tools and Climate Disinformation

  Ecofiscal policies such as carbon pricing and sustainable finance rely on transparency and public trust. This panel investigates how disinformation campaigns are exploiting these mechanisms – from nuanced delay narratives that seed doubt about the energy transition and the potential for renewables to overt forms of ‘greenwashing’ and manipulation – and what can be done to reinforce accountability and legitimacy.

Kathryn Harrison, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of British Columbia Amy Janzwood, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and the Bieler School of the Environment, McGill University Catherine McKenna, CEO, Climate and Nature Solutions; Former Minister of Environment and Climate Change; Chair, UN Secretary General Expert Group on Net Zero

Bios (Read More)

  Kathryn Harrison is Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia. Before her academic career, Professor Harrison worked as a chemical engineer in the oil industry and as a policy analyst for Environment Canada and the United States Congress. She is chair of the Expert Advisory Panel on Mitigation at the Canadian Climate Institute, a member of British Columbia’s Climate Solutions Council, and a frequent media commentator on climate policy.

Amy Janzwood is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and the Bieler School of the Environment at McGill University. Her research explores the comparative politics of energy and the environment. She also chairs the Steering Committee of the Women and Inclusivity in Sustainable Energy Research (WISER) network.

Catherine McKenna is the founder and principal of Climate and Nature Solutions. She is the Chair of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Commitments of Non-State Entities. She is also a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Columbia’s Climate School and their Centre on Global Energy Policy. As Canada’s former Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, she was a lead negotiator of the Paris Agreement. As Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, she made historic investments in green infrastructure.

 

1:45 PM – 3:00 PM ET Panel 3: Building Resilience Against Climate Disinformation

  Although climate disinformation is increasingly creating obstacles to timely and effective policy, institutions and governments are beginning to respond. Once driven by civil society and researchers, the newfound urgency is now reflected in the work of international bodies: the EU has called for a universal definition of climate disinformation, Canada has cracked down on greenwashing, and the International Panel on Climate Change has formally acknowledged its impact on policy for the first time. This panel explores these emerging efforts to build systemic resilience against climate disinformation, and how they can be connected to the everyday, lived realities of people around the world.

 


3:15 PM – 4:15 PM ET Keynote: Addressing Climate Disinformation Beyond Borders

  Climate disinformation knows no borders. This keynote “fireside chat,” Charlotte Scaddan, Senior Adviser on Information Integrity, United Nations Global Communications, explores how transnational disinformation campaigns are undermining global climate action and how international institutions can respond collectively. Drawing from emerging models such as the UN Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change, this moderated discussion will address calls for a coordinated international strategy to safeguard informational integrity and environmental policy on a planetary scale.

Charlotte Scaddan, Senior Adviser on Information Integrity, United Nations Global Communications Interviewed by Jennifer Welsh, Director of the Max Bell School of Public Policy and Professor of Global Governance and Security

 

Accessibility Information We strive to be accessible and inclusive. If you require support to be able to fully participate in this event, please contact events@thewalrus.ca or (416) 971-5004, ext. 247.

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