During the COP30 negotiations, countries raised an issue that had previously remained on the fringes of attention: combating disinformation.
Disinformation significantly slows climate reforms, undermines trust in science, and creates political barriers around even the most necessary decisions. Therefore, 21 countries have already supported the new Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change —a document that opens a new chapter in global climate policy. However, not a single country in the EECCA region has yet signed the document.
Countries have officially acknowledged that it is impossible to address the climate crisis if public space is dominated by false narratives, hidden advertising for the fossil fuel industry, and attacks on those who speak the truth.
This emphasis was already evident on the first day of COP30. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared that the fight for truth has now become as important as reducing emissions . He declared that this conference should be “another defeat for climate deniers.”
“COP30 in Belém will be a conference of truth,” Lula said.
What does this declaration mean for the EECCA region?
The declaration is of particular importance for countries in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, where the region faces growing climate risks, limited access to environmental data, and vulnerable independent media.
Weak independent media and politically complex
The region is experiencing wars, conflicts, and growing authoritarianism. Independent media exist in challenging conditions: some editorial offices operate in exile, such as in Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan; many rely on donor support; and investigative or fact-checking projects are rare.
The declaration sets an important precedent: it opens access to new international resources and strengthens the legitimacy of independent newsrooms covering climate and the environment. If funding flows to the region, it will enable more high-quality investigations, verify controversial climate claims, and debunk myths—from “clean coal” to global warming denial.
Such narratives are clearly visible in the region’s largest countries. Statements about the potential “benefits” of global warming , including possible increases in agricultural production or improved Arctic navigation, periodically appear in Russian public discourse. Such claims are even discussed in economic analyses and expert reports.
For example, in one report, analysts from the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences estimated the potential positive impact of global warming on Russia’s GDP at more than 1 trillion rubles , citing the growth of the agricultural sector and the expansion of the Arctic Sea Route. They also emphasized that such estimates are valid only “under certain conditions” and do not take into account the full range of climate risks.
At the same time, the real consequences of climate change—accelerated permafrost melting, threats to infrastructure, and increased extreme weather events— have significant negative impacts that remain overshadowed by such optimistic narratives and require in-depth analysis and independent verification.
UNESCO Director of Digital Inclusion, Policy and Transformation, Guilherme Canela, emphasized that the new initiative aims to open access to additional funding for investigative journalism and research projects, particularly in countries of the Global South.
“We still know very little about what lies behind this phenomenon. For example, who funds such publications, and why do they spread faster than other types of content? How exactly does this happen? Without understanding these mechanisms, it is extremely difficult to develop effective strategies to counter this phenomenon. The essence of this global initiative is precisely to fund investigative journalism and research projects—especially in countries of the Global South—to uncover what is really going on,” he said.
Confidentiality of data and limited access to information
In many countries in the region, transparency of environmental information remains a challenge: emissions statistics are published irregularly, data on air quality or water resources are absent or unavailable, and scientists and NGOs face restrictions on collecting information in the field.
The declaration increases international pressure on governments to ensure access to data and the protection of those who collect and disseminate it, but if EECCA countries join the declaration.
One such example is the Gavigudet initiative in Georgia . In the city of Rustavi, air pollution remained poorly reflected in official statistics for a long time, and regular and accessible air quality data were limited.
The civic initiative Gavigudet, together with local activists and experts, began collecting and analyzing independent pollution data, which made it possible to clearly demonstrate the scale of the problem and initiate a dialogue with local authorities.
The region is highly vulnerable to climate change
In practice, EECCA countries are among the most vulnerable to the climate crisis—from melting glaciers and water conflicts to extreme heat and poor air quality. However, the media landscape is often shaped by oil, gas, and coal interests, leading to distorted coverage of the climate agenda and suppression of critical reporting.
According to Adil Jalilov, Director of the MediaNet International Journalism Center, the adoption of the declaration comes at a time of profound crisis of trust—both in the climate agenda and in international institutions as a whole. Against the backdrop of wars, rising authoritarianism, and growing climate skepticism, the fight against disinformation is becoming not only an environmental but also a political challenge.
“In my view, this is an essential document, drawing a crucial line and asking countries to decide whether they are on the white or the dark side. This is especially important after Trump’s statements at the UN, when he publicly called the climate agenda a hoax, a conspiracy theory, and became the leading climate skeptic. On the one hand,
On the other hand, joining the declaration hardly commits countries to anything concrete, other than a kind of quiet protest against Trump’s militant disinformation. And if you look closely, only three non-European countries have signed the document so far: Chile, Brazil, and Uruguay.
There is another crucial problem: Putin’s war in Ukraine and Trump’s actions devalue international law, the role of international organizations and, accordingly, documents like this declaration,” says Adil.
The adopted declaration changes the approach to climate policy and introduces new guidelines for all countries. Now:
- Access to accurate and scientifically proven climate information is recognized as a human right for every person.
- Independent media and fact-checking are officially considered elements of climate infrastructure, without which effective climate policy is impossible.
- Journalists, academics, activists and other public voices must be protected from pressure and attacks, and their work must be respected and recognized.
- Disinformation, greenwashing and climate change denial are described as a direct threat to climate policy, rather than just a “minor communications problem.”
- UNESCO is establishing a Global Fund for Information Integrity to support research, media, fact-checking, and anti-disinformation initiatives, with a particular focus on developing regions.
In fact, the document establishes a new international norm: the right to reliable climate information becomes part of the right to a safe and sustainable future.
Despite the initiative’s significance, the declaration remains far from a universal solution. The document is advisory in nature and does not obligate countries to change their legislation. Its true effectiveness will depend on political will, and available funding is currently limited. Furthermore, in a number of countries, reducing pressure on the media will require deep and long-term reforms.
It is also important that the countries of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia did not sign the declaration, which reduces its direct impact on the region—although it does create an important international benchmark on which the media and civil society can rely.
Work on this material was made possible by the Communicating Climate in Central Asia project, implemented with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Google machine translated