On October 9, 2025, the Max Bell School of Public Policy partnered with The Walrus to host “Climate at a Crossroads,” a one-day conference on how disinformation and digital change are reshaping the politics of climate action. Â
The event brought together researchers, journalists, policymakers, and international leaders to consider what it means to protect information integrity in an era of polarization and rapid technological disruption, and how this challenge will shape the next phase of global climate governance.Â
Panel 1: Mapping the State of Climate DisinformationÂ
The first panel of the conference, moderated by Sonja Solomun, Assistant Professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy, examined how climate disinformation has evolved from denying science to delaying solutions. Chris Russill, Associate Professor at Carleton University and Academic Director at Re.Climate, argued that “adversarial and conspiratorial worldviews” increasingly shape how Canadians encounter climate information. He pointed to false narratives such as the so-called “climate lockdown conspiracy” and the claims that wildfires are deliberately caused by government mismanagement, arguing that digital systems reward manipulation while offering almost no penalties for spreading falsehoods. Amy Janzwood, an Assistant Professor at şÚÁĎÍř, discussed the persistence of pro-fossil narratives, including “ethical oil” and the promotion of carbon capture and liquefied natural gas as climate solutions. She described this pattern as “extractive populism,” where industry messaging and regional grievances reinforce each other, thereby polarizing the debate. Michael Khoo, Policy and Development Co-Chair of Climate Action Against Disinformation, outlined how stronger regulatory standards could rebuild public trust in digital platforms. He proposed adapting safeguards from other sectors, such as “planes, pills, and pork,” to make platforms safer and more traceable with clear accountability. The panel concluded that tech policy is now inseparable from climate policy, emphasizing that restoring transparency and integrity in the information ecosystem is essential for effective and democratic climate governance.Â
Panel 2: Markets Under Pressure: Ecofiscal Tools and Climate Disinformation
Moderated by Christopher Ragan, Founding Director of the Max Bell School of Public Policy and former Chair of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission, this panel examined how misinformation and political polarization are straining market-based climate tools, such as carbon pricing and sustainable finance. Professor Kathryn Harrison of the University of British Columbia presented survey research indicating that partisan identity, rather than household costs, influences Canadians’ understanding of carbon pricing. “The single biggest thing by far that impacted both perceptions of cost and rebates,” she noted, “was what party they had voted for in the previous election.” Even when respondents were showing their actual rebates, she found that some “resisted corrections,” convinced that the policy still harmed them. Professor Andrew Leach of the University of Alberta cautioned that economists and policymakers often erode trust by oversimplifying evidence. "When we talk about these things as economists, we make broad generalizations," he said, pointing to how even one gas bill can undercut sweeping claims about rebates. He stressed that credibility in climate policy requires acknowledging limits and being transparent about trade-offs, and also showing how Canada's efforts fit within a global system. Catherine McKenna, CEO of Climate and Nature Solutions and former federal Environment Minister, defended carbon pricing as both necessary and politically possible when rooted in transparency. She dismissed claims that Canada's efforts are meaningless without larger emitters, and said that "the Paris Agreement requires everyone to do their part." McKenna condemned fossil fuel companies as "the biggest purveyors of misinformation and disinformation" and called for stronger accountability to ensure polluters pay and greenwashing is exposed. The panellists agreed that while Canada’s ecofiscal policies remain among the most ambitious globally, their durability depends on transparent data and political will to defend evidence-based decisions amid a shifting information landscape.Â
Panel 3: Building Resilience Against Climate DisinformationÂ
As the day’s conversations turned from diagnosis to defence, the next panel explored how societies can build lasting resilience against climate disinformation. TVO journalist Molly Thomas guided a wide-ranging exchange among speakers who argued that information integrity is now central to climate policy itself. Andrea Cairola, Chief of Section for Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists, ad interim from UNESCO warned that the information ecosystem faces a “perfect storm,” with over 70 percent of environmental journalists reporting attacks and at least 45 killed in recent years. He pointed to the Canadian-backed Global Media Defence Fund as a source of legal support for reporters who confront harassment and censorship. Geoff Dembicki, investigative reporter and Managing Editor of DeSmog, argued that climate disinformation “doesn’t just appear... it protects power,” emphasizing that fossil fuel companies deliberately engineered public confusion decades ago to stall policy action. He called for an “army of pro-climate influencers” to counter the reach of figures like Jordan Peterson and Ben Shapiro, stressing that credible journalism must also be engaging and well-funded. Juhi Sohani, Managing Director of Action CoLab, reframed influence as a community issue rather than a digital one, and encourages organizers to tap into "high-trust environments" to share credible information. She described how local organizers and "auntie networks" already shape opinions within families and neighbourhoods, and that supporting these embedded communities is an effective method to counter climate misinformation. Adam Lynes-Ford, Co-Founder of My Climate Plan, explained that climate conversations are more effective when rooted in daily experiences and local trust networks. His organization focuses on meeting people "where they encounter climate change," through local experiences such as heatwaves and wildfire smoke, offering practical tools and planning community initiatives that build trust for policy conversations. The panellists agreed that rebuilding trust means supporting consistent, grounded communication that reflects how people live and experience climate change.Â
Final Keynote:Â Addressing Climate Disinformation Beyond Borders
In the keynote, Charlotte Scaddan, Senior Adviser on Information Integrity at the United Nations Department of Global Communications, argued that “we will not achieve our global climate goals unless we strengthen the information ecosystem.” She outlined the UN’s Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change, a collaboration with Brazil and UNESCO launched at the G20, which seeks to broaden research beyond English-speaking contexts and the Global North while integrating information integrity into international climate governance. Scadden described the spread of climate disinformation as a borderless crisis sustained by fragile media systems, the growing influence of harmful online speech, as well as emerging technologies. She warned that AI tools, driven by a “small group of humans putting profit above all risk,” now threaten to erode trust in all information, while their massive energy use makes tech companies “climate actors” in their own right. Yet she emphasized that human choices can still realign innovation with safety. In dialogue with Jennifer Welsh, the Director of the Max Bell School, Scadden reflected on how populist and conspiratorial narratives exploit perceptions of elitism within global institutions, eroding confidence in cooperation. She called on democracies like Canada to lead through transparency and digital literacy while helping build research capacity in the Global South. Ending on a note of cautious optimism, she argued that resilience depends on visibility and persistence, reminding the audience that progress begins by occupying the same spaces as disinformation and refusing to fall silent.Â
This conference was the third in a series of annual conferences on policy issues at the intersection of the economy and the environment. Stay tuned on future events by - choose "Ecofiscal conference updates"Â Â
