Climate Myth-Busting in India

Desciption

In 2022, the IPCC, a United Nations body in charge of the largest global assessment of the impacts of climate change and the strategies to adapt to it, recognized how climate misinformation can delay climate action and weaken public demand for mitigation and adaptation measures.
It was, perhaps for the first time, misinformation, entered the lexicon of any IPCC report, through the second instalment of the AR6, the Working Group II (WG II) report.
Whether it is mass plantation drives, flawed net zero emissions targets with self-set deadlines and limited disclosure on emissions reductions, or the fossil fuel industry’s consistent attempts to greenwash, climate misinformation is a setback to science-backed climate action.
In India, partial information on climate action is creating a problem. For example, lack of accurate information on the scientific way to do mass tree plantations is leading to wasteful expenditure and imperiling native biodiversity at plantation sites.
Misinformation on clear connections between greenhouse gas emissions and extreme weather events, such as storms, floods, heatwaves and droughts, that regularly hit India, can create polarization and lower people’s acceptance of climate change.
But there are tools and resources that can empower Indian journalists to tackle climate misinformation.
The panel, comprising fact-checkers, data analysts and journalists, will underscore the power of data, news verification, and attribution. A refresher curriculum to train journalists across India on climate
change will also be discussed.