COP26/COP27 Climate Disinformation Intelligence Units

ISD and CASM used Beam to power a Climate Disinformation Dashboard over the course of the COP-26 Summit in Glasgow in 2021. This involved a systematised, live assessment of coordinated disinformation and malign influence activities targeting climate action. The team also developed strategies to expose, disrupt and mitigate malign coordinated influence campaigns around climate.

In 2021, the team worked with the Counter-Disinformation Unit at DCMS to integrate its monitoring with cross-Whitehall efforts. Twelve climate action NGOs – known collectively as the Climate Action Against Disinformation Alliance – were on-boarded onto the data system. This first-hand and real-time engagement allowed the teams to produce over 100 pieces of media and journalistic coverage (NPR, Guardian, BBC, New York Times) and reactive fact-checks from the COP26 Presidency.

An overview report produced in collaboration with these twelve partners gives a data-driven examination of the landscape, actors, systems and approaches that are combining to prevent action on climate. This report was presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference and was covered by several major international media outlets and climate-focused podcasts. An optimised version of this model will be deployed within the same coalition context for COP27, due to take place in Egypt.