Climate disinformation back to denying it exists, says UN's Melissa Fleming

December 21, 2022

Climate Disinformation Back to Denying It Exists, Says UN’s Melissa Fleming | GZERO Media

People are a lot more worried about climate change than they used to be. And they are also very concerned about disinformation related to climate.

"We're seeing a disturbing spike in disinformation around climate change," Melissa Fleming, the UN's Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, says during a Global Stage livestream conversation hosted by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft.

But what's more troubling is that the disinformation super-spreaders, she adds, have "returned now to the complete denial narrative" — it's a hoax.

Who's driving it? Advertising investments from fossil fuel companies, which for Fleming is greenwashing we should no longer tolerate.

Watch the full Global Stage livestream conversation "The Road to 2030: Getting Global Goals Back on Track."

From Your Site Articles

Hard Numbers: US doubles Maduro’s bounty, Trump appoints new Fed member, Modi and Lula combine forces, & more

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addresses supporters during a march marking the first anniversary of his victory in the disputed July 28 presidential election, in Caracas, Venezuela July 28, 2025.

REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria

Climate disinformation back to denying it exists, says UN's Melissa Fleming

GZEROMEDIA

More from GZERO Media

Trump vs higher education, with Harvard's Noah Feldman

Harvard Law's Noah Feldman unpacks the Trump administration’s legal and political escalations with elite US universities.

Deadline for Putin

It has passed very strongly. #PUPPETREGIME

Iran’s next act?

Twelve days of war earlier this summer demonstrated that Iran has little capacity to defend its cities or its nuclear facilities from Israeli and US strikes. But it still likely retains some uranium supplies, so it has options.

What We’re Watching: Israel advances Gaza City takeover plan, US brokers Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal, Trump’s Russia deadline arrives

Hard Numbers: US doubles Maduro’s bounty, Trump appoints new Fed member, Modi and Lula combine forces, & more

$50 million: The US doubled its bounty to $50 million for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

GZEROMEDIA

You vs. the News: A Weekly News Quiz

Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.

Hard Numbers: Italy builds bridge over troubled waters, Ghanaian helicopter crash kills two ministers, Portuguese cop stuffs coke in animal skins, & More

Graphic Truth: Where tariffs stand on key US trade partners

President Donald Trump’s sweeping new global tariffs took effect on Thursday, slapping 90 countries with rates as high as 50%.

What We’re Watching: Trump to meet Putin, Indigenous voters in Bolivia shift right, Lula’s anti-Trump strategy goes global

Bangladesh a year later: democracy is easier said than done

Earlier this week, thousands of people flooded the streets in Bangladesh’s capital of Dhaka to mark the one-year anniversary of a student-led protest movement that brought an end to 15 years of rule under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Climate disinformation back to denying it exists, says UN's Melissa Fleming

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

More from GZERO Media

Harvard Law's Noah Feldman unpacks the Trump administration’s legal and political escalations with elite US universities.

It has passed very strongly. #PUPPETREGIME

Twelve days of war earlier this summer demonstrated that Iran has little capacity to defend its cities or its nuclear facilities from Israeli and US strikes. But it still likely retains some uranium supplies, so it has options.

$50 million: The US doubled its bounty to $50 million for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.

President Donald Trump’s sweeping new global tariffs took effect on Thursday, slapping 90 countries with rates as high as 50%.

Earlier this week, thousands of people flooded the streets in Bangladesh’s capital of Dhaka to mark the one-year anniversary of a student-led protest movement that brought an end to 15 years of rule under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.