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Climate disinformation back to denying it exists, says UN's Melissa Fleming
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."
2022 has been rough. Will 2023 be any better?
2022 has been the year of converging crises: the ongoing pandemic, climate change, economic turmoil, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Lots of gloom and doom, indeed.
But in all these crises, there is an opportunity to bounce back with solutions to make the world a better place. Think of how the war in Ukraine united the West more than ever against a common enemy.
How? Good question. We asked several experts during the Global Stage livestream conversation "The Road to 2030: Getting Global Goals Back on Track," hosted by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft.
For Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group and GZERO, the main reason for hope in 2023 is that this year some people realized that there are big problems worth fixing. Although we definitely live in a G-zero world with a vacuum of global leadership, he adds, we've also seen unprecedented Western unity that would not have happened without Russia invading Ukraine. Ian believes that resistance to a negotiated solution to the war will come from the developing world and that Elon Musk is definitely complicating things with how he's running Twitter.
Microsoft President Brad Smith discussed the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which at their halfway point he sees as a "glass half full, half empty" but questions how progress is being measured. Also, Smith sees Russia turning to civilians in Ukraine because its military is losing against Ukrainian soldiers, which he regards as the opposite of what the world agreed to do after World War II. On climate, he doesn't see things in good shape after COP27 but hopes today's multiple ongoing crises will push us to do more things together.
Melissa Fleming, the UN's Undersecretary-General for Global Communications, laments there is so much more to be done to make the world a better place next year, but there's so much lethargy amid all the gloom and doom. She also braces for Ukraine's tough winter as Russia targets the country's energy infrastructure. Fleming is worried about a disturbing spike in climate change disinformation, which has returned to the denial narrative when people most need to be informed about what's happening to the planet.
Khadija Mayman from the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative underscores the need for young people in her community to get mental health support. Other types of support would be welcome, too — youth want to do the work, but they can't wait forever for jobs, so we need to help create businesses that'll employ them.
Hindou Ibrahim, co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change, says that we can't protect biodiversity without first recognizing Indigenous peoples' rights to land and access to finance. We must all be partners, she adds, and Indigenous peoples are the "CEOs" (chief ecological officers) of the planet's biodiversity.
Dr. Omnia El Omrani, Youth Envoy for COP27 and SDG Champion, resents how young people's voices are excluded from the global climate conversation while they are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change. She wants to create a space for young people to be able to shape their own futures without killing their dreams.
This livestream is the latest in the Webby-nominated Global Stage series, a partnership between GZERO and Microsoft that examines critical issues at the intersection of technology, politics, and society.
- COVID's impact on education and its long-term geopolitical consequences: Gerald Butts ›
- Who can solve the world's "emergency of global proportions"? ›
- Is the world coming apart? Drama at Davos ›
- Top Risks 2022: We’re done with the pandemic, but the pandemic ain’t done with us ›
- Russia freezing out Ukrainian civilians because it can't beat military, says Microsoft's Brad Smith - GZERO Media ›
- We can't fix climate change without protecting biodiversity, says UNFCCC official - GZERO Media ›
Why is Russia on the UN Security Council?
“The UN is back,” said Melissa Fleming, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications. In an interview with GZERO Media on the sidelines of the 77th General Assembly, Fleming reflected on the return to in-person diplomacy after years of disruption caused by pandemic.
“There is this real feeling that the UN is the only place for global cooperation,” she said. “We cannot solve the world's intractable problems of climate change, of war, of refugees without multilateralism, and multilateralism is the UN. It is nations working together to solve problems.”
In the interview, Fleming also acknowledged that the collision of recent global crises had created uncertainty about the power of multilateralism. But she said recent diplomatic efforts lead by the UN, including the Black Sea grain initiative to help mitigate a growing food insecurity crisis, have brought renewed energy.
On Russia’s membership and role at the UN, Fleming said, “Russia's invasion of Ukraine has absolutely launched a discussion about how the Security Council works, how it is dysfunctional, especially when one permanent member of the Security Council is the invading country. So, it's obviously started a debate.”
Should internet be free for everyone? A Global Stage debate
Half of the world's population is currently offline, and COVID has further widened the digital gap. Providing more than three billion people with affordable, reliable internet access sounds like a no-brainer, but the devil is in the details. Who'll pay for it, how do we measure success, who should be on board, and what are the potential benefits?
Several experts weighed in during a Global Stage virtual conversation hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with Microsoft during the 76th UN General Assembly, moderated by the UN's Melissa Fleming.Don't miss our next event: LIVE on Wednesday Oct 13 11am ET/ 8 am PT:
Vickie Robinson, head of Microsoft's Airband Initiative to expand broadband access throughout the developing world, what's really important is for the internet to be accessible, not necessarily free. The problem, she explained, is that it costs money to build and maintain networks, so no costs for end users could have unintended consequences. Instead, Robinson would focus only on giving access to people who really need it and can't afford to be online.
Make Internet Affordable, but Not Free for All | Global Stage | GZERO Mediayoutu.be
Even developed countries have their own problems getting everyone online. Jessica Rosenworcel, acting chair of the US Federal Communications Commission, said that mapping the real state of America's broadband access is currently flawed because a single subscriber in a rural area doesn't mean everyone is online. Until the US comes up with a better way to show who actually has internet access and who doesn't, the problem will likely never be fixed.
We'll Never Fix America's Internet Without Measuring Access Properly, Says FCC Chair | Global Stageyoutu.be
Then there's another important question: whose responsibility should it be to bridge the "digital Grand Canyon" of exclusion, asthe UN refers to the digital divide? For the International Communications Union's Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the only way is to get all concerned parties — the UN, governments, international institutions, the private sector, and civil society — to work together.
How can we bridge the "digital Grand Canyon"? | Global Stage | GZERO Mediayoutu.be
If everyone who needs access to the internet gets it, the world's least-connected continent — Africa — could benefit tremendously. Eurasia Group's top Africa analyst Amaka Anku explained that getting all Africans online could spur economic growth by formalizing the informal sector, which is very large and hard to tax, as long as African governments help out by cutting red tape for investment.
Want Africa to Grow? Get People and Businesses Online: Africa Expert | Global Stage | GZERO Mediayoutu.be
Stay informed about further Global Stage discussions: sign up for updates and reminders about GZERO Media's events.
- Panel: Why access to broadband & digital skills is critical - GZERO ... ›
- Global Stage virtual events return this fall - GZERO Media ›
- Beyond SolarWinds: Securing Cyberspace - GZERO Media ›
- GDP should reflect cost of polluting planet, says Microsoft's John Frank - GZERO Media ›
- COP26 vibes so far: "What's it worth to save everything we have?" - GZERO Media ›
- Global Stage virtual events return this fall - GZERO Media ›
- Join us April 21 for our next Global Stage event live from Washington DC - GZERO Media ›
- Want global equality? Get more people online - GZERO Media ›
- Join us April 21 for our next Global Stage event live from Washington DC - GZERO Media ›
- How to get students back on track after the Great Education Disruption - GZERO Media ›
- Join us for our Global Stage event live from Washington DC - GZERO Media ›
- Global Stage: Global issues at the intersection of technology, politics, and society - GZERO Media ›
- The fight to “connect every last person” to the internet - GZERO Media ›
- "Access is a fundamental right" - Digital activist Vilas Dhar - GZERO Media ›
Watch our discussion to decide: should internet access be free?
Access to the internet is a universal right.
Broadband should be free.
Tech companies should foot the bill.
Discuss.
GZERO Media and Microsoft will convene proponents, skeptics, and fence-sitters to debate whether the internet should be free on the next Global Stage event.
Make up your mind in our event September 15th at 11am ET/8am PT.
- Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary General (moderator)
- Jessica Rosenworcel, Acting Chairwoman, Federal Communications Commission
- Vuyani Jarana, Chairman, Mobax Group
- Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau
- Vickie Robinson, General Manager, Microsoft Airband Initiative
- Amaka Anku, Practice Head, Africa, Eurasia Group
Special appearance by António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
Should internet access be free for everyone? \n\nWe'll discuss live on 9/15\n\nMore info: https://www.gzeromedia.com/global-stage/virtual-events/global-stage-virtual-events-return-this-fall\u00a0\u2026\n\n#GlobalStage\n@MSFTIssues @VSRob29 @AmakaAnku @Vuyanij @JRosenworcel @antonioguterres— GZERO Media (@GZERO Media) 1630945580
“Building back better”: UN General Assembly confronts the COVID-19 pandemic
The United Nations marks its 75th anniversary this year amid the greatest global crisis since its founding. The UN's head of global communications Melissa Fleming explains the goals of this General Assembly, and how a renewed commitment to cooperation among nations could help eradicate COVID-19.