Dr Eileen Culloty, Coordinator of EDMO Ireland, delivered a presentation to the Department of Transport on the role of disinformation in shaping public understanding and debate around climate change. The presentation was part of an expert briefing on information integrity in the context of climate policy.
Dr Culloty outlined key distinctions between disinformation, misinformation, and legitimate opinion, emphasising that while scientific facts underpin climate science, the public debate often centres on political tensions — particularly around who is perceived to gain or lose from policy decisions. She noted that some climate-related topics, such as agricultural emissions or renewable energy infrastructure, can become deeply tied to personal or group identity.
Framing climate disinformation as more than a scientific literacy issue, she argued that it must also be understood in terms of values, trust, and power. Dr Culloty concluded by sharing best practices for countering misperceptions, drawing on guidance from The Debunking Handbook (Lewandowsky et al., 2020), published by the Centre for Climate Change Communication.
