Fossil fuel money funds climate lies. Then ‘AI slopaganda’ spreads it

March 29, 2026 — 5:00am

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Climate action has a new enemy – the rise of “AI slopaganda”. Thanks to generative artificial intelligence platforms, climate misinformation is now propagating itself, a federal Senate inquiry has found.

The old enemies have not gone away – climate falsehoods are also spread by vested interests representing the fossil fuel industry, community members with genuine concerns but misguided beliefs, and sites serving clickbait to drive advertising revenue.

The select committee on information integrity on climate change and energy put these issues under the microscope for almost eight months. The report, which dropped last week, makes for grim reading.

The report says proliferation of misinformation (false information) and disinformation (deliberate deception) is polarising public discourse, reducing understanding of climate science and support for action, and eroding trust in science and knowledge institutions.

Australia has some of the highest levels of concern about information integrity globally, the report says. “In addition, false and misleading information about climate change or the environment was one of the top misinformation topics encountered by Australian audiences, with levels of disinformation tending to spike around extreme weather events.”

Misinformation campaigns against renewable energy projects have also been inflaming tensions and fuelling conflict in communities, the inquiry says, including bushfire survivors, landholders, and community group members being subject to harassment, intimidation, physical abuse and even death threats.

Yet silencing debate would probably further undermine trust in communities,........

© The Sydney Morning Herald