The spread of disinformation is a constant challenge for democratic societies in Europe. It has the potential to undermine democratic processes and enhance societal polarisation. At the same time climate change is arguably one of the most pressing global issues that we face today and tomorrow. It has become a contested sphere of intense political and societal debate, thus an area where disinformation flourishes. For instance, information falsely stating that global warming is not caused by human activity, serves to prevent meaningful climate change measures. The changing digital communication landscapes and social media platforms facilitate the spread of disinformation.

It is therefore important to not only recognise disinformation on climate change in political debates and in everyday life, but also to develop effective policies and other measures to combat disinformation in the European Union (EU).

Have you come across memes, chats or stories which deny man-made climate change, discredit climate activists or take scientific data and facts out of context to confuse and delegitimise climate action? Do you want to discuss policy action and what can be done to dismantle climate change related disinformation?

As part of the RADAR project, TEPSA teamed up with the Institut für Europaïsche Politik (IEP) to co-host the “RADAR Youth Lab: Dismantle Disinformation on Climate Change”. Participants engaged in discussing disinformation, how to recognise it, how it affects us and what can be done to lessen its impact. We aimed to empower young people to take a leadership role in raising awareness and combating disinformation through peer-learning, expert insights, and practical recommendations.

The Programme

• A Public Debate shed light on different perspectives on disinformation and how it affects policy debates on climate change.
• A one-day interactive Workshop gave participants the opportunity to exchange experiences and impressions with a group of peers and together formulate ideas on how to tackle and combat disinformation in the EU. Policy recommendations were collected in a briefing report and presented to policy makers at EU level at the project’s policy conference.
• Become a Youth Ambassador: Two participants refineed and present policy-relevant recommendations to high-level EU policy-makers and experts at a concluding conference in Brussels (1/2 February 2024).

When and where?

The Radar Youth Lab took place on Friday, 16 June 2023 (9am-5pm) in Berlin.

Who?

Participants needed to be residents of an EU country and be between 18 and 30 years old. The events were held in English. The selection was based on motivation and experience and strive to assemble a diverse group of participants in terms of background, country of residence and gender. Selection results were communicated via email before 21 May 2023. Participants of the RADAR Youth Lab that travel from outside Berlin were reimbursed for their costs.

Learn more on IEP’s website.