31/05/2025

The Double-Edged Sword of AI and the Battle Against Climate Change Misinformation

EARTHDAY.ORG - Dory Miller


In the age of artificial intelligence, how we seek answers has fundamentally changed, whether for complex questions or just simple inquiries. 

What was once a matter of working through library bookshelves transformed into sifting through Google search results and has now been reduced to typed conversation with AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. 

But as these tools become more central to how we access information, their reliability — especially on urgent and politically-charged topics like climate change — has come under intense scrutiny.

The uncomfortable truth is that these models do not always provide accurate and factual responses that we are looking for. Large Language Models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard have been known to “hallucinate” data — a polite way of saying they make things up. 

That’s a huge problem in our current age of misinformation, particularly for those who willfully or overly trust AI-generated responses. 

In a bit of a confessional, I asked ChatGPT to give me some examples of information it had shared on climate change in the past that was wrong, it happily coughed up these:

1. “Climate models can’t be trusted — they’re too uncertain.”

ChatGPT said this was incorrect framing. In earlier outputs, it admitted that it sometimes gave too much weight to uncertainty, downplaying how accurate and useful climate models actually are. 

While they do have uncertainties (especially about feedback and timing), their broad projections have been remarkably accurate, especially about global temperature rise.

2. “Individual actions like recycling are the key to stopping climate change.” Misleading emphasis.

ChatGPT admitted to occasionally overstating the impact of individual choices without making clear that systemic policy changes and industrial shifts have far greater impact. 

Recycling is good, but not enough without major structural changes in energy, agriculture, and transportation.

3. “The effects of climate change are in the future.” Wrong timeline.

Major confession here — ChatGPT used to refer to climate change impacts as distant or future events, even as things like extreme heat waves, floods, and wildfires were already escalating. That misrepresented how present and urgent the crisis already is.

Now AI could just be making these gaffes up to make me happy, but I doubt it’s that sophisticated.

When ChatGPT first came out, it told a friend of mine that it was alive, had a dog called Bailey, and believed in Jesus. Though this was freaky, it demonstrates how far generative AI platforms have come in a short span of time, as it won’t tell us that anymore.

Still, not everyone sees AI as part of the problem. Some researchers believe it could be the very tool we need to fight back against digital deception.

Why Misinformation Matters

When falsehoods about climate science circulate widely, people are far less likely to make changes to their own behaviour — or support policies that do. 

As seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation can directly influence public behavior, with hesitancy around trusting vaccines being just one example. The same logic applies to climate change.

As one expert at the Stockholm Resilience Centre warns, “misinformation and conspiracy theories about wind energy farms are already affecting the expansion of renewable energy negatively, and thus the prospects for achieving a transition to zero-carbon energy sources.” 

We know that one popular myth is that wind farms are killing thousands of whales; they are not. And while they are responsible for millions of killed birds, the honest truth is that cats kill more birds than turbines, but we don’t hear conspiracy theories risking the ire of cat lovers by suggesting we get rid of cats! 

In other words, the spread of climate misinformation isn’t just confusing — it’s selective and designed to actively undermine the building of a more sustainable fossil-free future by weakening our determination and will to act.

These narratives do not just emerge organically. Rather, they are fueled by industries with a lot to lose in a greener world. Oil and gas lobbyists, with the help of some fossil-friendly politicians, rely heavily on spreading doubt and confusion to delay climate regulations and maintain their grip on both energy policy and the economy. 

In this context, disinformation — false information spread deliberately to mislead — becomes a weapon to conflate and confuse scientific fact. 

Between eroding public trust in scientific consensus and fostering political polarization, both misinformation and disinformation stop climate action in its tracks and fuel a toxic status quo. 

Misinformation, and being told over and over again that our everything is fine, is what put us into the current environmental situation we are in. The decline in our planet’s health is because we listened to those that have a direct interested in degrading our environment.
Aidan Charron, Associate Director of Global Earth Day

The Dark Side of AI

The very features that make AI so powerful — its speed, scalability, and ability to generate human-like content — also make it a potent tool for spreading climate misinformation. 

Platforms like ChatGPT are trained on enormous amounts of data pulled from across the internet, including conspiracy theories, biased articles, and outdated information. 

Without proper oversight, they can easily end up repeating — or even amplifying — misinformation.

A study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate tested Google’s AI chatbot Gemini (formerly Bard) on 100 false narratives across several themes. 

The results? Gemini produced misinformation in 78 out of 100 cases, and it generated falsehoods in all 10 climate-related narratives. That’s not just an occasional slip-up; that’s a pattern with irrevocable consequences.

As Asheley R. Landrum, an associate professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, pointed out in an email to DeSmog, “malicious actors exploit LLMs … to create disinformation.” 

That means people — and corporations within polluting industries — can intentionally use AI to spread lies, knowing that the authority of the technology makes those lies more believable.

With just a few prompts, AI can spin a conspiracy theory into a slick, emotionally charged script, complete with fabricated “evidence,” sensationalized language, and hooks tailored to specific demographics. Add dramatic music, trending hashtags, and a charismatic creator, and the lie becomes compelling content. 

TikTok’s algorithm rewards engagement, not accuracy, so the more provocative and polarizing the video, the more it gets pushed to new viewers. 

Suddenly, an absurd conspiracy theory — say, that climate change was caused by the government to control us —- can rack up millions of views, influence public opinion, and even change someone’s vote before fact-checkers catch up.

There’s also a deeper issue here: media literacy. We’ve become so used to letting AI answer our questions that we’ve stopped doing the work ourselves. 

Reliance on AI, particularly in academic settings, is weakening our research and critical thinking skills — and making us more vulnerable to digital deception in the process. 

It’s not just that AI gets things wrong. It’s that we trust it so much, to the point where we don’t even realize it or feel the need to check the veracity of what it is saying to us. 

The Bright Side of AI

But it’s not all doom and gloom. 

AI can also be part of the solution, especially when it’s used thoughtfully and with purpose. 

One promising example comes from John Cook, a senior research fellow at the Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change. 

Cook is part of a team working on a project called CARDS (Computer Assisted Recognition of Denial and Skepticism), an AI-powered fact-checking tool that identifies and debunks climate misinformation.

CARDS uses a “fact-myth-fallacy-fact-debunking” structure to identify and counter climate misinformation in real time. 

It works like this: identify the real fact, point out the fallacy behind the myth, and explain how the fallacy misleads. 

The goal is to make climate science easier to understand while disarming harmful narratives in the process.

Interestingly, the data CARDS was trained on came from climate denial blogs and conservative think tanks — precisely the sources that have fueled much of the online climate skepticism that the AI tool is trying to counter. 

While the tool isn’t perfect (it still struggles with AI’s tendency to hallucinate), it’s been shown to detect misinformation with almost 90% accuracy. And the team isn’t stopping there; they’re aiming for 100%.

This kind of innovation shows how AI can be repurposed as a solution. Instead of being a mouthpiece for fossil fuel propaganda, it can be a powerful ally in the fight against climate disinformation.

So, What Comes Next?

Clearly, we can’t just sit back and hope AI will magically sort itself out. 

Regulation is going to be key. 

A professor at UC Berkeley School of Law, who specializes in AI, has expressed deep concern over the growing distrust in science, particularly when it comes to climate change. With the current administration shrinking NOAA and gutting its climate research programs, we’re already moving in the wrong direction.

She believes we need laws that introduce incentives for social platforms to do their own fact-checking. 

One idea she’s been exploring is a negligence standard: if a platform knowingly publishes false information, it should be held financially accountable. 

It’s a legal approach to a digital-age problem — one that, with the right oversight, can help slow the spread of climate lies.

She also emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility. 

Being mindful of how we browse, share, and interact with content online can help prevent misinformation from spreading across platforms. 

Everyone has a role to play, from tech companies to users,  in protecting what she calls our “fundamental right to truthfulness.”

Utilizing journalistic double sourcing, peer-reviewed sources is the easiest and best step to limit repeating any falsehoods AI tries to feed you.

A More Climate Literate Future Starts Now

What is clear is AI isn’t going anywhere. 

If anything, it is only becoming more embedded in our daily lives and information ecosystems. 

The real question is whether we’ll let it drag us backward or push us forward. Projects like CARDS prove that there’s still hope — that AI can be a force for good if we’re willing to steer it in the right direction. But we can’t afford to be passive. 

Take action today by educating yourself on the real science behind climate change and improving your environmental literacy, starting right here on EARTHDAY.ORG. 

The fight against climate misinformation is also a fight for a livable future on the planet we call home.

And we need all the tools — and truth — we can get.

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BOM forecast predicts major climate driver could boost winter rainfall

ABC – Tyne Logan

Floods and drought in Australia
The end of May saw severe flooding in NSW's mid-north coast, while parts of South Australia and Victoria were in a record drought. (NSW Police/ABC News: Jess Davs)
Outlook
The bureau's official winter outlook shows a warm winter is likely across all of Australia, but the rainfall prediction is less clear.

Fire authorities are warning there is an unseasonal increased fire risk this winter across parts of southern Australia.
Climate Driver
There are forecasts a major climate driver could swing into its wet phase over the coming months, helping to drive rainfall in late winter.

There are signs a major climate driver could shift into its "wet phase" over the coming months, boosting the chance of rain across large parts of Australia toward the end of winter.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has released its official outlook for the season ahead.

It shows strong signs that winter will be warmer than normal, continuing on from what has been a record-warm start to the year for large parts of southern Australia.

But, for many, it's the rain that will matter the most, with southern parts of the country in the grip of severe drought, while flooding devastated parts of the east.

Wait for the rain could stretch on

Unfortunately, the long-range forecast offers few clues on what is to come for the next two months for the regions that rely on winter rainfall.

Across June and July, the model slightly favours wetter-than-normal weather through flood-affected parts of the east coast and some drought-affected parts of South Australia.

But for most of Australia's populated areas there is no clear sign that rainfall will veer from the average.

"What we're really saying is the dice aren't particularly loaded over the next three months for either wetter or drier conditions," BOM's national manager of climate services Karl Braganza said.

There is, however, a notable shift later in the season, with the rainy signal strengthening for large portions of the country from July to September.

This signal is strongest through northern and central parts of the country, but also extends through the majority of Queensland, into New South Wales away from the coast, and across much of South Australia.

Dr Braganza said this was consistent with forecasts that a major climate driver — known as the Indian Ocean Dipole — would swing into its wet phase over the coming months.

The Indian Ocean Dipole — or IOD — is often referred to as the cousin of the better-known El Niño and La Niña.

During a negative phase, warmer-than-normal waters concentrate near Australia's north-west, helping to create a moisture-rich atmosphere that the western winds can tap into as they move across the country from the north-west to the south-east.

"So, for the last couple of years now, we've had just really warm waters around the coast of Australia," Dr Braganza said.

"And we've seen that with some of the rain-bearing systems that we've had come through. They've tended to rain a lot, including the recent system that we had in the east over New South Wales."

"So those warm oceans are having an influence on the east of the continent, and they're having an influence over the north-west and inland parts of the continent as they bring moisture over the mainland."

Southern Australia desperate for rain

In South Australia and western Victoria, rain is desperately needed soon, according to agronomist Martin Colbert.

Martin Colbert collecting soil on a rag on a dusty paddock in front of a mountain range
The soil is incredibly dry across drought-stricken areas. (ABC News: Jess Davis)

"We need above-average rainfall immediately just to get the crop to start," he said.

"If we get sub-average rainfall before spring, things will be so poor that, while rain will be nice, it won't save us."

Unfortunately, for drought-stricken parts of western Victoria, the prospect of above-average rainfall remains inconclusive even into the later part of the season.

It is the same for large parts of Western Australia and Tasmania, which have also been overwhelmingly dry and warm for the past year.

The ongoing dry conditions have forecast an unseasonal increased fire risk through large parts of South Australia and Victoria this winter.

"At this time of year, typically you don't get the really high temperatures, low humidity and wind speeds that cause a fire to rapidly spread," Dr Braganza said.

"So it's quite different to summer, but it's very dry out there with dry paddocks and other things. So grassfires and other fires could get going at this time of year."

A map of Australia with parts of SA marked in red, indicating an increased fire risk
The dry conditions in parts of southern Australia have caused authorities to warn of an unseasonal increased fire risk this winter. (Supplied: Australasian Fire & Emergency Service Authorities Council)

Another warm winter

One thing that is clear in the winter forecast is the temperature.

The entire country is strongly favoured to have warmer-than-normal day and night-time temperatures this season.

Warm winters are something that have become commonplace in recent decades. Of the 10 warmest winters on record, nine have occurred since 2010.

How much did yearly winter temperatures veer from the average?

Only two of the last 35 winters in Australia have been cooler than the 1960 to 1990 average.

Winter temperature anomalies in Australia
ABC | Source: Bureau of Meteorology

"So that just really emphasises how our climate is changing," Dr Braganza said.

Warmer-than-normal weather overall does not mean it will necessarily feel warm, however. Nor does it mean it will be warm all the time.

Last year, for example, was Australia's warmest winter on record but featured several days where the mercury plummeted to freezing levels.

Forecast not set in stone

Dr Braganza said the bureau's long-range model represented "conditions at the largest scale", such as pressure patterns and ocean conditions.

But it cannot pick up on individual systems and how much rain they will bring.

These individual systems can make a big difference to the outcome.

Australian National University hydro-climate scientist Chiara Holgate said studies of past droughts in southern Australia had shown the presence of just a "handful" of big, organised storms could be the difference between a wet and dry season.

Winter storm in Australia
Just a handful of strong winter cold fronts and storms can change the fortunes of southern Australia's season. (Supplied: Marcus Scott)

"We know from other studies that it's a handful of the heavier rain days, say about 10mm in a day, that can change the fortunes of a region of Australia," Dr Holgate said.

"So if there's 10 extra days compared to normal of those higher rain days, we can expect it would be a wet year. But if we didn't get those 10 or so heavy rain days, then that region would be at risk of entering drought."

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