
Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast Follow The Money: Who’s driving climate disinformation?
Dec 18, 2025
Jake Dubbins, an expert in advertising, climate, and human rights, probes the murky world of climate disinformation. He discusses how fossil fuel advertising parallels cigarette marketing and the alarming impact of automated ad systems that amplify harmful content. Dubbins also outlines the new Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change, aiming for policy change and transparency. With insights into AI's role in spreading misinformation, the conversation highlights the urgent need to address trust erosion in climate discourse.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Disinformation Vs Misinformation Dynamic
- Disinformation is deliberate and aims to mislead for specific objectives.
- Misinformation spreads when people unknowingly repeat those lies, amplifying harm.
The Trillion-Dollar Attention Economy
- Advertising spending has ballooned into the trillion-dollar attention economy driving influence.
- That scale makes commercial messaging a major vector for shaping public perception about climate.
How Lies Become Shared Beliefs
- Disinformation often becomes misinformation when people pick it up and re-share it believing it's true.
- That conversion fuels polarization and erodes shared facts needed for collective action.
