September 19 – project launch event (invite-only)

Monday, September 19, starting at 10:00 a.m., we meet at Seneca Anticafe to counter the disinformation surrounding climate change. What limits our information space, what are the most common narratives and how do we educate the vulnerable public about truthful sources of information are some of the questions we will answer together through a fact-checking session on the spot, attended by experts, activists and journalists working actively in the field of the environment. The event will last 2 hours.

Agenda
10:00 – 10:30 > Presentation of the project "Combating disinformation surrounding the transition to a green economy"
10:30 – 11:30 > Live fact-checking with experts in the field - working groups in which we will monitor the media and the public space
11:30 – 12:00 > Conclusions, feedback and presentation of the solutions identified in the fact-checking session
12:00 – Coffee break & networking

Who we're inviting 
Journalists and NGOs interested in combating misinformation on the subject of the green transition. To participate:

RSVP at ana.mocanu@funky.ong 

Motivation

The European Union has perhaps the most ambitious and far-reaching plan to transition to an environmentally friendly economy. 2050 is the self-imposed deadline in Green Deal when the EU aims not to produce more emissions than it can absorb. 9 out of 10 European citizens think climate change is a serious problem. The changes are unprecedented and the legislation and interventions are complex enough to generate confusion.

In Romania, the traditional industry from communism must give way to a circular and clean economy. Together with the fact that climate change is a lower priority for Romanians compared to other countries, these challenges can lead to the emergence of misinformation. Although climate change narratives are still not well represented in public discourse, counter-narratives and attempts at disinformation have already made their way.

Goals

Prevention beats cure, even with misinformation. Through our fact-checking platform, Factual.ro project, now also a signatory of the code of principles of IFCN, we will prevent (pre-bunking) and counter (debunking) the false narratives emerging around the transition to a green economy.  

Together with experts and activists in the field of ecology, we aim to educate the public so that they can defend themselves against misinformation on climate change and the transition to a sustainable European economy. Factual checks will continue to be a method to reactively combat fake news on this topic.

Activities

1. We will research which communities are most exposed of this type of misinformation, what are the narratives being spread and how to adapt our verification process. We will also build a knowledge network and expert contacts who will support us in fact checking.
2. We will monitor the media and public space to combat climate change misinformation, whether through the checks we're used to or new articles and materials. We will train volunteers to carry a social media campaign to combat this type of disinformation.
3. What we have learned, we will try to assemble into one framework that can also be useful to colleagues who do fact checking in other EU states. A newsletter will track our progress but we will also organize a workshop for other EU stakeholders who can benefit from our experience.

Beneficiares

The factchecks and materials resulting from this project will address the general public but we will try to reach those groups and communities that will be most affected by the green transition and therefore exposed to climate change misinformation.

Timetable and financing

June 2022 - May 2023

The project benefits from a budget of 95.000 USD through the Climate Misinformation Grant of Poynter Institute.

Partners

We start off with 2 partners: InfoClima and REPER21. 

InfoClima are a network of researchers who bring scientific arguments to the climate change debate. He works closely with journalists and content creators to bring these arguments to the attention of the public

Reper21 are an association with extensive experience in the fields of social responsibility and sustainable development. Since 2006, the association has promoted these principles in its projects aimed at young people and civil society.