Power in this digitally networked age comes from dominance in the information space and Australians are now living in a world increasingly shaped by propaganda and disinformation rather than factual information. Anti-climate-action propaganda and disinformation networks have grown into multibillion dollar permanent campaigns, largely funded by fossil-fuel interests and their allies. These campaigns may be best understood through a lens of information warfare, combining traditional media influence, coordinated online activity and algorithmic amplification to shape narratives and perceptions at scale.
The overall objective is not simply to convince, but to degrade the information environment itself, creating confusion, mistrust and institutional delegitimisation that weakens democratic decisionmaking on complex issues including climate and energy. The problem is becoming more acute with the emergence of even more powerful anti-climateaction coalitions, expansion of generative AI, and the global corporate consolidation of information power.
