ISLAMABAD: Experts have called for efforts to counter climate-related disinformation in Pakistan, warning that misleadingnarratives online can undermine public understanding of climate change and erode trust in reliable information.
The call came at the annual meeting of the Coalition Against Disinformation (CAD), held against the backdrop of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI).
The theme for this year is ‘Upholding Information Integrity in the Digital Age: The role of access to Information in addressing Information Disorder’. Established in 2023 with the assistance ofInternational Media Support (IMS), CAD has brought together more than 40 member institutions, universities and individual experts working on information literacy, factchecking and other initiatives aimed at strengthening public resilience against disinformation.
The meeting reviewed progress in combating online disinformation and information disorder in Pakistan, shared experiences and identified areas for joint action.
Representatives of eight universities, four media outlets and civil society organisations attended the meeting, hosted by the Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA) under its IMS programme.
Shahzeb Jillani, director ofthe Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) at IBAKarachi, said fact-checks of viral claims concerning climate-induced extreme weather events had gained traction on social media.
He said people were interested in accessing reliable information on climate change.
Professional fact-checker and independent researcher, Shehzil Zahid, while sharing findings of her ongoing study, said it would inform a practical guide for media organisations to anticipate and proactively prebunk harmful climate disinformation, as well as detect and reactively debunk misleading claims.
Speaking at the meeting, IMS representative Adnan Rehmat referred to the World Economic Forum’s global risk assessment,which has identified disinformation as a severe short-term risk capable of fuelling instability and undermining trust in governance.
He urged the coalition to adopt the four points of consensus that emerged from the 2025 Copenhagen Conference on Information Integrity.
These include designing technology and digital infrastructure in the public interest; ensuring access to reliable and diverse information; holding Big Tech companies accountable for the algorithmic amplification of false and misleading information; and recognising both the potential harms and benefits of artificial intelligence to the information environment in advocating its ethical development and use.