Opening speech by Rafael Benitez, Director of Social Rights, Health and Environment
Dear President and members of the GME, dear guest-speakers,
It is a pleasure to open today’s debate on one of the most defining challenges of our time: the impact of climate disinformation on human rights and democratic resilience.
We all know that access to information, public participation, and access to justice are the foundations of sound environmental governance.
But they are also far more than that. They are the conditions that allow people to exercise their rights, hold institutions accountable, and shape the future of their societies. These principles lie at the heart of the Council of Europe’s mission.
Our Organisation has long equipped member states with the tools to protect them - through conventions, soft law, and practical cooperation.
Objective 2 of the Council of Europe Strategy on the Environment reinforces this commitment: strengthening democratic governance by promoting transparency, environmental education and awareness, and combating misinformation and disinformation.
Building on pillars such as the Aarhus Convention and the Tromsø Convention, we are working to ensure that people can access reliable information and participate meaningfully in environmental decision-making.
The Secretary General’s initiative, Towards a New Democratic Pact for Europe, places environmental degradation and disinformation squarely among the root causes of democratic backsliding. This is not theoretical. It is happening now, and it affects every corner of our societies.
Global trends confirm this urgency. The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2024 ranks misinformation and disinformation as the number one short-term global risk, and environmental threats dominate the long-term horizon.
When disinformation fuels confusion, delays action, and erodes trust, democracy and human rights are the first casualties.
We are seeing the consequences:
- Attacks on science and expertise,
- Shrinking civic space for environmental defenders,
- Pressure on journalists,
- Deepening inequalities,
- Weakened public health responses,
- And obstacles to adopting the policies our planet urgently needs.
This “information disorder” directly jeopardises human rights such as freedom of expression, the right to participation, the right to health, or non-discrimination, and ultimately, compromise a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
In its landmark judgment Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz et autres v. Switzerland, the ECHR found that inadequate climate action could violate human rights. This verdict was grounded in evidence, not rhetoric: the Court examined an enormous body of scientific material - thousands of pages - with a judgment nearly 300 pages long - to assess the state’s obligations. It reaffirmed that climate science is robust, and that states must base environmental policy on reliable data, not on political convenience or manipulated narratives.
And yet the situation is worsening; several European countries have seen organised campaigns spreading disinformation about air-quality policies, from low-emission zones to clean-transport measures. In some cities, false claims circulated on social media led to harassment of local officials, vandalism of public infrastructure, and even the repeal or delay of health-protecting regulations. These examples show how disinformation can directly weaken the protection of the rights to health and to a safe environment.
In other parts of Europe, renewable-energy projects have been systematically targeted by disinformation campaigns aiming to portray wind and solar farms as threats to public safety, national security, or even personal freedoms.
In certain regions, fabricated claims about the “health dangers” of wind turbines have delayed or prevented projects critical for energy transition.
These narratives do not only slow climate action; they also distort democratic participation by overwhelming citizens with falsehoods instead of facts.
Environmental human rights defenders - from local activists to investigative journalists - increasingly face intimidation fuelled by online disinformation. Some have been falsely portrayed as extremists or “foreign agents.” In a few countries, disinformation campaigns have paved the way for legal harassment or smear campaigns against those who simply seek transparency. The result is a direct assault on freedom of expression and civic participation.
These examples show that climate disinformation is not an abstract issue. It has real consequences for real people and for their rights.
This year in COP30 in Belém, the Council of Europe convened a side-event dedicated to these issues, with a strong focus on youth.
Young people are not only demanding credibility and action; they are generating their own solutions and exposing the dynamics of climate disinformation in real time.
The discussions in Belém underscored the need for reliable environmental information as a human right and as the backbone of democratic environmental governance.
They highlighted the role of courts in ensuring accountability and stressed the imperative to protect those, especially youth and vulnerable communities, who are targeted for speaking up.
We will further reinforce this commitment next year by organising the First European Forum of Environmental Human Rights Defenders, which will take place in Strasbourg on 3-4 June 2026.
This Forum will provide a platform for dialogue, cooperation and capacity building, and will support those who play a crucial role in defending environmental rights and addressing misinformation through their work on the ground.
Today, we bring that conversation on Human Rights and Climate disinformation home. Our debate will explore:
- international mechanisms and new initiatives to strengthen research and responses to climate disinformation;
- how existing Council of Europe instruments can support states in addressing the challenges ahead;
- and the essential role of civil society - especially Environmental Human Rights Defenders and youth - in detecting, exposing and countering disinformation.
Your insights today will directly shape the future work of the Steering Committee on the Environment (CDENV), which has been tasked with reviewing disinformation, misinformation, and access to information on environment-related matters, and developing good practices and recommendations for action.
The stakes are high. The choices we make today will determine whether the transition to a sustainable future is democratic, participatory and rights-based, or whether it is undermined by manipulation and mistrust.
I thank you all for being here and for your commitment to confronting these challenges. I wish you a productive and impactful discussion.