The road to disinformation: Mapping climate disinformation about transport in Europe

This joint report by Science Feedback and Newtral, based in part on data from the EuroClimateCheck database, reveals that climate disinformation on transport is not the result of isolated falsehoods or outright denial of climate change, but rather a complex and adaptive phenomenon deeply rooted in local political, economic, and cultural realities. It thrives not on the outright rejection of science, but on strategic doubt, distortion, and emotional appeal.

The analysis, which covers Spain, France, Germany, and the UK, shows how misleading narratives subtly exploit each country’s appetite for different forms of outrage by amplifying anxieties related to personal freedom, economic costs, national identity, and technological risks. These disinformation narratives can have a psychologically manipulative, socially polarizing, and politically mobilizing effect on the public.

The study was conducted with the support of the European Climate Foundation and the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN).