At COP31 in Antalya, the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change on Friday, 13 November 2026 launched the Priorities for Action on AI for Climate Information Integrity — a framework outlining concrete steps that governments, AI companies, advertisers, researchers, journalists, and funders must take to ensure people can trust both climate information sourced from AI and information about AI's own environmental footprint.

Two Sides of One Problem

The priorities, put forward by Global Initiative co-chairs Brazil, the United Nations, and UNESCO, address what organisers describe as a twin information gap. The first concerns the reliability of climate information that AI systems generate and distribute to the public. The second concerns the opacity around AI's own climate impact — energy consumption, carbon emissions, water use, and land footprint — which citizens are currently expected to accept on faith, without adequate data to independently verify.

The Independent International Scientific Panel on AI has flagged a core vulnerability, warning that 'producing fluent text is easier than producing factual text.' This risk intensifies during climate emergencies, when AI-generated images and videos can outpace official warnings and emergency alerts, potentially amplifying confusion at the moments of greatest public need.

What AI Companies and Governments Are Expected to Do

For AI companies, the Priorities call for systematic assessment of how their systems affect climate information integrity, with findings made public. They must also disclose energy use alongside carbon, water, and land footprints — data that has historically been withheld or disclosed only in aggregated form.

For states, the framework calls on governments to integrate information integrity into both national AI strategies and national climate action plans. The Priorities build on the Belém Declaration and the UN Global Principles for Information Integrity, anchoring obligations in transparency, accountability, and human rights.

Advertising Supply Chain Under Scrutiny

A parallel instrument — the Charter for Climate Information Integrity in Advertising — was launched at COP31 by the Conscious Advertising Network (CAN) and Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD), with the backing of the Global Initiative. The charter targets what it calls the follow-the-money problem: advertising is the dominant business model of the digital information ecosystem, yet the supply chain is sufficiently opaque that brands reportedly cannot determine who or what their spending ultimately funds — including, in some cases, climate disinformation.

The charter calls for full transparency across the advertising supply chain, verification of all advertisers on digital platforms, robust action on greenwashing, and mandatory public disclosure of relationships between advertising actors and fossil fuel interests — while maintaining user privacy protections.

Germany Commits €2 Million; 29 Countries Sign Belém Declaration

The Global Initiative used COP31 to call for fresh investment in public-interest climate information infrastructure. Germany responded by committing EUR 2 million to the Global Fund for Information Integrity on Climate Change, administered by UNESCO. The funds are earmarked for research grants, communication strategy development, and public awareness campaigns. The Initiative urged other nations to follow suit.

Notably, political momentum around information integrity has accelerated since it entered a COP outcome decision for the first time at COP30 in Belém one year ago. As of COP31, 29 countries and the European Union have signed and are implementing the Belém Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change, which remains open for further endorsement.

What Comes Next

The launch marks a shift from principle to operationalisation, with named actors in each sector given specific, trackable responsibilities. Whether AI companies voluntarily disclose their environmental footprints, and whether governments embed these standards in enforceable policy, will determine whether the Priorities translate from a conference document into systemic change. The Global Fund's expanding donor base will also signal how seriously wealthier nations treat information integrity as a climate priority in its own right.