A key to understanding why false and misleading climate information floods the internet is to ask not only, ‘Is this true?’ but also, ‘Who benefits if people believe it?’ In this keynote, Joey Grostern, draws on his experience exposing and cataloging the actors who pollute the climate information space. He explores the mutually beneficial relationship between big polluters and big tech platforms, revealing why climate disinformation remains so prevalent online today. This challenges the audience to rethink how misinformation operates, and invites them to consider what meaningful, effective interventions in today’s digital landscape could look like amid widespread distrust in political and scientific institutions.

Joey Grostern is a Berlin-based investigative climate journalist and database lead at DeSmog, a leading investigative media outlet exposing climate disinformation, climate science denial, and corporate greenwashing. At DeSmog, Joey has focused on exposing and documenting the digital influence operations of polluting industries and their political proxies. Alongside award-winning investigations, DeSmog also hosts a series of databases profiling key actors who pollute the climate information space.