A report released by Global Witness last month demonstrated how Facebook amplifies climate scepticism by supporting misinformation and moving people away from reliable information. This is not a new phenomenon. It follows a number of similar reports urging governments and Big Tech to seriously consider the role of climate misinformation on social media in derailing the battle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The severity of the issue was emphasised in the latest IPCC report.

But who are the perpetrators behind climate misinformation and what is the role of AI in fuelling and/or mitigating it?

Join us for a special discussion as we explore solutions to this urgent challenge.

Moderated by Environment & Clean Energy Correspondent at the Financial Times, Leslie Hook; panellists include author, Head of Civic Action & Education at the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, Jennie King; and CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council, Ben Backwell.

Presented in collaboration with the Global Wind Energy Council and the Financial Times.

We welcome you to join us for drinks and networking after the event in the Ubuntu Lounge.

Speakers:
Jennie King is Head of Civic Action and Education at the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, leading their efforts to translate research into frontline programming and response. She co-authored the current ‘Be Internet Citizens’ curriculum, formally accredited for UK schools, and provides regular briefings for UK government departments and regulators, UNESCO and parallel European/US bodies on systemic approaches to media literacy. Jennie also oversees ISD’s growing portfolio on Climate Mis- and Disinformation, supporting a coalition of 30+ organisations worldwide to identify, analyse and counter related harms. Her writing and commentary has been featured by the BBC, The Guardian, Channel 4 News, Tortoise Media and NPR, amongst others. Jennie previously served as MENA Regional Director Arts, Assistant Country Director Egypt and Country Director Hungary for the British Council, the UK’s international body for cultural relations. She read Arabic and Spanish at Pembroke College, Cambridge, receiving a Foundation Scholarship and the Marie Shamma’a Frost Prize for Oriental Studies.

Ben Backwell is CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council and a leading commentator and strategist in the renewable energy sector. He previously worked as a journalist and analyst for 20 years, covering energy policy and markets around the world. He helped design the SolutionWind campaign for the European Wind Energy Association (now WindEurope) ahead of COP21 in 2015, before joining FTI Consulting. He has taken part in the work of a number of industry organizations, including the board of GWEC, the IRENA Business and Investor Group, the IEA’s Renewable Energy Industry Advisory Board, Solar Power Europe, and others. Ben’s book ‘Wind Power: the struggle for control of a new global industry’ has been described as the “definitive” story of the global wind industry.

Leslie Hook is Environment & Clean Energy Correspondent at the Financial Times. She reports from ​London on carbon, the environment and the renewable energy transition worldwide. ​Her previous roles at the FT include San​ ​Francisco correspondent, Lex writer and Beijing correspondent. Prior to that she was at the Wall Street Journal. She was a fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University during the 2013-2014 academic year, and a recipient of the FT’s Jones-Mauthner Memorial Prize (runner-up) in 2017.

Mai Rosner is a campaigner at Global Witness where she investigates and exposes digital threats to democracy. Her most recent report which documents the amplification of climate disinformation on Facebook was reported on by the BBC and the Times. Previously, Mai was Research Assistant to the President and Director Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defence and Educational Fund. She holds a Masters in Public Policy from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University.

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