Launch of new project

Official as of October 1: I’ll be co-leading a new team working on disinformation in digital spaces.

Under the title “Upgrade Democracy”, we will analyse and highlight the dynamics of disinformation. If this seems detached from my usual focus on sustainability, climate action, and innovation — I can assure you, it is not.

Not only are there related phenomena like (fossil fuel sponsored) climate misinformation and rampant greenwashing to counteract (yes, corporate responsibility and transparency will continue to feature prominently in my analyses). There is also evidence that rising temperatures trigger more aggressive, shall I say “heated” behaviour. The risk of violence and conflict should not be underestimated.

This is important for the tone and conversational climate in digital spaces as well as for our societal fabric — which is what disinformation campaigns often target to sow distrust, unrest, and conflict.

And I want to note explicitly: discrediting and delaying necessary climate action is also misinformation. If everyone with an opinion on climate activism had one on the climate crisis, we’d be in much better shape.