As “wild conspiracy theories” make it harder to fight fires and get Canadians to safety, the majority of Canadians want the federal government to take action against disinformation.

A coalition of advocacy groups is urging [pdf] the federal government to sign the Global Initiative on Information Integrity on Climate Change, established ahead of the COP30 climate summit in Brazil to expose and dismantle climate-related disinformation.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and senior cabinet ministers, the coalition warns that online disinformation has real-world, harmful impacts on Canadians. “While forests, prairies, and communities burned across the country this summer, many online conversations were polluted with disinformation about arson and forest management and wild conspiracy theories,” the signatories write. The false claims hindered firefighters and evacuation efforts, with past research showing similar patterns of disinformation spreading during other climate disasters like floods and severe storms.

“By supporting the fight against climate disinformation, Canada can confront a system that has, for far too long, been free to delay climate action, endanger entire populations, and undermine our collective achievements, hard-won over decades,” Charles-Édouard Têtu, climate and energy analyst at Équiterre, said in a release.

The signatories say fossil fuel and digital tech companies are driving and profiting from disinformation. “New and longstanding research reveals that Meta, X, and YouTube are actively enabling and profiting from the spread of climate disinformation during extreme weather events,” they write, adding that oil majors, agrichemical, plastics, and automotive industries have also contributed to the confusion.

The overwhelming majority of Canadians want Ottawa to take action, said the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), a signatory to the open letter. In a recent poll by the Media Ecosystem Observatory at McGill University, 82% of respondents said they agree the federal government should join global information integrity initiatives, while 86% said governments should require social media platforms to ensure the accuracy of information and prevent disinformation during extreme weather events.

Overall, 78% expressed moderate to extreme concern about online disinformation related to climate change. Concerns are also mounting over other types of disinformation: 88% for public health, 81% over politicians and public policy, and 81% over trade and the economy.

“As physicians, we’re left picking up the pieces when climate disinformation costs health and lives,” said CAPE President Dr. Melissa Lem. “During wildfires, floods, and heatwaves, false information spreads faster than facts, leaving people unable to protect themselves.”

Lem added: “Like toxic air and water pollution, information pollution threatens our health and safety. Canadians clearly want our government to tackle this threat.”