AFP holds online workshop on verifying climate disinformation ahead of COP30 in Brazil
AFP held a digital investigation workshop on Wednesday 12 February for Brazilian journalists preparing to cover the COP30 – the 30th session of the UN climate change conference –, to be held in November 2025 in the Amazon, in the city of Belém.
The online training, joined live by over 130 journalists and journalism students, focused on how to counter climate disinformation, based on the AFP Digital Courses. It also shared real life examples verified by our award-winning global digital investigation team, including claims spread during the recent Los Angeles fires and the destructive storms that hit the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul in the beginning of 2024 .
The training explored the main types of climate disinformation, helping journalists identify its most recurring traits and offering strategies and tools to fight it. The main objective was to build defenses against false and misleading content the participants may encounter in the coming months during their climate coverage.
The session was led by Maria Clara Pestre, fact-checking editor for Brazil, and was part of the “Trilhas da Cobertura Climática” event, organized by the Bem da Amazônia institute. Other panelists included representatives of the United Nations Brazilian Information Center and UNESCO. Overall, around 1,500 people registered for the four-day event, with 65% coming from the Amazon region.
“Having the AFP workshop helped generate interest and we had extremely positive feedback from the participants. I believe this continuous training is fundamental and necessary”, said Daniel Nardin, founder of journalism website Amazônia Vox and organizer of the event.