Do you know what science shows is the top reason people care about climate change?
Love — especially love for the next generation.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, volunteers at Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL) Canada have poured their hearts into a powerful new booklet designed to help us navigate the growing wave of climate disinformation that threatens democracy, public policy, and thus our collective future.
As the recent Foreign Interference Inquiry has warned, disinformation is the real threat to our democracy.
Eighteen years ago, on February 16, 2007, while pregnant with my youngest daughter, I heard the conclusions of the IPCC’s fourth report. I was shaken. In my mind’s eye, I saw the future — and today, it has arrived.
In January, wildfires tore through Los Angeles, the estimated costs of the damage have ballooned to more than $250 billion. In 2024, Canada endured its costliest year for weather disasters, with insured losses reaching $8.5 billion — nearly three times the record set in 2023 and 12 times the average annual losses between 2001 and 2010.
At a global level, 2024 was the hottest year on record, pushing planetary warming past 1.5°C. January 2025 has already set another record, reaching 1.75°C above pre-industrial levels despite being a La Niña year. The implications are dire: the IPCC warns that surpassing 1.5°C of warming poses immense risks to both natural and human systems.
Why aren’t we acting like we are in an emergency?
Disinformation campaigns funded by fossil fuel interests and their political enablers are deliberately muddying the waters of public understanding and delaying action. The core issue is that social media platforms remain largely unregulated, amplifying falsehoods that undermine climate policy and stall urgent action.
Unlike the Canadian Press, which is accountable to the public and the CRTC, foreign tech giants profit from disinformation with little to no oversight.
Meanwhile, former U.S. President Donald Trump has openly discussed plans to annex Canada and Elon Musk’s Twitter has morphed into a megaphone for disinformation and neo-Nazis, underscoring the urgent need for informed and fact-based public discourse.
This is what the end of the fossil fuel era looks like — disruptive, chaotic, and riddled with deception as a handful of oligarchs cling to power.
In response to this disinformation crisis, CCL Canada has compiled a comprehensive booklet covering key climate issues, election integrity, and effective communication strategies. You can download the booklet here.
That is not the only thing we are doing. We launched an Open Letter urging Elections Canada to investigate Musk and protect election integrity. As of Feb. 13, nearly 400 people have signed. The sign-on closes Feb. 15, but we’re preparing another digital campaign urging opposition parties to delay triggering a federal election until all recommendations from the Foreign Interference Report are enacted.
You can join us on Tuesday, March 4 at 8 p.m. for a call with Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch to discuss urgent actions our parliamentarians must do now to protect Canada.
Then, on Monday, March 24, we’ll join other climate groups on Parliament Hill for The Baby Carriage Campaign: Pushing for Climate Action NOW, welcoming Parliamentarians and demanding bold climate action.
Love for our children and future generations demands that we confront disinformation, defend democracy, and advance real climate solutions. The road ahead is challenging, but a better future is within reach. Armed with truth, collective goodwill, and unwavering love, we will prevail. And the best part is all the good people we have met on this journey.
Cathy Orlando is a climate activist who lives in Greater Sudbury.