Mayor calls for global action on climate disinformation as two-thirds of Londoners say misleading claims are widespread on social media

• New polling finds 65 per cent of Londoners believe climate disinformation is widespread on social media
• At COP31, Sadiq will warn that efforts to peddle falsehoods online about the climate emergency threaten public trust and risk holding back action that improves health, creates jobs and attracts investment
• Mayor describes climate disinformation as a “one-two punch” to the planet and democracy
• Mayor calls for global cooperation to challenge climate disinformation. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will call on world leaders to take stronger action to tackle climate disinformation, as new polling reveals almost two-thirds of Londoners believe there is widespread misleading information about climate change on social media.[1]

Representing London at COP31, the United Nations Climate Conference in Antalya, Türkiye, Sadiq will warn that the spread of climate disinformation threatens public trust, undermines democratic debate and risks delaying action that can improve people’s health, create jobs and protect the environment.

The historic gathering will see Sadiq become the first Mayor of London to speak at the World Leaders’ Summit at COP. He will directly address global leaders from the main stage, an honour usually reserved for Heads of State and government leaders.

The Mayor will draw on London’s experience of tackling misleading claims about the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), now the world’s largest clean air zone, and on independent research showing the benefits of cleaner air for children.

The Mayor is expected to say: “While we act on the scientific consensus, the climate deniers and delayers are playing dirty with one last trick up their sleeve: climate disinformation. London is no stranger to lies. When we expanded our clean air zone, now the largest in the world in 2023, we faced one of the most sophisticated disinformation campaigns ever seen. We overcame it and won. But evidence from all five continents shows London was just the canary in the coal mine.” [2]

Independent research led by Queen Mary University of London and published in The Lancet Public Health linked cleaner air following the introduction of the ULEZ in central London in 2019 to faster lung growth in children. The five-year study recruited more than 3,400 primary school children in central London and Luton. Over the study period, the proportion of children with clinically impaired lung function fell from 14 to 9 per cent in the London group, compared with a fall from 9 to 7 per cent in the Luton group.[3]

The Mayor will point to the study as an example of why political leaders must stand behind independent evidence and explain what climate action delivers for people. He will make the case that tackling climate change and growing the economy can go hand in hand.

City Hall estimates that roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations in central London are 54 per cent lower than they would have been without the ULEZ and its expansions.

London’s zero-emission bus fleet has also grown to more than 3,000 vehicles since Sadiq was elected as Mayor, while Mayoral funding has supported the planting of over 640,000 trees and the creation or improvement of 900 hectares of green space.

New City Hall data published today also highlights how the Mayor’s London Plan is helping cut energy demand and emissions from new buildings. The Plan sets out how London can deliver the homes it needs while becoming greener and healthier. Between 2021 and 2025, its policies saved 193,700 tonnes of CO2 from new buildings – equivalent to 164,000 return flights from London to New York.

These measures are helping deliver cleaner air, greener neighbourhoods and greater protection from extreme weather. In 2023–24, London’s green economy generated £54.9 billion in sales, with more than 20,000 businesses employing over 341,000 people.[4]

The Mayor is expected to add: “We often talk about climate action as if it were a question of sacrifice. But look at what we’ve delivered – health, happiness, and opportunity, not in some distant decade but right now.”

As elected Co-Chair of the C40 network of global cities, Sadiq will urge world leaders at COP31 to work with cities to challenge climate disinformation and build public confidence in action to protect the planet.

The Mayor is expected to say: “Climate disinformation is like a one-two punch to the planet and democracy. But here in Türkiye, we’re calling on the world to get its guard up to defend itself and mount a comeback – to deal a knockout blow to the dark forces distorting debate.” 

The Mayor will stress that tackling climate disinformation is essential to protecting informed democratic debate and sustaining public support for global action that improves health, supports businesses and creates jobs.

Sadiq is expected to add: “It’s time to resist the attacks and stand up for the facts – with a relentless focus on unlocking the finance and expertise we need to fund climate action and adaptation around the world. London and other great cities around the world are showing we can overcome this challenge, we can win this fight and we can create a fairer, greener, healthier and more prosperous planet for everyone.”