Special Issue of International Journal of Communication (IJoC)
Deadline: End of June 2025
The Open Society Hub for the Politics of the Anthropocene (Central European University, Austria) and the Disinformation Research Cluster (University of Sheffield, UK) are pleased to invite submissions for a Special Issue of International Journal of Communication (IJoC) on the theme of “Climate Disinformation: European and Global Perspectives”, to be published by July 2026.
Climate-related disinformation, ranging from climate change denialism to conspiratorial narratives about decarbonisation, remains a serious obstacle to effective climate action. This disinformation is often amplified by networks involving politicians, think tanks, politically motivated organisations, and anonymous actors, all working to sow doubt and undermine public trust in climate science. Such efforts not only delay urgent policy responses but also erode the scientific consensus necessary for broad societal change.
In Europe, while political momentum around decarbonisation is growing, denialist voices continue to challenge green initiatives. Climate denialism is increasingly used as a political tool, shaping electoral campaigns and lobbying against environmental regulation. Meanwhile, greenwashing by corporations adds another layer of complexity, eroding public confidence in legitimate sustainability efforts and blurring the line between genuine action and corporate PR.
International bodies like UNESCO and the UN have called for stronger action against disinformation, yet significant gaps remain in our understanding of how it spreads and how best to counter it. This Special Issue seeks contributions that critically examine the dynamics of climate disinformation and evaluate the effectiveness of counterstrategies, such as fact-checking, emphasising scientific consensus, cultural messaging, and pre-emptive inoculation approaches.
We invite papers that focus on, but are not limited to, the following issues:
• Climate change disinformation: mapping the stakeholders contesting public perceptions of climate change and decarbonisation
• Influence of political ideologies on climate change beliefs
• Impact of Big Tech companies: investigating how technology and social media algorithms contribute to the spread of climate change denialism
• Geopolitics, political warfare and climate change disinformation
• Climate change scepticism in the “Global South”: exploring the dynamics of climate change scepticism in developing regions
• Challenges of greenwashing: eroding public trust and slowing down systemic change
• Strategies for countering climate change disinformation
Deadline for submissions: end of June 2025
The submission must default to the 6th edition of the APA style guide.
Research articles should range between 6,000 and 8,900 words (all-inclusive). Papers must not exceed 8,900 words.
We would also like to stress that submission to the IJoC Special Issue does not guarantee publication. This will depend on the outcome of the peer review process.
Please send your manuscripts by the indicated deadline to KocsanyA@ceu.edu.
