The Harmful Environmental Agendas and Tactics (HEAT) project examined climate-related misinformation and harmful narratives circulating across France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Through coordinated investigation and comparative analysis, the project identified recurring narrative structures that undermine trust in environmental policy, distort public understanding of climate science, and mobilise political or ideological grievances. These narrative patterns ranged from climate denial and anti-elite messaging to broader conspiracy frameworks that position environmental action as coercive or strategically motivated.
The publication of the HEAT report in June 2025 provided one of the first cross-country analyses of climate misinformation dynamics within the European information ecosystem. It also highlighted the role of fringe influencers, partisan actors, and cross-platform dissemination structures that collectively enable harmful narratives to spread across borders. Since publication, developments in each of the three countries have reinforced the project’s original insights. Anti-government and anti-elite interpretations of climate policy remained prominent, and conspiratorial claims about geoengineering and climate manipulation continued to circulate. Political timing, extreme weather events, and international climate discussions contributed to renewed activity around several of the narrative clusters identified in the report, demonstrating the durability of underlying themes and the responsiveness of these narratives to major public events.
The project generated meaningful engagement beyond the initial research cycle. EU DisinfoLab featured the findings in multiple newsletters, hosted a public webinar that attracted international participation, and presented the research at its annual conference (#Disinfo2025) in Ljubljana. External organisations, including media outlets, academic research hubs, and civil society networks, referenced and discussed the report. These engagements contributed to sustained visibility and encouraged further examination of the connections between environmental narratives, political communication, and digital information flows.
The relevance of the HEAT research was also recognised by global governance stakeholders. In August 2025, Logically was invited to participate in the United Nations Solutions Dialogue at the Climate Solutions Summit in New York. This engagement reflected the broader significance of the project’s findings for international conversations on information integrity and climate governance.
Overall, the HEAT project met its objectives by delivering a comparative understanding of harmful environmental narratives, informing stakeholders across research and policy communities, and contributing to ongoing discussions about misinformation risks associated with climate action in Europe.
Want to dive deeper into the findings? Read the full post-project reflection report.