Welcome to another week of Shaken Not Burned! 

Every day we read new headlines about climate extremes, yet behind the noise lies a quieter, more corrosive threat: misinformation.

Climate misinformation isn’t a communications issue or a social-media nuisance, but a systemic business risk that can destabilise economies, erode public trust, and undermine effective climate action.

This week’s guest, Harriet Kingaby, co-chair of the Conscious Advertising Network, explains how misinformation spreads through ad-tech systems and algorithmic incentives that reward outrage over truth. She reveals why brands, often without knowing it, end up funding the very content that delays the energy transition and weakens democratic resilience.

In conversation with Felicia, Harriet unpacks how climate misinformation is engineered rather than accidental and who profits from confusion, why fewer than 5% of companies list misinformation on their risk registers, and the hidden links between advertising, data, and the erosion of public trust.

The episode also provides practical steps businesses can take from pre-bunking and inoculation to demanding supply-chain transparency in digital media, explaining why the human side of persuasion and how emotion, trust, and relatable stories work better than facts alone.

We also invite you to take part in our Climate Misinformation Survey, a new initiative exploring where and how people experience false or distorted information, so organisations can build stronger defences against it.

By treating misinformation as a core resilience issue, businesses can lead the shift toward transparency, rebuild public trust, and strengthen the foundations of a sustainable economy.

Reading materials:

• Take our Climate Misinformation Survey

• Conscious Advertising Network Principles for ethical advertising

• IPCC AR6 Report includes impact of misinformation in Working Groups II and III

• Reset Australia Research on algorithmic amplification

• Climate Action Against Disinformation Global coalition and campaigns

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram – and why not spread the word with your friends and colleagues?