Risk communication

Extreme weather is creating a perfect storm of misinformation

Rumors and conspiracies are spreading too fast for emergency managers to keep up. This information chaos is slowing disaster relief and putting lives at risk.

This toolkit provides practical guidance for journalists reporting on climate hazards, highlighting how preparedness, trusted information and community-centered coverage can support disaster risk reduction and resilience.

UK: People react to ‘severe alert’ on phones over wildfires

This article reports public reactions to a UK emergency phone alert on wildfire risk, highlighting concerns over alert fatigue, unclear guidance and the need for effective crisis communication.

Wildfires, naming and blame: Why ignition tells only part of the story

Most wildfires started by humans are still being called "wild", placing the fire outside human society. It implies there was no spark – and certainly no humans, and fails to widen the cause to include climate change, calling for new naming conventions.

Wildfires: five myths debunked

Wildfire misinformation spreads fastest in the hours right after a fire breaks out — checking a claim against a credible source before sharing it is the simplest way to slow it down.

Europe: Wildfire media coverage doesn't make the climate connection

The issue is how to avoid readers assuming that a fire is the whole story, when the event is, just the moment at which a long process becomes attention grabbing. When reporting stops there, it is accurate about the day but misleading about the decade.

This report examines climate disinformation during 2026 heatwaves and wildfires, showing how recurring false narratives on social media undermined public understanding of extreme weather risks.

Canada: Leaders of First Nations received no wildfire alert

Chiefs in Ontario say they were left to self-evacuate before homes burned to ground, after being told there was no imminent threat.