By Elizabeth Osayande

Worried about the effects of manipulation, bias, hate speech and disinformation on climate change, global leaders and researchers will, from May 24 to 26, launch the International Panel on the Information Environment, IPIE, at the Nobel Prize Summit in Washington, DC.

Speaking ahead of the launch, IPIE Co-founder and Executive Director of the IPIE Secretariat, Dr. Sheldon Himelfarb, said that: “The multifaceted crises we face as a result of the massive  manipulation of the world’s information environment is a global problem that is costing billions of dollars and millions of lives as it exacerbates existing social problems, degrades public life, cripples humanitarian initiatives, and prevents progress on other serious threats.

“The promising news is, grounded in science, our ongoing work is dedicated to equipping those responsible for driving global change with the actionable knowledge needed to counteract the global and existential threat posed by the widespread manipulation of our world’s information environment,” Himelfarb noted.

On his part, the Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation, Vidar Helgesen, explained:  “We know that misinformation and disinformation are undermining public trust in science, scientists, and the institutions they serve.

“It is important to shed light on that issue and not least to look at how we can combat it and how we can build on what works in terms of trust and truth.

“IPIE is one of the initiatives taking a research-based approach to this challenge, and we are delighted that they are launching their initiative at the Nobel Prize Summit.”

“Our Nobel Prize Summits are intended to spark evidence-based solutions from all sectors of society that will help create a more hopeful future for all. And we are pleased that IPIE is engaging international researchers in the fight against misinformation and building trust in science,” added U.S. National Academy of Sciences President, Marcia McNutt.

IPIE is expected to bring together an unprecedented consortium of researchers from around the world as a global scientific effort to analyze systems of information manipulation and bias, provide neutral assessments on the condition of the global information environment and evaluate the best policy solutions for addressing threats to it.