Media Lab: Balanced Reporting in the Age of Greenwashing and Misinformation

A new vision for a sustainable energy future is urgently needed. However, simply replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy is not necessarily a straightforward solution, particularly if such a drastic shift causes increased injustices in other parts of the regional and global energy system. The Asian financial sector and leaders must accelerate action towards just energy transition that leaves no one behind, by implementing time-bound strategies that respect the rights and active participation of communities, protect the rights of workers, and safeguard the health, livelihoods, and culture of communities. In doing so, they must also welcome the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) and the media in independently monitoring the progress of their transition initiatives.  

Tracking commitments and monitoring progress in this area, however, are becoming increasingly challenging for the media and CSOs. Not only are they faced with limited, and/or a total lack of, reliable data, they must also contend with increased greenwashing activities and rampant misinformation, while navigating the nuances of producing reports that highlight both problems and solutions in optimal balance.

In this context, Fair Finance Asia (FFA), C20 Indonesia, Responsibank Indonesia, and EB Impact are joining forces to bring journalists together for a Media Lab alongside the G20 Leaders' Summit on November 14 in Bali, Indonesia. This Media Lab is a back-to-back event with FFA’s fireside chat, “Financing the Just Transition: Powering Asia’s Sustainable Energy Future,” aimed at discussing Asia’s readiness to make fossil fuels history by assessing existing renewable energy transition initiatives, side by side key socio-environmental criteria and conditions for a truly just energy transition. This discussion follows up on FFA’s “A Future Without Coal: Banking on Asia’s Just Energy Transition” study.

Looking forward to welcoming you all in Bali, and exploring solutions together to the challenges of greenwashing and misinformation, towards more balanced reporting on sustainability issues.