The power to know in a climate of truth

We live in an age where truth competes for attention — and attention often wins.

A single false post can travel across the world in seconds, while verified facts struggle to catch up. This is the new reality of the digital era — one that shapes how people think, act and respond to the defining crisis of our time: climate change.

In this complex landscape, misinformation — the unintentional spread of falsehoods — and disinformation — the deliberate distortion of facts — can be as destructive as the floods, droughts, and heat waves we seek to prevent. Both cloud understanding, erode trust in science, and delay the actions urgently needed to protect lives and livelihoods.

Yet amid this challenge, hope lies in our youth. They are digital natives who know how to post, share and trend — and more importantly, how to mobilize.

Nearly six in 10 Filipinos online are under 30. Their voices fill timelines, classrooms and town halls, proving that when informed and inspired, young people can turn awareness into action. Across the country, youth groups lead coastal cleanups, early-warning campaigns and climate education drives.

These efforts, born in digital spaces, become real-world solutions. They remind us that technology, when guided by truth and purpose, can be a force for resilience.

But we must sound the alarm. Being digitally connected does not always mean being critically informed. Discernment and wisdom are not automatic — they must be grounded in science, nurtured by education, and shaped by experience. Youth energy, without scientific guidance and moral grounding, can be easily swept away by falsehoods online — not a criticism, but a call to care.

As adults — parents, educators, public servants, and communicators — we must strengthen the institutions and values that help young people grow, question, and mature responsibly. We must also help them navigate the sea of information without being drowned by data, anxiety, or the heavy expectations placed on their generation. Yes, they must lead — but they must also live and enjoy their youth.

Empowerment must come with empathy, structure, and guidance. This is why media and information literacy is not a luxury; it is a lifeline. When citizens can tell fact from fabrication, they make better choices — to heed storm warnings, conserve water or support policies that protect the most vulnerable. Informed decisions save lives.

Here, the role of media institutions and leaders is pivotal. In a time when algorithms shape perception, credible journalism must serve as our moral and factual compass. Editors, reporters, and producers carry public trust — their work turns data into understanding and complexity into conviction.

Through verification, ethical storytelling, and accountability, media organizations become not just informers of the public but enablers of democratic, science-based decision-making. When the media stands for truth, society gains the clarity to act with purpose.

Likewise, social media platforms must shoulder their share of responsibility. They cannot remain reckless, silent, or complicit while misinformation spreads unchecked. Digital platforms are now the new public square — democratic spaces that must be free but not untrammeled, open but not irresponsible.

Freedom of expression cannot be separated from the duty to protect truth and public safety. Social media companies must build stronger safeguards, transparent governance, and partnerships that elevate credible information over divisive noise. To remain neutral in the face of falsehood is to take a side — and not the right one.

As we mark Global Media and Information Literacy Week, this year’s theme — “Minds Over AI” — holds deeper meaning. Artificial intelligence now shapes how information flows and opinions form. But however powerful technologies become, they must stay anchored — not only in data — but in human discernment, ethical judgment, and compassion.

The same holds true for climate action: data and models matter, but wisdom and integrity must guide their use. The Climate Change Commission continues to advance this through education and partnership. Through Klima Eskwela, college students learn not only the science of climate change but the governance and ethics of response.

Through consultations on the Nationally Determined Contribution and National Adaptation Plan (NAP) — and through the localization of the NAP across provinces and communities — young leaders and local officials help turn national goals into local action. Adaptation must not remain an abstract plan but a lived commitment — one that communities understand, support, and act upon.

In this shared journey, truth itself becomes a form of climate resilience. A society grounded in facts can withstand not only storms and rising seas, but also the tides of deception that divide and distract.

When media, educators, citizens, and digital platforms uphold truth, they strengthen the foundations of trust — and with trust, transformation follows. But transformation begins not only in our systems, but in ourselves. Each post we share, each policy we support, each conversation we join carries weight. We are not mere users of information — we are stewards of it. The power to mislead and the power to enlighten now rest in the same hands: ours. Responsibility — individual and collective — is the measure of our maturity as a democracy and our humanity as a people.

Every generation has its defining challenge. Ours is to confront the climate crisis while defending the integrity of information that shapes our response. To succeed, we must leave behind more than policies or programs; we must nurture a culture of truth, wisdom and shared responsibility — one that begins in institutions, extends across communities, and is lived conscientiously by every citizen.

Because in the end, what humanity needs is not more artificial intelligence, but genuine wisdom — the kind that listens, questions, and acts with conscience and compassion. There lies real power: knowing, and doing, in a climate of truth.