The study by the research firm Institute of Media Monitoring (IMM) says Russian propaganda has been driving most posts about energy and climate in the Polish debate, and that false claims can erode trust, trigger consumer fraud and cyberattacks, and threaten the security of energy supplies.
The Institute of Media Monitoring, a Warsaw-based market research and technology company, estimates that from 2022 to 2025 these materials reached a total audience of 1.19 billion, which means an average person over 15 could have encountered such content about 37 times.
The report says ordinary citizens are the most frequent targets. Research by the Polish Heat Engineering Association (PTEC) suggests that as many as one in five energy-related messages online may be untrue.
Seventy percent of Poles say they have seen misleading content about energy, as have more than 63 percent of industry professionals.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs estimates that in the first half of 2025 alone, up to 5 million people may have come across false claims about the sector.
According to the Institute of Media Monitoring, nuclear energy remains the most vulnerable topic, followed by the energy transition and climate policy.
Common tactics include framing climate protection as an ideology, using highly emotional and negative messaging about climate change, and mocking environmental activists.
Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka said falsehoods saturate debate about nuclear power, renewable energy, the energy transition and climate change.
He said the government has set up a single portal to publish verified facts and hard data about the sector.
Motyka argued that disinformation slows investment and weakens Poland’s energy security, and he announced a broad information campaign across traditional and social media to check dubious claims and point people to reliable sources.
The report identifies social media as the main domain for the propagation of falsehoods, with recorded cases across all platforms. It notes coordinated posting patterns, especially on X and Facebook, and says many narratives originate from accounts linked to right-wing and anti-EU circles.
Politicians at various levels also amplify misleading frames, the authors add.
The PAP news agency recently hosted a conference on countering falsehoods in the energy transition, where officials said Russian outlets accounted for most entries about energy and climate from 2022 to 2024 and generated about 34 million social media posts in the first quarter of 2024.
Enea Group’s corporate communications chief, Piotr Ludwiczak, warned that false reports about outages or alleged cyberattacks can spook investors, move fuel and commodity prices, and undermine confidence in energy companies.
The report's authors say disinformation shapes public opinion, influences policy choices and can delay projects. They call for clear, accessible language and careful balance between facts and emotion in public communication, a point echoed by PTEC vice president Katarzyna Suchcicka.
The report’s conclusion is that better verification and consistent, plain-language messaging are needed to help citizens make decisions based on facts.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP, wnp.pl