Solvathon 2025: Navigating Environmental Facts in a Post-Truth Society

23 October 2025 – 8:30am – 6:30pm EDT

Centre Mont Royal – 2200 Rue Mansfield Montréal, QC Canada, H3A 3R8

The McGill Bieler School of Environment is excited to welcome you to an annual conference we call The Solvathon.

In a post-truth society, emotions and personal beliefs often outweigh factual evidence, leading to widespread acceptance of conspiracies over scientific truths. This phenomenon is particularly evident in environmental issues, where misinformation about climate change and other environmental issues fuels public skepticism.

During the Solvathon we will explore how the public discerns truth and how to maintain the integrity of environmental knowledge. Featuring panels and keynotes, including well-known climate scientist Michael Mann, and scientists from across Canada, we will address these challenges and propose concrete solutions together.

Let’s define post-truth:

The post-truth era refers to a cultural and political context where emotions and personal beliefs often have more influence on public opinion than objective facts. In this era, truth becomes subjective, and misinformation or disinformation can spread rapidly—especially through digital platforms.

We acknowledge that this event takes place on land which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. We thank the diverse Indigenous peoples whose presence marks this territory on which peoples of the world now gather.

Feature Image: “Climate science and decision making tools such as SERVIR provide data on climate indicators such as storms, precipitation, floods, and temperatures.” by USAID_IMAGES is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.