DeSmog
DeSmog is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization founded in 2006 that exposes climate disinformation, fossil fuel industry influence, and corporate greenwashing. It serves the climate-concerned public, journalists, researchers, and policy advocates through free articles, five proprietary databases, and weekly newsletters.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What DeSmog does
DeSmog is an independent, nonprofit investigative journalism organization founded in 2006 and registered in the United Kingdom as DeSmog UK Ltd, a private limited company by guarantee headquartered in London. The organization investigates climate science denial, fossil fuel industry influence, corporate greenwashing, agribusiness lobbying, and political funding networks, operating separate US/Global and UK/Europe editorial teams and publishing hundreds of investigations annually. Its core products include a digital news platform (desmog.com), five proprietary databases (Climate Disinformation, Agribusiness, Ad & PR, Koch Network, Air Pollution Lobbying), themed investigation series, and weekly email newsletters distributed free of charge to subscribers.
The organization's business model is donation-funded and non-transactional: all articles, databases, and multimedia content are freely accessible with no paywall, and the organization accepts individual donations via PayPal, Stripe, GoCardless, and Patreon. Audience reach is extended through republishing agreements with partner outlets, social media presence on Facebook, X, YouTube, and Instagram, and earned media pickup in major publications including the BBC, The Guardian, and Financial Times. Distribution partnerships include the Covering Climate Now media network, and DeSmog UK Ltd is a member of the IMPRESS press regulator. The customer base is horizontal and non-paying, comprising the climate-concerned public, journalists and researchers, and policy advocates who reference DeSmog's investigations in policy and academic work.
There is no evidence of equity funding, parent company ownership, AI/ML capabilities, mobile applications, or paid enterprise products. The organization has no disclosed headcount, revenue, or financial statements in the source data.
DeSmog firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DeSmog
- Legal name
- DeSmog UK Ltd
- Website
- https://desmog.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- DeSmog is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization founded in 2006 that exposes climate disinformation, fossil fuel industry influence, and corporate greenwashing. It serves the climate-concerned public, journalists, researchers, and policy advocates through free articles, five proprietary databases, and weekly newsletters.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DeSmog industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Investigative Climate Journalism
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Information (51)
- akta.pro primary industry
- ESG/Sustainability Reporting & Disclosure Platforms (EUABAEAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Social Media & Community Moderation (BPAAALAA), Sustainability & ESG Reporting (GRI/SASB/ISSB/CSRD) (EUAHAJAB)
Keywords
Where DeSmog is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
DeSmog business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: DeSmog relies on donations from supporters and readers to fund their investigative journalism. They use third-party payment processors including PayPal, Stripe, GoCardless, and Patreon for processing donations. The organization states they will never sell or share personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.
- Newsletter Subscriptions: Free newsletter subscriptions distributed to readers, with typically two emails per week covering US/Global and UK/Europe climate news. This drives reader engagement and donations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
DeSmog product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DeSmog is a nonprofit investigative journalism outlet that publishes reporting on climate change, the fossil fuel industry, and climate disinformation. It maintains searchable databases documenting the influence of polluting industries and related public relations networks, and distributes its content freely to the public, journalists, researchers, and policy advocates.
Product overview
DeSmog operates as an investigative journalism organization with a digital news platform as its core product, publishing climate-related investigations and news articles. The organization offers multiple searchable databases (Climate Disinformation Database, Agribusiness Database, Advertising & PR Database, Koch Network Database, Air Pollution Lobbying Database) that serve as research tools for tracking climate science denial and fossil fuel industry influence. Additional offerings include themed investigation series (Tech vs. Climate, COP30 Climate Summit, etc.) and a weekly newsletter service delivering climate news to subscribers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- DeSmog News Platform
- Climate Disinformation Database
- Agribusiness Database
- Advertising and Public Relations Database
- Koch Network Database
- Air Pollution Lobbying Database
Quantifiable outcome
- Investigations frequently featured in BBC, The Guardian, and Financial Times
Companies that use DeSmog
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
DeSmog technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
DeSmog partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Covering Climate NowminorDeSmog is a member of Covering Climate Now and abides by their sharing guidelines when sharing work by others in the Covering Climate Now network. This partnership facilitates broader climate journalism collaboration and content sharing among member outlets.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DeSmog competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ProPublica: Major US nonprofit investigative journalism organization funded by donations. Comparable as a nonprofit, donor-funded investigative model — though DeSmog is climate-focused.
- Mongabay: Nonprofit environmental science and conservation journalism platform. Comparable as a global, donation-supported environmental journalism outlet with investigative depth.
- InfluenceMap: Research organization tracking corporate influence on climate policy, including lobbying and disinformation. Highly comparable to DeSmog's database-driven approach to mapping climate obstruction.
- The Intercept: Adversarial investigative outlet covering politics, corporate power, and climate. Comparable in its investigative, accountability-focused approach and donor-supported funding model.
- Carbon Brief: UK-based climate journalism website covering climate science, policy, and energy. Directly comparable in focus area, UK origin, and donor-supported model.
- Grist: Nonprofit climate journalism and media organization covering climate solutions, policy, and justice. Comparable as a donation-funded, mission-driven climate media outlet with similar audience.
- Center for Public Integrity: Nonprofit investigative journalism organization focused on accountability and public-interest reporting. Comparable as a donation-funded investigative nonprofit with policy impact orientation.
- InsideClimate News: US-based nonprofit investigative journalism outlet focused exclusively on climate change and energy. Closely comparable to DeSmog in mission, nonprofit funding model, and investigative depth.
Broad incumbents
- The Guardian Environment: Major global news outlet with one of the largest dedicated climate and environment desks, frequently citing DeSmog's work. Comparable as a climate journalism source but operates at far greater scale as part of a broad newsroom.
Emerging players
- Climate Accountability Institute: Research organization focused on climate disinformation and fossil fuel industry accountability. Comparable in its investigative approach to tracking climate denial networks and influence campaigns.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DeSmog social profiles
Digital presenceDeSmog financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DeSmog leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
DeSmog funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DeSmog M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DeSmog
What does DeSmog do?
DeSmog is a nonprofit investigative journalism outlet that publishes reporting on climate change, the fossil fuel industry, and climate disinformation. It maintains searchable databases documenting the influence of polluting industries and related public relations networks, and distributes its content freely to the public, journalists, researchers, and policy advocates.
Is DeSmog a public or private company?
DeSmog is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was DeSmog founded?
DeSmog was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is DeSmog based?
DeSmog is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does DeSmog make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are newsletter Subscriptions.
Who are DeSmog's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ProPublica, Mongabay, InfluenceMap, The Intercept, Carbon Brief, Grist, Center for Public Integrity and InsideClimate News. The Guardian Environment is listed as a broad incumbent. Climate Accountability Institute is listed as an emerging player.
Does DeSmog have an API?
No public API is recorded for DeSmog.
What industry is DeSmog in?
DeSmog's product category is Investigative Climate Journalism. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABAEAB, ESG/Sustainability Reporting & Disclosure Platforms, with a secondary code of BPAAALAA, Social Media & Community Moderation. Its NAICS code is 813312.