Dorset climate activists are to reveal the dangers of 'greenwashing' in an online panel.

Environmental lobbyists Dorset Climate Action Network will highlight the dangers of companies making false or misleading statements about the environment for the benefit of their products.

'The truth about greenwashing' online discussion will be a chaired BBC Question time-style panel discussion with four expert speakers talking on the greenwashing issue and take questions from an online audience.

The audience will also hear how the younger generation is dealing with greenwashing and how the BCorp accreditation system could be a way forward, before taking a look at what local government in Dorset is doing about the issue.

Online participants will be able to grill the panellists who include Dorset Council's Carl Warom and Amber Harrison from award-winning independent bookshop Folde in Shaftesbury.

The Zoom event, on Wednesday June 5 at 7pm, is being chaired by Dorset-based journalist and author Richard Thomas.

He said: 'We're going to take a good hard look at the truth behind the greenwashing accusations made against too many private and public sector bodies, how serious an issue it is, and what can be done about it.

'The point is to alert people to the manipulative practices of both corporations and governments so they can make up their own mind about what they want to do about it.'

He added: 'We won't be pushing any particular course of action. Some commentators have called greenwashing "the lie that could doom the world".

"That's pretty alarming if true but all we want to do is to open people's eyes to the facts and suggest options if they want to take action.'

More information and registration for the free event is online at www.dorsetcan.org/all_events/the-truth-about-greenwashing/