Climate Feedback
Verifying the credibility of claims related to climate change, the environment and Earth sciences.
Latest reviews
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IncorrectVideo of Ian Plimer incorrectly states that human CO2 emissions are not responsible for increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations and global warming
Claim:
Increases in atmospheric CO2 is mainly from natural causes, like ocean outgassing, and not from humans who emit so little in comparison
Source: Conservative Political Action Conference, Ian Plimer, 2023-10-03 -
InaccurateGlobal warming matches model predictions well despite misconstrued claims about new photosynthesis study
Claim:
New photosynthesis study shows that Earth is not warming as predicted by climate models
Source: Twitter, Steve Milloy, 2023-11-18 -
InaccurateWall Street Journal article questions decades of scientific evidence demonstrating elevated atmospheric-CO2 causes global warming
Claim:
We do not know if CO2 is the cause of global warming
Source: The Wall Street Journal, Holman W. Jenkins, 2023-11-03 -
UnsupportedNo convincing evidence that offshore wind activities explain the increase in whale deaths off the U.S. East Coast despite claims of a proven link by offshore wind energy opponents
Claim:
New documentary proves building offshore wind farms is responsible for the increase in whale deaths off the U.S. East Coast since 2016
Source: New York Post, Michael Shellenberger, 2023-08-23 -
IncorrectClaim that current climate change can be explained satisfactorily by natural cycles and volcanic activity does not have scientific support
Claim:
The cyclical activity of the Sun as well as other variations in solar and earth activity, and NOT anthropogenic CO2 emissions, are responsible for climate change
Source: Twitter, Social media users, 2023-09-02 -
IncorrectCLINTEL group inaccurately represents climate science in its declaration of “no climate emergency” once again
Claim:
Global warming is just the end of the Little Ice Age; Warming is slower than climate models forecasted; Carbon dioxide is beneficial to Earth; Global warming is not intensifying or increasing the frequency of natural disasters
Source: The Epoch Times, Clintel, Naveen Athrappully, Benoit Rittaud, Christopher Monckton, Guus Berkhout, Ian Plimer, Patrick Moore, Richard Lindzen, Viv Forbes, 2023-08-19
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Insights
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Of the many factors that cause wildfires, the influence of climate change and human activities is growing
Although there are multiple things at play when it comes to wildfires, climate change is becoming increasingly important. Wildfires are the result of complex interactions between biophysical and human factors, and it only takes one poorly managed campfire to cause a serious, widespread wildfire disaster. Many wildfires are indeed the direct result of human activities. However, many more and much worse wildfires are now possible because of climate change, leading to greater environmental and economic negative impacts.
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Authorities undertaking climate action targeted by viral “Climate lockdowns” narrative on social media
The increasing number of measures to limit greenhouse gas pollution that can be expected in the future will certainly present opportunities for future weaponization and misrepresentation. Writers, editors, and journalists should be aware of these manipulation tactics when discussing the aftermath of COVID-19 restrictions or future climate policies, knowing that some actors are trawling for any evidence to boost the manufactured ‘climate lockdown’ outrage.
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What’s in a number? The significance of the 1.5°C warming threshold and reporting on its possible breach in popular media
These findings were widely covered by popular media outlets, including in articles published by The Guardian, CNN, and BBC, which all reported that this temperature increase would represent a breach of the key IPCC threshold. However, this is missing some important context.
“A single year above 1.5°C does not mean the world has passed that particular warming level”, said Zeke Hausfather. Such nuance was better captured by articles published in Reuters and Axios, which both correctly did not report that these new temperature projections, if realized, would constitute a breach of the threshold.