Sara Vicca
Letter stating there is “no climate emergency” repeats inaccurate claims about climate science
Claim:
“Natural variation explains a substantial part of global warming observed since 1850;” no statistical evidence that global warming is intensifying natural disasters, or making them more frequent.
Yes, plants need carbon dioxide. No, that doesn’t mean it’s harmless.
“The benefit[s] of increasing CO2 concentrations for plant growth are increasingly being outweighed by the negative impacts, especially of global warming. This is true for natural as well as agricultural ecosystems.”
CO2 coalition sponsored article in The Washington Times presents list of false and misleading statements about the impacts of CO2 and climate change
“This article recycles old tropes such as “it’s been warm before”, “CO2 levels have been higher in the past” (millions of years ago!), “CO2 is plant food”, “warming is good for ecosystems/humans”, “so far impacts are small, so they will remain small”, etc. All these pseudo-arguments have been addressed many times before (see examples here, here, and here). This article is clearly motivated, misleading and biased.”
Video promoted by John Stossel for Earth Day relies on incorrect and misleading claims about climate change
“This video is misleading in so many ways it’s hard to know where to begin. For a start there’s a repeated assertion that climate “alarmists” won’t enter debate on climate change, but there are many examples of renowned climate scientists such as Gavin Schmidt, Michael Mann and David Karoly entering into debates with climate change denialists. Many scientists have found such debates to be unhelpful as they give the false impression of balance despite there being broad consensus among climate scientists…”
Scientific studies established clear links between human-caused increased in atmospheric CO2 and global warming
Claim:
“It’s a good thing that we are putting some more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The scientific method has not been applied in such a way as to prove that carbon dioxide is causing the Earth to warm.”
Video from PragerU makes several incorrect and misleading claims about climate change
This video discussing climate change was first published on PragerU’s website in April 2016 and recently posted on Facebook in May 2020. Scientists that evaluated the video found several claims about climate change to be incorrect and misleading to viewers.
Human activities have dramatically increased atmospheric CO2 levels, causing imbalances in the global carbon cycle
Claim:
Human additions of CO<sub>2</sub> are in the margin of error of current measurements and the gradual increase in CO<sub>2</sub> is mainly from oceans degassing as the planet slowly emerges from the last ice age.
CO2 can increase plant growth in greenhouses while also negatively affecting ecosystems and human societies
Claim:
CO2 is a plant nutrient...it’s not a pollutant that threatens human civilization. If CO2 was so terrible for the planet, then installing a CO2 generator in a greenhouse would kill the plants.
CNN accurately covers latest IPCC report
This CNN story covered the October release of the IPCC’s “Global Warming of 1.5 °C” report. The report, which was requested by governments during the 2015 Paris Agreement negotiations, details the impacts of 1.5 °C compared to 2 °C and the emissions cuts required to limit warming to either of those levels. Scientists who reviewed the story found that it conveyed the information in the report without any errors, and included comments by scientists to summarize the report’s implications.
Investor’s Business Daily editorial misrepresents study to claim plants will prevent dangerous climate change
“Our nitrogen study does not detract from the urgency of the climate problem, nor the unequivocal evidence of the role of carbon pollution in causing global climate change. The climate threat is clear and present and we must solve it rapidly by reducing emissions and capturing existing CO2 from the atmosphere.”
Commentary in The Australian ignores evidence and misrepresents research while falsely claiming humans are not responsible for climate change
“Yet another in the exhausting heap of opinions choosing not to engage with evidence, while still expecting readers to believe inaccurate and baseless claims. It is baffling why publications such as The Australian wish to promote opinions that are both not well-argued and demonstrably not based on fact.”
In CNN interview, William Happer misleads about the impact of rising carbon dioxide on plant life
Claim:
there's this myth that's developed around carbon dioxide that it's a pollutant […] Carbon dioxide is a perfectly natural gas, it’s just like water vapor, it’s something that plants love.