Perhaps you don’t believe that climate change is a problem that we need to worry about? Of course, I completely respect your right to hold these views. But, that said, I’d like to issue you with a little challenge. The post Don’t Believe That Cli
Publication: Environment
Truth or Fiction?→ How Much Ground Would the Amazon Rainforest Fires Cover Inside the United States?
While the final toll of their damage has yet to be assessed, enough fires had torn through the Amazon rainforest in August 2019 that a similar outbreak would devastate several regions in the mainland United States. A graphic first posted to Twitter on
Truth or Fiction?→ Did The Movie ‘Venom’ Get More Money Than Fire Relief for the Brazilian Amazon?
Following the August 2019 news that the G7 economic forum agreed to pledge $20 million to contain fires tearing through the Amazon rainforest, digital artist Todd Vaziri‘s note of perspective on Twitter struck a chord online. Vaziri — who has
Snopes→ Spurning Amazon Aid, Brazil Brings Up Notre Dame Fire
An increasingly personal feud between the French and Brazilian leaders is threatening to derail efforts to fight the Amazon fires.
Snopes→ ‘A Floodier Future’: Scientists Say Records Will Be Broken
A report predicted that annual flood records will be broken for decades to come from sea-level rise.
Snopes→ Trump EPA Close to Gutting Obama Rule on Coal Power Plants
Supporters of the revised rule say the Obama-era plan overstepped the EPA's authority.
Snopes→ UN report: Humans Accelerating Extinction of Species
More than half a million species on land "have insufficient habitat for long-term survival" and are likely to go extinct, many within decades.
Snopes→ Ralph Lauren Unveils Plastic Bottle Shirt
In announcing Earth Polo, Ralph Lauren committed to removing at least 170 million bottles from landfills and oceans by 2025.
Snopes→ UK Climate Protesters Block Roads, Glue Themselves to Train
Police have arrested more than 300 people during protests by the group Extinction Rebellion.
Snopes→ Ban on Plastic Bags Comes Close to Reality in a 3rd State
The ban would prohibit New York grocery stores from providing plastic bags for most purchases.
Snopes→ US Judge Blocks Oil, Gas Drilling Over Climate Change
The order marks the latest in a string of court rulings over the past decade that have faulted the U.S. for inadequate consideration of greenhouse gas emissions when approving oil, gas and coal projects on federal land.
Snopes→ Fish in River That Famously Caught Fire Now OK’d for Dinner
The Cuyahoga River in Ohio was one of the most polluted rivers in the country in 1969.
Snopes→ UN: Environment is Deadly, Worsening Mess, But Not Hopeless
The sixth Global Environment Outlook, released at a U.N. conference in Kenya, painted a dire picture of a planet where environmental problems interact with each other to make things even more dangerous for people.
Snopes→ Lawmakers: High Costs Slowing Action on Contaminant in Water
Water sampling shows the contaminant — also called the "forever chemicals" because they will take thousands of years to break down — has seeped into many public water systems in the U.S. and globally, including around military bases and industries.
Snopes→ School Lessons Increasingly a Target for Climate Skeptics
Science education organizations and climate scientists have blasted such proposals for sowing confusion and doubt on a topic of global urgency.
Snopes→ US Mining Sites Dump 50M Gallons of Fouled Wastewater Daily
It is poisoning aquatic life and tainting drinking water sources in Montana, California, Colorado, Oklahoma and at least five other states.
Snopes→ Senate Backs Major Public Lands, Conservation Bill
The hodgepodge bill offered something for nearly everyone, with projects stretching across the country.
Snopes→ Democrats Seek Green New Deal to Address Climate Change
Freshman lawmaker Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is teaming up with veteran Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts on the plan, which aims to eliminate the U.S. carbon footprint by 2030.
Snopes→ Democrats Hit Trump EPA Nominee on Coal Lobbying, Rollbacks
Democrats pressed Andrew Wheeler about his lobbying before joining the EPA, saying his work for coal companies should disqualify him from leading an agency that regulates coal.
Snopes→ Key West Moves to Ban Sunscreens that Could Damage Reefs
The ban would apply to products containing oxybenzone and octinoxate. Some studies have shown that the chemicals encourage coral bleaching.
Snopes→ Outgoing US Interior Secretary Defends Legacy
Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said he has lived up to the conservation ideals of Teddy Roosevelt.
Snopes→ Japan to Resume Commercial Whaling, But Not in Antarctic
Japan announced it is leaving the International Whaling Commission to resume commercial hunts for the animals for the first time in 30 years.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did United States President Donald Trump Threaten to Withhold Disaster Funding from California?
Sizable wildfires burning up and down California have killed at least 25 people and destroyed at least one entire Northern California town, Paradise. The exact toll and cost as of November 11, 2018 is still unknown, because at least two enormously dest
Snopes→ Are Nestle and Coca-Cola Trying to Privatize a South American Aquifer?
Some fringe blogs in North America picked up a claim about the Guarani Aquifer that has already been debunked by Brazilian journalists.
Truth or Fiction?→ Aquafina Bottled Water Doesn’t Freeze in Cold Temperatures-Truth!
Aquafina Bottled Water Doesn’t Freeze in Cold Temperatures-Truth! Summary of eRumor: Aquafina bottled water doesn’t freeze in cold temperatures, leading some to question what’s in it. The Truth: Aquafina bottled water doesn’t fr
Snopes→ Did President Donald Trump Reverse an Insecticide Ban After Receiving $1 Million from Dow Chemicals?
The Trump administration reversed a previous decision to ban the use of a common insecticide, and it did receive money from that chemical's manufacturer.
Truth or Fiction?→ President Trump Lifts Ban on Importing Elephant Trophies from Africa-Truth!
President Trump Lifts Ban on Importing Elephant Trophies from Africa-Truth! & Misleading! Summary of eRumor: The Trump administration has lifted an Obama-era ban on importing elephant trophies taken from African countries like Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Washington Post→ EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s claim that the U.S. is ‘leading the world’ in ‘C02 footprint’ reductions
“We are leading the nation — excuse me — the world with respect to our CO2 footprint in reductions.” — Scott Pruitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, during an interview on Fox News’s “Your World,
Washington Post→ Interior Secretary Zinke’s claim that the U.S. has struggled to produce ‘low-cost, abundant and reliable energy’
“Our country has inherited an energy-dependent country from previous generations, and in recent years, we’ve struggled to be self-sufficient in producing low-cost, abundant and reliable energy.” — Secretary of the Interior Ryan
Truth or Fiction?→ Save the Endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus From Extinction-Fiction!
Save the Endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus From Extinction-Fiction! Summary of eRumor: Calls to save the Pacific Northwest tree octopus from extinction have been in circulation for years. The Truth: The Pacific Northwest tree octopus is a ficti
Washington Post→ President Trump’s claim that ‘we’ve had bigger storms’ than Harvey and Irma
“We’ve had bigger storms than this. And if you go back into the 1930s and the 1940s and you take a look we’ve had storms over the years that have been bigger than this. If you go back into the teens, you’ll see storms that w
Truth or Fiction?→ Photo Shows Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport Flooding After Hurricane Harvey-Fiction!
Photo Shows Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport Flooding After Hurricane Harvey-Fiction! Summary of eRumor: A photo that began circulating on August 28, 2017, shows Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport flooding in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
Truth or Fiction?→ Child Miners Exploited for Electric Car Batteries-Misleading!
Child Miners Exploited for Electric Car Batteries-Misleading! Summary of eRumor: Reports that child miners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, some as young as four years old, are forced to mine cobalt needed to make electric car batteries have
Washington Post→ Video: Fact-checking President Trump’s claims about ‘unleashing American energy’
At a recent event celebrating “unleashing American energy,” President Trump made several misleading claims about coal, energy the Paris climate agreement and the environment. We’ve previously fact-checked Trump’s claim
Washington Post→ President Trump’s misleading claims about new mines and ‘clean coal’
“The bottom line is that the Paris accord is very unfair at the highest level to the United States. Further, while the current agreement effectively blocks the development of clean coal in America, which it does. And the mines are startin
Truth or Fiction?→ U.S. Pays $1 Billion into Green Climate Fund, Top Polluters Pay Nothing-Truth! & Misleading!
U.S. Pays $1 Billion into Green Climate Fund, Top Polluters Pay Nothing-Truth! & Misleading! Summary of eRumor: The United States has paid $1 billion into the United Nation’s Green Climate Fund while the world’s top polluters — Chin
Washington Post→ Pruitt’s claim that ‘almost 50,000 jobs’ have been gained in coal
“Since the fourth quarter of last year until most recently, we’ve added almost 50,000 jobs in the coal sector. In the month of May alone, almost 7,000 jobs.” — Scott Pruitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agen
Truth or Fiction?→ Maxine Waters: Pictures of Tide Prove Climate Change-Fiction!
Maxine Waters: Pictures of Tide Prove Climate Change-Fiction! Summary of eRumor: U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California, tweeted side-by-side pictures of Venice Beach at high and low tide as proof that climate change is real and is impa
Washington Post→ Fact-checking President Trump’s claims on the Paris climate change deal
In his speech announcing his decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord on climate change, President Trump frequently relied on dubious facts and unbalanced claims to make his case that the agreement would hurt the U.S. economy. Notably, he only looked
Snopes→ Weather Channel Co-Founder Denies Climate Change
Comments by Weather Channel co-founder John Coleman supposedly refute global warming. Are his remarks an accurate analysis of climate change?