In an op-ed for Fox News, Rep. Lamar Smith, the chairman of the House science committee, made a host of false and misleading claims about climate change and related issues: Smith took a quote by climate scientist Stephen Schneider out of context, clai
Search Results (487) for: ocean
Climate Feedback→ A discussion with experts on California wildfire links to climate change
In the past year, California saw a number of extraordinary wildfires, including October’s Tubbs fire north of San Francisco and the Thomas fire near Los Angeles in December. It generally takes a confluence of factors to produce destructive fires, and
FactCheck.org→ Wind Energy’s Carbon Footprint
In observing that “every type of energy has consequences,” Department of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke claimed the “carbon footprint on wind [energy] is significant.” In fact, wind power’s carbon footprint is among the smallest of any energy
Climate Feedback→ New satellite measurements show sea level rise is accelerating, as CNN accurately reports
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article at CNN reports on a new study that calculates the acceleration of sea level rise that has become apparent in the record of satellite measurements, which began in 1993. Because the satellite record is s
FactCheck.org→ Will Global Warming Benefit Civilization?
Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt suggests that global warming isn’t necessarily “a bad thing” because “humans have most flourished during times of … warming.” But recent years have been the warmest
FactCheck.org→ Ice Caps at Record Low, Not High
In a recent interview with the British station ITV, President Donald Trump falsely implied the globe’s ice caps are at “record” high levels. But ice caps generally have been declining worldwide. Trump made his claim in an interview w
Climate Feedback→ Most popular climate change stories of 2017 reviewed by scientists
SUMMARY Many stories were written about climate science in 2017, but were the ones that “went viral” scientifically accurate? To find out, we compiled a list of articles with the most comments, shares, and likes on social networks using data from
Climate Feedback→ New York Times effectively informs readers about large Larsen C iceberg calving event
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This July 2017 article in The New York Times described a remarkable iceberg calving event at Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf. Scientists who reviewed the article found it to be essentially accurate and informativ
Climate Feedback→ New York Times accurately covers 2017 record low Arctic winter sea ice extent
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This March 2017 story in the New York Times described the record low extent of Arctic sea ice at its annual maximum. Scientists who reviewed the article found it to be accurate and informative, with only a couple d
Climate Feedback→ IFLScience story on Florida sea level rise somewhat unclear but generally correct
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This story by IFLScience covered an August 2017 study published in Geophysical Research Letters that examined variability of sea level rise rates along the US East Coast. Scientists who reviewed the article found t
Climate Feedback→ New York Times’ news coverage of 2016 global temperature data was an accurate summary
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY In January 2017, NASA and NOAA released their data for average global temperature in 2016, which ranked as the warmest year on record. This story in the New York Times described the new record and provided some con
Climate Feedback→ Futurism story on Great Barrier Reef compromised by sensational headline
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This April 2017 story at Futurism describes a statement released by James Cook University’s ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies on bleaching along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Bleaching occurs wh
FactCheck.org→ Cold Facts on the Globe’s Hottest Years
Sen. James Inhofe misleadingly claimed that the statistics behind the globe’s likely hottest years on record — 2014, 2015 and 2016 — were “meaningless” because the temperature increases were “well within the margin o
Climate Feedback→ Daily Caller uncritically reports poorly supported conclusion of satellite temperature study
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article in The Daily Caller describes a recent study published on the University of Alabama at Huntsville satellite temperature dataset. The study claims that, after removing the cooling influence of two large
Climate Feedback→ Grist article on an “Ice Apocalypse” mostly accurate, but doesn’t make the likelihood of that apocalypse clear enough to readers
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article at Grist by Eric Holthaus examines the risk of greater sea level rise caused by a more rapid loss of glacial ice. It focuses on a process recently added to one ice sheet model (ice cliff instability),
Climate Feedback→ US Congressman Lamar Smith rushes to dismiss study of Texas hurricanes like Harvey in a warming climate
On November 13th, MIT climate scientist Kerry Emanuel published a study estimating the probability of Hurricane-Harvey-like rainfall events for today’s climate and for a future, warmer climate. The study concluded that while there was only about a 1%
FactCheck.org→ Senator Misleads on ‘Absurd’ Science
Sen. Rand Paul misrepresented two studies supported by federal grants, while advocating legislation he introduced to change the federal grant funding process. In both cases, Paul, a 2016 presidential candidate and Republican from Kentucky, confused the
Climate Feedback→ The Independent makes a giant leap in stating that modern global warming could be “worse than thought” based on a single study
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article in The Independent describes a study examining one type of “proxy” record for past global temperatures the geologic record. The study found a potential problem with temperature estimates for time p
Climate Feedback→ Commentary in The Australian ignores evidence and misrepresents research while falsely claiming humans are not responsible for climate change
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This opinion in The Australian by Ian Plimer repeats a number of false but common claims to support an argument that human activities are not responsible for climate change, and that renewables like wind and solar
FactCheck.org→ Warming to Blame for Western Wildfires?
Q: Did climate change cause the wildfires out West? A: Scientists say a hot and dry summer — conditions more likely in a warmer world — caused widespread wildfires in Western states. But land use changes also have played a role. FULL ANS
Climate Feedback→ New York Times’ “straightforward answers” to common climate questions are accurate, too
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article in The New York Times serves as a primer by briefly answering seventeen basic questions about the cause and consequences of—and possible solutions to—climate change. Twelve scientists reviewed the
Climate Feedback→ Daily Wire article misunderstands study on carbon budget (along with Fox News, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, Breitbart…)
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This story at The Daily Wire describes a new study that evaluates the remaining amount of greenhouse gas that we can emit before global temperature rises to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial times. The study suggests th
Climate Feedback→ False claim that global warming is natural propagates in a climate misinformation echo-chamber
Study claims to demonstrate humans have little to do with global warming Recently, a number of websites wrote about a paper published in the journal GeoResJ—a quarterly journal that will be discontinued after its January 2018 issue—that was written
FactCheck.org→ Cruz Wrong on Sandy Relief
Sen. Ted Cruz wrongly claimed that a 2013 Hurricane Sandy relief bill was “filled with pork and unrelated spending,” estimating that “two-thirds of what was spent in that bill had little or nothing to do with Hurricane Sandy.” N
FactCheck.org→ Hurricane Harvey and Climate Change
Hurricane Harvey has brought with it both a record amount of rain and questions about how much climate change can be blamed for the storm. Climate change did not cause Harvey, or any other storm, but it makes intense storms like Harvey more likely t
Snopes→ Trump Says “All Options Are on the Table” After North Korean Missile Launch Over Japan
North Korea earlier fired a midrange ballistic missile that flew over Japan and fell into the Pacific Ocean.
FactCheck.org→ CO2: Friend or Foe to Agriculture?
Rep. Lamar Smith said climate change “alarmists” ignore the “positive impacts” of more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, such as increased food production and quality. But the impact of increased CO2 levels on agricultur
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
Truth or Fiction?→ Video Shows What Happens When Lightning Strikes a River-Fiction!
Video Shows What Happens When Lightning Strikes a River-Fiction! Summary of eRumor: A video showing lightning striking a river has left audiences captivated. The Truth: A video explosives being detonated in a river bed was misidentified as a lightn
Climate Feedback→ Wall Street Journal op-ed on economic consequences of climate change found naive by scientists
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This Wall Street Journal commentary by David Henderson and John Cochrane argues that the world would be better off adapting to climate change than eliminating the greenhouse gas emissions that cause warming. Scient
FactCheck.org→ Smith Spins NASA Funding
Rep. Lamar Smith said that, after national security agencies, “NASA received the most favorable budget request from the Trump administration.” True, but President Donald Trump’s 2018 proposal would still cut NASA’s budget by a
Climate Feedback→ Scientists explain what New York Magazine article on “The Uninhabitable Earth” gets wrong
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY New York Magazine published an article by David Wallace-Wells detailing the potential impacts of climate change if no action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Much of the article explores “worst case
Climate Feedback→ Breitbart article falsely claims that measured global warming has been “fabricated”
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This Breitbart article by James Delingpole claims that the observed warming of Earth’s surface temperatures is largely a fabrication by scientists who have altered the measurements. The source for this claim is a
Climate Feedback→ Stephen Hawking interview on climate was partly misleading but consistent with science on impacts of political inaction
On July 2nd, BBC News ran an interview with the well known theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking that touched on climate change. As we have discussed previously, such interviews can sometimes run the risk of spreading misinformation if the interviewee
Snopes→ Crystal Pyramid in the Bermuda Triangle
Reports that scientists found a 'crystal pyramid' on the ocean's floor beneath the Bermuda Triangle are fabrications.
PolitiFact→ Rick Perry – Rick Perry wrongly downplays human role in climate change
The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Rick Perry wrongly downplays human role in climate change Energy Secretary Rick Perry downplayed the role of human activity in the recent rise in the Earth’s temperature, saying natural causes are likely the ma
FactCheck.org→ Trump Official Wrong About Warming, Again
In an interview on CNBC, Energy Secretary Rick Perry said carbon dioxide is not “the primary control knob” for the Earth’s temperature and climate. But scientists say it’s “extremely likely” that human activity &
Climate Feedback→ How sea ice can still be thick in places in a warming Arctic
EXPLAINER A June 12th Winnipeg Free Press story titled “U of M climate change study postponed due to climate change” describes a climate study delayed by unusual sea ice conditions around Newfoundland that necessitated the reassignment of
Climate Feedback→ Breitbart misrepresents research from 58 scientific papers to falsely claim that they disprove human-caused global warming
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY In an article for Breitbart, author James Delingpole claims to provide 58 scientific papers published in 2017 that show global warming to be “a myth”. This claim is sourced entirely from a list on a blog called
Climate Feedback→ Playing semantics, misleading Breitbart article downplays US contribution to climate change
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article at Breitbart argues that World Health Organization rankings of particulate matter air quality show that the United States is not one of the biggest polluters in the context of the Paris Agreement. Scie