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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Climate & environment fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about climate & environment. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

1,358 published reviews in this topic

APA - Austria Presse AgenturClimate & environment

Video zeigt rechtsalternativen TV-Sender, der meint, die Zahl der Hitzetoten in Österreich ist viel zu hoch angesetzt und durch keine Statistik nachweisbar

Publisher’s rating: Um Todesfälle mit Hitzebezug zu errechnen, müssen viele Faktoren wie etwa Vorerkrankungen beachtet werden. Daher können lediglich Schätzwerte ermittelt werden. Diese liegen mit sehr hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit im Bereich der jüngst veröffentlichten europäischen Zahlen – und damit deutlich höher, als etwa im vorliegenden Posting behauptet wird. Zudem trägt der Klimawandel zu einem Anstieg an hitzebedingten Todesopfern bei.

dpaClimate & environment

De ijsbeerpopulatie is verdubbeld en vetter dan ooit.

Publisher’s rating: Nee, de beweringen kloppen niet. Exacte data over de ijsbeerpopulatie was en is moeilijk te verkrijgen. Wetenschappers houden schattingen uit de vorige eeuw inmiddels voor onbetrouwbaar. Ze zijn niet met de cijfers van vandaag de dag te vergelijken. Dat de dieren dikker zouden zijn, blijkt alleen uit metingen van een kleine subpopulatie van de dieren. Het geldt dus niet in het algemeen voor de huidige toestand van de ijsbeer.

dpaClimate & environment

Dieser Screenshot zeigt, dass die Medien das Publikum beim Thema Hitzewellen manipulieren.

Publisher’s rating: Die Temperaturen wurden beide gemessen - nur an verschiedenen Tagen und an verschiedenen Orten auf Korsika. Der Eindruck einer Manipulation konnte entstehen, weil der Sender Bilder vom Vortag benutzte. Dieser Kontext fehlt in der Momentaufnahme des Screenshots

The screenshot appeared to show a mismatch: a CNEWS ticker reported temperatures above 42°C on Corsica while a pharmacy thermometer in the image showed 32°C. The review traced the image to the broadcaster’s *Face à l'info été* and checked the broadcast and the report from which the footage came. It found the pharmacy image was filmed in Bastia on July 17 and reused in a July 18 broadcast; the accompanying report concerned Bastia, while the later narration referred to a reading in Castirla. Thus the image and the reported high temperature did not describe the same place and time. (The review describes the image’s origin and the mismatch: “Der teilweise sichtbare Text links im Bild zeigt, dass der Screenshot aus der Diskussionssendung Face à l'info été des Fernsehsenders CNEWS stammt.” “Das Bild der Apotheke stammt aus einer Reportage, die am Morgen des 18. Juli online gestellt wurde und Bilder vom 17. Juli enthält.”) The review reports that 42.8°C was recorded in Castirla at about 3 p.m. on July 18, whereas the Bastia footage showed a coastal location and came from the previous day. It also notes that the broadcast excerpt was labeled “Bastia” and “yesterday,” context absent from a standalone screenshot. The review therefore found no evidence that the apparent discrepancy demonstrated manipulation; it did note a qualification about the reliability of the Castirla measurement. (“Ein Messwert von 42,8 Grad wurde nämlich gegen 15 Uhr am 18. Juli in Castirla registriert (manche Medien meldeten auch 42,3 Grad).” “Als ein Ausschnitt davon am Abend des 18. Juli in der Sendung Face à l'info été erneut verwendet wird, ist dieser mit der Ortsangabe «Bastia» und dem Hinweis auf «gestern» gekennzeichnet.”)

dpaClimate & environment

Deze screenshot laat zien dat de media het publiek manipuleren over hittegolven.

Publisher’s rating: Het screenshot geeft zonder context de onjuiste indruk dat CNEWS foute temperaturen op Corsica meldt. De desbetreffende uitzending berichtte over een meting van meer dan 42 graden op Corsica. Het beeld van de thermometer aan de apotheek is van een dag eerder, waarvan CNEWS zich goed bewust is dat die 32 graden aangeeft.

The screenshot juxtaposes a CNEWS banner reporting temperatures above 42°C in Corsica with footage of a pharmacy thermometer showing 32°C. The review identifies the image as a segment from the programme Face à l’info été and checks what the broadcast and footage showed, rather than treating the screenshot alone as proof of intentional deception. It reports that the broadcast’s short news overview used footage from a report published that morning, showing images from the previous day, 17 July 2023. The review says the footage is from a pharmacy in Bastia. In the original report, the presenter identified Bastia and said the pharmacy thermometer read 32°C. The banner’s higher figure referred to a different event and location: a 42.8°C measurement around 15:00 on 18 July at Castirla, inland on Corsica. The review notes that some media reported 42.3°C instead. The difference in dates and locations explains why the two figures appeared together; the screenshot omits that context. The review also qualifies what the temperature record establishes. It says 42.8°C was a record for the Castirla station, but describes the station as class 5, the poorest category on a five-point scale, and notes that readings there may vary by a few degrees. Thus, the review distinguishes the reported station measurement from questions about how meteorologically reliable it was; it does not treat that qualification as evidence that CNEWS deliberately manipulated viewers.

Factcrescendo Sri LankaClimate & environment

Increased Carbon Dioxide Levels Always Result In Good Harvest From Crops!

Publisher’s rating: Missing Context

The review examines social-media content that presents higher carbon dioxide as beneficial to food production. It describes a video about concentrated CO₂ in greenhouses and says the claim implies that increasing carbon dioxide is good for the planet. The review characterizes the video’s argument as selective: it points to CO₂ fertilization without accounting for the other conditions crops need. (S1: “The claim made in the video is merely cherry-picking on a process called CO2 fertilization.”) The review acknowledges that increased CO₂ can support photosynthesis, but says this does not mean crops will always thrive or produce better harvests. It notes that different plants respond differently and that growth also depends on water, sunlight, and minerals in suitable proportions. It further describes how heat, drought, and other effects of climate change can constrain plant growth and agricultural yields. (S1: “Although plants require carbon dioxide to flourish, they may not thrive in situations with high levels of carbon.”) The evidence presented therefore distinguishes a possible benefit under some conditions from a universal guarantee of good harvests. The review cites research reporting increased photosynthesis alongside rising atmospheric CO₂, but also discusses possible losses in crop protein and minerals, and the risk that heat and water constraints can reduce yields. Its conclusion is that the claim is only a half-truth: CO₂’s effects must be considered alongside other factors affecting plants and crops. (S1: “Based on our investigation, the claim mentioned above is only a half-truth.”)

BR24 FaktenfuchsClimate & environment

"Windräder scheinen das Klima signifikant zu erwärmen. Zahlreiche Studien kommen jedenfalls zu dem Ergebnis, dass es in der Umgebung von Windkraft-Anlagen zu weniger Niederschlag kommt, insgesamt eine höhere Temperatur entsteht und folglich das Risiko von Dürren steigt."

Publisher’s rating: Das ist falsch. Windräder können es örtlich begrenzt ganz leicht wärmer werden lassen - aber nur unter bestimmten Bedingungen. Windkraftanlagen verändern das Klima nicht und sie lösen auch keine Dürren aus.

APA - Austria Presse AgenturClimate & environment

die Klimakrise ist erfunden und alte Zeitungsartikel zeigen, dass das Klima schon lange so warm ist

Publisher’s rating: Die Behauptung in dem weitverbreiteten Facebook-Posting ist falsch. Der Klimawandel ist Wissenschaftlern schon seit Jahrhunderten ein Begriff, auch wenn die Gefahr, die er birgt, erst in der jüngeren Vergangenheit deutlich wurde. Auch die Behauptung, dass es am 8. August 1975 in Deutschland 40 Grad Celsius hatte, stimmt nicht. Bei der „Bild“-Schlagzeile handelt es sich lediglich um eine Prognose, die nachweislich nicht erfüllt wurde.

The Facebook post invoked an old Bild headline to argue that the climate crisis is invented and that temperatures in Germany were already as high as 40°C in 1975. The APA review separates those points: it describes the headline as a warning about possible extreme heat, rather than a report that the temperature had actually reached 40°C. It says no location in Germany recorded that temperature during the summer of 1975, and that the forecast did not come true. The review also places the history of climate science well before the post’s use of the newspaper clipping. It traces scientific work on the greenhouse effect to Joseph Fourier in 1824, Eunice Foote in 1856, and John Tyndall in the 1860s. It says research and public discussion developed over time, while distinguishing scientists’ awareness from broader public awareness: the expression “climate change” and public awareness were sharpened later, but earlier public discussion also took place. The review’s evidence therefore does not support the post’s inference from an old headline to a fabricated crisis. Its account is that the headline was a forecast, not an observed temperature record, and that scientific investigation of climate change long predated the clipping. The review also notes that the highest German temperature it identifies was 41.2°C, measured in Duisburg and Tönisvorst near Krefeld on July 25, 2019.

Factcrescendo Sri LankaClimate & environment

World Economic Forum Mandated That Humans Must Eat Faeces And Drink Urine To Fight Climate Change !

Publisher’s rating: False

The review investigated a viral video and an article claiming that the World Economic Forum (WEF) had declared people must eat human waste and drink urine to fight climate change. It reports that The People’s Voice article offered no evidence for the alleged mandate, and says its own search found no such statement on the WEF website or in reputable mainstream media. The review also cites WEF spokesperson Yann Zop’s denial: “The World Economic Forum never made such a statement.”