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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

Deutsche Presse-AgenturClimate & environment

Ein Fundament eines Windrades wird niemand jemals wieder entfernen können.

Publisher’s rating: Fundamente alter Windräder werden regelmäßig vollständig entfernt. Die Vorschriften dafür wurden im Laufe der Zeit verschärft. Korrekt ist, dass unter bestimmten Umständen Teile des Fundaments im Boden bleiben dürfen.

The claim appeared over a photograph of a large concrete structure, described in the post as a wind-turbine foundation that nobody would ever be able to remove. The review rejects that absolute assertion: it says foundations are often removed completely, while acknowledging that removal is not possible or required in every case. Its account concerns German wind-turbine dismantling rules and the particular foundation shown in the post. The review describes several grounds for removal. It cites a 2018 background paper from the German Wind Energy Association, which says that many states and court decisions require complete removal and that soil sealing must in any event be eliminated. It also says the Federal Environment Agency recommends fully removing shallow foundations. A standard for dismantling, DIN SPEC 4866, has existed since October 2020; the review quotes it as saying that the foundation should be removed completely, including the blinding layer. These examples show why the post’s claim that removal can never happen is too broad. The review also explains the qualification: some foundations, or parts of them, may remain underground. Older permits often allowed removal only to 1.5 metres below ground level, and pile foundations may be left in the soil when dismantling them would require disproportionate effort. The review says the rules changed in 2004 and that pile foundations accounted for about 14 percent of onshore turbines as of 2019. Thus, cases where material remains do not establish that foundations cannot be removed; the applicable permit and foundation design matter.

Fact Crescendo Sri LankaClimate & environment

ඉදිරි වසර 10 තුළදී සෙල්සියස් අංශක 4කින් පරිසර උෂ්ණත්වයේ ඉහළ යාමක් සිදුවේවි ද?

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

The review addresses a widely shared message claiming that Earth’s temperature would rise by about 4°C within ten years and that Himalayan ice would therefore begin melting rapidly. The publisher says it examined the claim against scientific findings and whether recognized international organizations or researchers had made such a near-term forecast. It reports finding no clear, evidence-based research prediction that global warming would increase by 4°C over that ten-year period. A central distinction in the review is the time horizon. It says that projections of warming by roughly 4°C generally concern the end of this century, conditional on greenhouse-gas emissions continuing without effective reductions—not the next decade. The review also reports that the IPCC-linked research it describes found global average surface temperature in 2011–2020 was about 1.1°C above the 1850–1900 average. Separately, it notes that some researchers saw a possibility of about 1.5°C of warming over the coming 10–15 years; that is not evidence for a 4°C rise in ten years. The review’s conclusion is therefore about the specific magnitude and timing in the circulated message: it found no credible scientific forecast supporting a 4°C increase within ten years, while describing 4°C as a possible end-of-century outcome under continued emissions. It does not dismiss climate warming or the melting of Himalayan glaciers: it says glacier melt is already occurring and could accelerate as global warming continues. That distinction matters because a real climate risk does not substantiate the message’s much more rapid temperature projection.

日本ファクトチェックセンターClimate & environment

(画像)日本は農薬使用量が世界一

Publisher’s rating: 誤り

The review reports that FAO data for 2020 show the United States had the highest total pesticide use, at 407,779 tonnes, while Japan used 51,970 tonnes. By pesticide use per hectare, Saint Lucia ranked highest at 20.48 kg per hectare, compared with Japan’s 11.89 kg.

dpaClimate & environment

Der CO2-Gehalt in der Luft hat sich in den vergangenen 100 Jahren nicht verändert.

Publisher’s rating: Das ist falsch. Der Kohlenstoffdioxidanteil in der Atmosphäre war 1920 niedriger und ist heute höher als in dem Bild angegeben. Er ist also deutlich gestiegen und erreichte zuletzt einen neuen Höchststand.

The claim concerns a social-media screenshot asserting that the amount of CO₂ in the air had not changed over the preceding 100 years. The dpa review traces the claim to a supposed 1920 encyclopedia figure of 0.038 percent and checks that figure against historical reference works and scientific reconstructions, rather than treating the screenshot’s assertion as established. The review says the screenshot’s source could not be identified: “Welchem Nachschlagewerk diese Prozentangabe entstammt, ist nicht nachvollziehbar.” For comparison, dpa examined the editions of Brockhaus’ and Meyers’ encyclopedias current around 1920. It reports that both put atmospheric carbon dioxide at about 0.03 percent, equivalent to 300 parts per million, and notes this is 0.008 percentage points below the screenshot’s stated figure. The review also compares the historical estimate with ice-core analyses, explaining that trapped air bubbles preserve evidence of past atmospheric conditions. Its cited reconstruction places concentrations between 295 and 303 ppm from 1900 to 1920: “Eine interaktive Darstellung der daraus rekonstruierten CO2-Konzentration zeigt, dass die Werte zwischen 1900 und 1920 zwischen 295 ppm und 303 ppm lagen.” The review then contrasts those historical measurements with a NOAA figure of around 420 ppm, reporting that the present-day concentration is substantially higher than the levels around 1920. It adds that the IPCC’s synthesis report describes today’s atmospheric CO₂ concentration as the highest in at least two million years and attributes the increase to human activity. Together, the historical reference works, ice-core reconstruction, and modern measurement address the screenshot’s central comparison: the evidence presented does not support the claim that atmospheric CO₂ remained unchanged.

El Detector / Univision NoticiasClimate & environment

Avión que aprece en el video expulsa estelas químicas tóxicas.

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The review investigates a viral Twitter video in which an aircraft releases a white plume, and addresses the poster’s question about whether it is emitting toxic chemical trails. It identifies the aircraft as an Evergreen Supertanker, a firefighting aircraft, and concludes that the plume is water released to fight large fires. The review says it used reverse-image searches and keyword searches to identify the plane and compare the footage with other material. (Its search methods and identification are described in the source excerpts below.) The investigation reports that reverse-image searches on Yandex and Google led to a 2008 New Atlas article identifying the aircraft type as an Evergreen Supertanker. The review says the article did not contain the viral video, but its aircraft image shared visible features with the plane in the clip, including green stripes and markings. A Google search also found a Transponder 1200 video that the review describes as identical to the viral clip, providing a direct comparison rather than relying only on a similar aircraft image. The review further says Evergreen’s website showed the Supertanker releasing water and described the aircraft’s firefighting purpose and capacity. It therefore identifies the visible discharge as water, not toxic chemical trails. The excerpts do not establish why the plane released water at high altitude; the review relays a suggestion that it may have been a demonstration, while explicitly noting that the reason was unclear.

Boatos.orgClimate & environment

Atenção Brasil -10 Cº Temperatura de Chicago no inverno, ou seja vai nevar no Brasil

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim concerns a video predicting that Brazil would experience temperatures around -10°C and snow the following week, comparing the cold to a Chicago winter and attributing warnings to the US and Canadian governments. The review says the message also predicted temperatures below -15°C in high areas of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. It identifies the forecast as a recycled video rather than a new official warning. To assess the forecast, the review says it searched for information supporting the claims and found none. It reports that Metsul had forecast lower temperatures in Rio Grande do Sul, but not below zero, and that its report described rain in the Southeast as a way to ease heat. The review also says Porto Alegre’s temperatures were not expected to approach even 10°C, much less -10°C. These reported forecasts do not support the extreme cold and snowfall predicted in the circulating message. The review describes the accompanying video’s statements about government alerts and severe cold, including the claim that the cold would affect southern and other parts of Brazil. It concludes that the video did not establish the forecast it promoted. The review further identifies the clip as old footage from a Rio Grande do Sul television program, reused in later warnings about cold waves.

dpaClimate & environment

La couverture de neige dans l'hémisphère nord est quasi identique, malgré 50 ans d'émissions de CO2.

Publisher’s rating: Cette affirmation est fausse. Comme l'expliquent deux climatologues à la dpa, les tendances observées sur plusieurs décennies montrent que le manteau neigeux tend à décliner dans l'hémisphère nord. Ce phénomène, décrit dans plusieurs études et synthétisé dans le sixième rapport d'évaluation du Groupe d'experts intergouvernemental sur l'évolution du climat (GIEC), s'observe plus particulièrement au printemps. Parallèlement au couvert neigeux, la masse de neige tend également à diminuer.

Fact Crescendo Sri LankaClimate & environment

තවත් වසර 15 ක් ඇතුලත අයිස් යුගයකට මුහුණදීමට පෘථිවි වාසීනට සිදුවේවිද ?

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

The review investigates social-media posts predicting that Earth would experience an ice age within 15 years. It distinguishes the prospect of a small, temporary cooling effect from a near-term ice age: it reports that NASA found no prospect in the near-term future of a mini ice age severe enough to threaten humanity, and notes that the past “Mini Ice Age” occurred during 1650–1715 alongside reduced solar activity and volcanic ash. The review says researchers had speculated that later solar cycles might be longer and cooler, but found no definite evidence for that prediction; even if it proved true, the cooling effect would be negligible compared with warming from global warming. The review also reports comments from Professor Chandana Jayaratne of the University of Colombo. He described ice ages as recurring over timescales of thousands of years, driven chiefly by changes in Earth’s motion, and said none of the relevant cycles pointed to an ice age within 15 years. He further said that although an unusual event such as a large dust layer blocking sunlight could, in principle, lead to cooling, no such event was reported as expected in the coming years. The review’s conclusion is that there was no high or definite risk of a mini ice age within the claimed timeframe, and that the possibility was very low.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturClimate & environment

Erdöl ist ein unendlicher nachwachsender Rohstoff.

Publisher’s rating: Erdöl ist ein fossiler Brennstoff aus abgestorbenen Kleinstlebewesen. Der Rohstoff bildet sich zwar nach, aber nicht in dem Tempo, in dem der Mensch ihn derzeit verbraucht.

The claim under review was that oil is an “infinite renewable resource,” and that its description as a fossil fuel reflected a deliberately invented scarcity associated with John D. Rockefeller. The review examines both the scientific account of oil’s origin and the historical claim about how it came to be classified as fossil material. It reports that oil formed mainly from dead marine organisms over millions of years, under heat and pressure, and that the principal known deposits have an organic origin. The review cites Dieter Franke of Germany’s Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources for the qualification that abiotic oil formation is not entirely impossible. But it says the overwhelming majority of known deposits are demonstrably organic in origin. It points to chemical investigations and the success of exploration models: oil is generally found where organic remains are expected. Thus the possibility of some abiotic formation does not support the claim that oil is an unlimited supply. Oil continues to form, but the review says this happens very slowly: most current deposits formed roughly 15 to 600 million years ago, while worldwide consumption continues to rise. It also rejects the historical attribution to Rockefeller. The review traces an account of oil’s mainly plant-based origin to Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov in 1757 and identifies geologist Hans Höfer’s 1888 discussion of competing explanations. The evidence therefore distinguishes ongoing formation from replenishment at a rate that could make oil effectively inexhaustible under present consumption.