With the internet oversaturated with information, it can be challenging to sift through all the noise and determine what's fact versus fiction.
AAP FactCheck recently debunked false claims circulating on social media disputing the climate crisis.
A Facebook post wrongly claimed "global warming is a hoax." In an effort to stop misinformation, AAP FactCheck evaluated the study and explained the actual meaning of the research.
While the research referenced in the Facebook post found that the rate of global warming has not accelerated since the 1970s, it also found that temperatures have been constantly increasing.
"Figure 1 in the Nature study (Page 2) showed that temperatures had increased since the 1970s but at a constant rather than an accelerating rate," AAP FactCheck further explained.
What's more, Claudie Beaulieu, the study's lead author and a climate expert from the University of California, told AAP FactCheck that the "claims in the posts did not align with the research."
Global temperatures are rising and have been rising as a result of human-driven factors, including the use of dirty energy. These harmful pollutants emit gases into the atmosphere that exacerbate the planet's rising temperatures.
"Greenhouse gas concentrations are at their highest levels in 2 million years and continue to rise. As a result, the earth is about 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer than it was in the 1800s. The last decade was the warmest on record," according to the United Nations.
With hotter temperatures come more powerful and frequent storms, which the U.S. has already experienced this year with Hurricane Milton, Hurricane Helene, and the Los Angeles wildfires.
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Definitely 💯 This particular post is an important reminder of what happens when research is misunderstood and taken out of context. As a general rule of thumb, it's always best to review the direct source rather than believing any surrounding claims on social media.
"Our study affirms steady warming at an alarming rate, and we must continue to step up our efforts to address climate change," Beaulieu told AAP FactCheck.
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