FACT CHECK: TV host claims climate change improves lives—how accurate is this?
TV host claims climate change improves lives—how accurate is this?
A television host recently stated during a live show, “As this climate gets warmer, people’s lives improve. That’s a fact. People die from cold weather more frequently than warm weather.” He further claimed that climate change predictions have been inaccurate and criticized measures taken to address it, such as President Biden’s move to reduce gas-powered cars in the U.S.
Click here to view the claim.
Fact Check:
The claim is false. Findings from scientific research align with present realities which show that climate change has damaging consequences on several spheres of human existence.
We reviewed this claim in detail, analyzing the causes and consequences of climate change to assess its validity.
Understanding Climate Change
Climate change refers to long-term alterations in global temperature and weather patterns, primarily driven by human activities. The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas is the leading cause, accounting for over 75% of greenhouse gas emissions. These gases trap heat in the atmosphere, causing global warming.
Another key contributor is deforestation, which reduces the planet’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Increased human activity has significantly elevated greenhouse gas levels, leading to faster global warming than at any point in recorded history.
According to the United Nations, “warmer temperatures over time are changing weather patterns and disrupting the usual balance of nature, posing risks to all life forms.”
The negative impacts of climate change are extensive and far-reaching. These include rising temperatures, more severe storms, prolonged droughts, increasing ocean levels, loss of biodiversity, food shortages, health crises, poverty, displacement, and the loss of livelihoods.
Rising Temperatures
The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has caused a steady increase in global surface temperatures. People worldwide are experiencing more frequent hot days and heatwaves. According to the United Nations, “Since the 1980s, each decade has been warmer than the one before, with the 2011–2020 period being the hottest on record.”
Melting Arctic
The Arctic region is warming rapidly due to rising global temperatures, endangering its unique wildlife. Species such as polar bears, caribou, snowy owls, Arctic hares and foxes, narwhals, and walruses face significant threats to their habitats.
A 2022 study revealed that the Arctic has warmed nearly four times faster than the global average since 1979. Similarly, the World Wildlife Fund reported that the Arctic is “warming twice as fast as anywhere else on Earth, with sea ice declining by over 10% every decade.”
This rapid warming accelerates ice melt, disrupts ecosystems, and contributes to rising sea levels that threaten coastal communities worldwide.
Ocean Warming
A study published on April 17 in Earth Systems Science Data highlights that the oceans are warming at an alarming pace, absorbing the majority of the heat trapped on Earth. The report reveals that in the last 15 years, the planet has accumulated nearly as much heat as it did in the previous 45 years, with most of this heat being stored in the oceans.
Further data from the U.S. government released in April shows that ocean surface temperatures have reached record highs since satellite monitoring began.
This rising ocean temperature poses severe risks, including:
- Endangering marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
- Contributing to rising sea levels, threatening coastal communities.
- Reducing the oceans' ability to absorb carbon dioxide, which exacerbates climate change.
- Poverty, Starvation, and Job Loss
Extreme weather events fueled by climate change have significantly worsened global poverty and hunger. Droughts, for instance, contribute to desertification, reducing arable land and exacerbating food shortages. This often leads to malnutrition and starvation.
The increasing acidity of water bodies poses another major threat to marine life and seafood production, endangering the livelihoods of communities dependent on fishing.
The impacts of extreme weather are starkly illustrated by events such as the 2022 floods in Nigeria, which caused:
- Over 600 deaths.
- The displacement of 1.3 million people.
- Damage to more than 200,000 homes.
The United Nations estimates that between 2010 and 2019, weather-related disasters displaced an average of 23.1 million people annually, pushing many into deeper poverty and vulnerability.
The claim that climate change improves the lives of humans is false. Findings from scientific research align with present realities which show that climate change has damaging consequences on several spheres of human existence.