Fact Check: Viral post claiming current climatic conditions are safest to humans is misleading
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These changes can be natural due to the
Claim :
Current climactic conditions are the safest in human history, extreme weather events are not increasingFact :
Climate change is not safe, the events of climate change are increasing in frequency and intensity too
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These changes can be natural due to the Sun’s activity. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main cause of climate change, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels. Burning of fossil fuels generates greenhouse gases that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and increasing temperatures. The changes in the temperature patterns are also affecting the weather patterns worldwide.
However, some social media users are sharing messages claiming that there is nothing wrong with the climate as of now, and that current conditions are the safest in human history, and that extreme weather events are not increasing.
It states that climate is contributing to record crop yields and that the economic costs of climate disasters are declining. The users are also claiming that more people die from cold than from heat and suggest that warming can save lives. The post criticizes the efforts to reduce CO2 emissions in Western countries, asserting that such actions merely shift wealth and emissions to China. The text also accuses certain media outlets of spreading misinformation and attempting to censor opposing views.
Here is the post shared on X: "Fix the climate" What absolute. There is nothing wrong with "the climate. We are currently the safest from extreme weather in human history. "The climate" is helping to deliver the highest crop yields ever known to mankind. The economic cost of climate disasters is trending downwards. There is no increase in number of extreme weather events. Many more people die of cold than hot weather and warming saves lives. But even if there was something wrong with the climate - and you could "fix it" by removing one part per 10,000 of C02 from the atmosphere - shutting down fossil fuels in Western countries, only transfers wealth & emissions to China. And it’s pedlars of FAKE NEWS, like misinformers at The Conversation that want to give their leftist buddies at ACMA to censor anything they disagree with.”
Fact check:
The claim is False. Current climatic conditions are not safe. The climate is deteriorating fast due to human activities leading to extreme weather conditions.
There are several statements in the viral post, let us debunk them one after another. Firstly, the post makes a claim that the current climate conditions are safest as the increasing temperatures yield better crops. According to an article published in UN.org, the average temperature of the Earth’s surface is now about 1.2°C warmer than it was in the late 1800s (before the industrial revolution) and warmer than at any time in the last 100,000 years. The last decade (2011-2020) was the warmest on record, and each of the last four decades has been warmer than any previous decade since 1850.
Many people think climate change mainly means only warmer temperatures. But temperature rise is only the beginning of the story. As the Earth is a system, where everything is connected, changes in one area can influence changes in all others. Among others, the consequences of climate change include intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms, and declining biodiversity.
Climate change can affect our health, ability to grow food, housing, safety, and work. In the future, the number of people displaced by weather-related events is expected to rise.
According to a NASA report, climate change may affect the production of maize and wheat as early as the year 2030. Maize crop yields are projected to decline 24%, while wheat production could potentially see growth of about 17%
While researchers warn that overall crop yields will decrease due to a warming climate, changing rainfall patterns, and severe weather, surprisingly, some crops may see yield increases. For example, a 2019 study from the University of Minnesota found that yields of crops like rice and wheat are already on the decline, while harvests of sorghum, which is more drought-tolerant, rose during the same period.
The data captured between 1900 and 2019 by the Institute for Economics and Peace reveal an increase from 39 incidents in 1960 to 396 in 2019. Changes in climate conditions, especially the warming of global temperatures increases the likelihood of weather-related natural disasters. Hotter global temperatures increase the risk of droughts as well as increase the intensity of storms and create wetter monsoons. This is most visible when seen through changes in the intensity and frequency of droughts, storms, floods, extreme temperatures, and wildfires. In the face of more common extreme weather events and climate-related disasters, natural resources such as land and water will be most vulnerable.
Hence, all the statements made in the viral post are false. Climate change does not improve human life, it does not improve crop yields. Climate change not only increases temperatures, it also causes other complications like floods, droughts, etc.
