Climate

Does a viral video prove the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine in May 2023? No, that's not true: The footage, predating the Russian invasion of Ukraine, shows Afghanistan. The claim appeared in a video on TikTok on May 10, 2023. The text overlay said: Is World war 3 already startin 💔 it like a dream 😭 It continued: Nato…

Is New York City, one of the world's culinary capitals, "trying to ban meat"? No, that's not true: The rumor followed a Mayor's Office announcement about the reduction of food-related carbon emissions, not a complete prohibition of meat. Moreover, the emissions-reduction program focuses predominantly on the city's spending on food; as of this writing, the private sector does not have…

Did scientists find a "dimensional gateway" in Antarctica? No, that's not true: The evidence of the portals are computer-generated imagery, or CGI. Multiple photos used as background for these "dimensional gateway" photos are from stock image websites. There is no evidence from credible news outlets that scientists have found a dimensional gateway in Antarctica. The claim appeared in an article…

Did then-presidential candidate Joe Biden claim that the biggest problem during the Revolutionary War was the fact that they did not have airports? No, that's not true: Biden was referring to something then-President Donald Trump had said in a speech. The Facebook video where this claim originated is misrepresenting Biden's speech by leaving out the context. The claim appeared on…

Does this video show the military enforcement of a no-fly zone over Antarctica? No, that's not true: This video shows a demonstration of the U.S. military intervening when a plane violates presidential airspace. Filmed by the "Today" show in 2017, it shows the United States -- not Antarctica. While there are practical caveats to consider when flying to Antarctica's frigid…

Nicholas Muller is a fact checker in Russian and Spanish for Lead Stories. He has been covering China's global Belt and Road initiatives, climate, and migration stories in Asia, and also has several years reporting from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Central Asia. He has a double MA degree in Chinese foreign policy and European Affairs from Sciences Po-Paris and Fudan…

Does a video put out by a Bitcoin mining company prove that their operation produces zero carbon emissions? No, that's not true: The video only demonstrates that a facility filled with computers doesn't produce smog like a factory might. The director of the Nebraska Governance and Technology Center says he hopes the social media videos being shared are either satire…

Does a video shared to social media in April 2023 authentically show a "cloud factory" in Chicago that makes rain to "control the climate"? No, that's not true: The video was posted to TikTok on April 1, 2023 -- April Fools' Day -- and features a man wearing a helmet with the logo of a Chicago-based sweetener manufacturing company. The…

Have temperatures in Antarctica not increased in more than 70 years? No, that's not true: A climatologist and global climate expert told Lead Stories that it is "evident that temperatures are increasing across the Antarctic." According to official data, land surface temperatures in the region have increased an average of .16 degrees Fahrenheit (.09 degrees Celsius) per decade since 1950,…

Do the photos in a post that purportedly depict the Statue of Liberty in 1898 and 2017 prove that sea levels aren't rising? No, that's not true: Without detailed information about tides and sea conditions at the moment each photo was taken, the photo comparison has little value. An oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provided detailed…