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Nikki Forrester
Science Editor
Nikki holds a PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Pittsburgh where she studied plant-bacterial interactions. As a freelance science writer, she covers climate, ecology, evolution, and research news. Her work appears in Nature, Science, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and other outlets.
ARTICLE REVIEWS
CO2 coalition sponsored article in The Washington Times presents list of false and misleading statements about the impacts of CO2 and climate change
in The Washington Times, by Gregory Wrightstone
— 05 May 2021
"This article recycles old tropes such as “it’s been warm before”, “CO2 levels have been higher in the past” (millions of years ago!), “CO2 is plant food”, “warming..
Atlantic ocean circulation system is slowing down, as accurately described in The New York Times article
in The New York Times, by Moises Velasquez-Manoff and Jeremy White
— 11 Mar 2021
"This article is well-written, and the visuals are outstanding. It is a very strong piece of science communication. That being said, there is at least one error. The author mistake..
Breitbart article makes numerous false claims about the impacts of climate change, based on Global Warming Policy Foundation post
in Breitbart, by James Delingpole, Dr. Indur Goklany
— 12 Feb 2021
"The article’s scientific credibility is very low. The author cherry-picks data, makes broad generalizations and characterizations based on incomplete or flimsy reasoning, and re..
Video interview of Ian Plimer at Sky News falsely claims that a new study announces an incoming ice age, partly based on an incorrect Daily Mail headline
in Sky News, by Ian Plimer
— 20 Jan 2021
"This video is chock full of false and misleading information, and presented in a way to make the correct scientific information seem like a farce. For example, the direct link bet..
Article by The Daily Caller oversimplifies drivers of wildfires and downplays role of climate change
in The Daily Caller, by Chris White
— 28 Sep 2020
"The causes of the increase in burned area in the western US in recent decades – and the record-setting fires of 2020 – are complex, driven by a mix of a changing climate, a 10..
Article by CNN exaggerates study’s implications for future Greenland ice loss with “point of no return” claim
in CNN, by Max Claypool and Brandon Miller
— 20 Aug 2020
The article in CNN discusses findings from a study published August, 2020 that analyzes trends of ice discharge from the Greenland Ice Sheet over the past three decades[1]. Reports...
Article by Michael Shellenberger mixes accurate and inaccurate claims in support of a misleading and overly simplistic argumentation about climate change
in Forbes, by Michael Shellenberger
— 06 Jul 2020
"Shellenberger’s article promoting his new book “Apocalypse Never” includes a mix of accurate, misleading, and patently false statements. While it is useful to push back agai..
Article in The Guardian misleads readers about sensitivity of climate models by narrowly focusing on single study
in The Guardian, by Jonathan Watts
— 18 Jun 2020
"The article correctly reports that the most recent versions of some climate models estimate more warming for a given increase in CO2 concentrations. It is also correct in highligh..
Video from PragerU makes several incorrect and misleading claims about climate change
in PragerU, by Richard Lindzen
— 23 May 2020
This video discussing climate change was first published on PragerU’s website in April 2016 and recently posted on Facebook in May 2020. Scientists that evaluated the video found...
Article in Business Insider accurately describes results from a study estimating up to 3 billion people could live in much warmer temperatures by 2070
in Business Insider, by Sarah Al-Arshani
— 12 May 2020
The article in Business Insider discusses findings from a study published May, 2020 that projected one to three billion people could live in much warmer climates by 2070, assuming ...
CLAIM REVIEWS
Biden’s climate plan doesn’t say anything about limiting meat consumption, contrary to Daily Mail, Fox News claim
CLAIM
Biden’s climate plan limits meat consumption by 90%; “Biden's climate plan could limit you to eat just one burger a MONTH”
SOURCE: Emily Crane, Daily Mail
Published: 29 Apr 2021
VERDICT
A third of Antarctic ice shelf risks collapse at 4°C above pre-industrial levels, as accurately described in CNN article
CLAIM
"A third of Antarctic ice shelf risks collapse as our planet warms"
SOURCE: Amy Woodyatt, CNN
Published: 16 Apr 2021
VERDICT
Deserts cool the planet by reflecting solar radiation to space; vegetated areas have an overall warming effect, so planting trees in deserts doesn’t necessarily cool the planet
CLAIM
"Deserts are heat producers, reflecting around 60% to 70% of the solar energy that falls on them straight back into the atmosphere."; "If we want to do something about global warming, we have to do something about deserts."
SOURCE: Ties Van der Hoeven, Steve Rose, The Guardian
Published: 09 Apr 2021
VERDICT
Solar geoengineering isn’t happening or damaging the planet; aircraft contrails are formed by water vapor, not chemicals
CLAIM
"The intentional dimming of direct sunlight by aircraft dispersed particles, a form of global warming mitigation known as “Solar Radiation Management”, has and is causing catastrophic damage to the planet’s life support systems."
SOURCE: Dane Wigington, Geoengineering Watch
Published: 25 Mar 2021
VERDICT
Viral photo of a helicopter de-icing a wind turbine is from Sweden, not Texas; current power outages in Texas are due to multiple fuel types going offline
CLAIM
Helicopters are using chemicals made from fossil fuels to defrost wind turbines; frosted wind turbines are responsible for blackouts in Texas; “the reason your power is/was out is wind energy's fault.”
SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook
Published: 17 Feb 2021
VERDICT
NOAA shows clear global warming trends over the past 58 years based on radiosonde data
CLAIM
“The 58 year net gain of global temperature is zero. We are simply in a cyclical, normal ebb and flow of temperature.”
SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook
Published: 05 Feb 2021
VERDICT
PragerU post by Happer uses flawed reasoning to claim that climate models always fail
CLAIM
"climate models that attempt to predict the future temperature of the planet...don’t work. They haven’t worked in the past. They don’t work now."; "the number of factors that influence climate—the sun, the earth’s orbital properties, oceans, clouds, and, yes, industrial man—is huge and enormously variable"; "CO2 is a minor contributor to the warming of the earth"
SOURCE: William Happer, PragerU
Published: 27 Jan 2021
VERDICT
Rates of global sea level rise have accelerated since 1900, contrary to bloggers’ claims
CLAIM
“there has not been a long-term distinctive change in sea level rise rates in the last 120 years”
SOURCE: Pierre L. Gosselin, Kenneth Richard, NoTricksZone, Watts Up With That?
Published: 15 Jan 2021
VERDICT
Scientific studies established clear links between human-caused increased in atmospheric CO2 and global warming
CLAIM
“It’s a good thing that we are putting some more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The scientific method has not been applied in such a way as to prove that carbon dioxide is causing the Earth to warm.”
SOURCE: Patrick Moore, Instagram
Published: 18 Dec 2020
VERDICT
The clothing industry produces 3 to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, as accurately claimed in Patagonia post
CLAIM
“The clothing industry contributes up to 10% of the pollution driving the climate crisis.”
SOURCE: Patagonia, Instagram
Published: 06 Dec 2020
VERDICT
INSIGHTS
The potentials and limitations of tree plantings as a climate solution
— 11 Jun 2020
the international conversation on tree plantings as a solution to reducing CO2 emissions in the atmosphere and mitigating the rise in global surface temperature is mixed, with judg...