The claim: Greenhouse effect is a hoax, global warming uncorrelated with CO2 levels
A Dec. 17 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims a CO2-driven greenhouse effect is not causing modern climate change.
“The greenhouse effect is a hoax,” reads the post’s caption. “There is no correlation between a higher level of CO2, and higher temperature. The year 1998 was warmer than 2013, although the atmosphere had less CO2.”
The post also features a video that describes four purported mismatches between CO2 concentrations and global temperatures since 1887. A narrator in the video then claims that, based on this evidence, global CO2 levels and temperature are not correlated.
Our rating: False
Global temperature and CO2 levels are correlated and both have risen overall since the late 1880s, according to researchers. However, the Earth’s average temperature fluctuates from year to year due to natural variability in Earth’s climate systems. This means that it’s possible for a certain year to be cooler than a previous year, even if CO2 concentrations have risen. The greenhouse effect has repeatedly been verified in experiments since at least the 1800s.
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment.
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Greenhouse effect repeatedly proven through experiments and observations
The greenhouse effect is the process by which energy from the sun ultimately…
