myth stringlengths 18 88 | rebuttal stringlengths 346 848 | label stringclasses 12
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|---|---|---|
Ice is not melting. | ## FACT: Ice is melting across the planet from the Arctic to Antarctica, with Greenland and Antarctica losing hundreds of billions of tonnes of ice per year and glaciers shrinking at an accelerating rate.
## MYTH: Ice isn't melting.
## FALLACY: This argument relies on cherry picking by focusing only on short-term or re... | cherry picking |
Antarctica is not melting. | ## FACT: Even though Antarctic sea ice was growing between 1980 - 2014, it is clear now that Antarctic sea ice has been in steady decline.
## MYTH: Antarctic sea ice isn't melting.
## FALLACY: This argument demands impossible expectations by suggesting ice cannot be growing at any point in time if global warming is hap... | impossible expectations |
Greenland is not melting. | ## FACT: Greenland on the whole is losing ice, at a rate of over 2 Mount Everests worth of ice every year.
## MYTH: Greenland isn't melting.
## FALLACY: This argument relies on cherry picking by focusing on one small area where ice may be growing while ignoring the rest of Greenland. It may also demand impossible expec... | cherry picking |
Arctic is not melting. | ## FACT: Arctic sea ice is shrinking at an accelerating rate.
## MYTH: Arctic sea ice isn't melting.
## FALLACY: This argument relies on cherry picking, focusing on short-term trends and ignoring the long-term decline in sea ice.
## FACT: Ice is melting across the planet from the Arctic to Antarctica, another line of e... | cherry picking |
Glaciers are not melting | ## FACT: Overall, glaciers across the globe are shrinking at an accelerating rate, threatening water supplies for millions of people.
## MYTH: Glaciers aren't melting.
## FALLACY: This argument relies on cherry picking by focusing only on growing glaciers and ignoring the vast majority of shrinking glaciers.
## FACT: I... | cherry picking |
We are heading into an ice age. | ## FACT: Warming from greenhouse gas emissions far outweighs any cooling influence from natural factors.
## MYTH: We're heading into an ice age.
## FALLACY: This argument assumes that only natural factors drive global warming when in reality, human activity is the main driver of warming
## FACT: Many lines of evidence ... | single cause |
Cold weather disproves global warming. | ## FACT: Global warming has made hot days more likely and hotter.
## MYTH: Cold weather disproves global warming.
## FALLACY: This argument relies on anecdotal evidence rather than sound or compelling evidence. It also demands impossible expectations by suggesting that if it's currently cold, then global warming cannot... | anecdote |
There has been a hiatus in global warming in recent years. | ## FACT: Our planet has continued to build up heat since 1998 - global warming is still happening.
## MYTH: There's been a hiatus in global warming in recent years.
## FALLACY: This argument relies on cherry picking, focusing on short-term trends which are not long enough to make conclusions about long-term climate tre... | cherry picking |
Oceans are cooling. | ## FACT: The oceans build up heat with over 90% of global warming going into the oceans.
## MYTH: Oceans are cooling.
## FALLACY: This argument relies on cherry picking regions where oceans may be cooling, ignoring the majority of the ocean which is warming drastically.
## FACT: Many lines of evidence indicate warming ... | cherry picking |
Sea level rise is exaggerated. | ## FACT: Global sea level rise is accelerating due to increased ice melt and thermal expansion.
## MYTH: Sea level rise is exaggerated.
## FALLACY: This argument relies on ignoring that the rate of sea level rise is increasing so future sea level rise will be faster than current levels.
## FACT: Many lines of evidence ... | cherry picking |
Extreme weather is not linked to climate change. | ## FACT: Global warming is increasing the amount of energy in the climate system which is intensifying extreme weather events.
## MYTH: Extreme weather is not linked to climate change.
## FALLACY: This argument assumes that past extreme weather is similar to current conditions. However, global warming is generally maki... | false equivalence |
They changed the name from 'global warming' to 'climate change'. | ## FACT: Global warming and climate change have both been used for decades and are two different phenomena, with global warming being the long-term trend of rising global temperature, and climate change being the change in climates due to global warming.
## MYTH: They changed the name from 'global warming' to 'climate ... | misrepresentation |
Global warming is caused by natural cycles. | ## FACT: Many lines of evidence have found that human-caused CO2 pollution is the main driver of modern global warming, overpowering natural factors.
## MYTH: Global warming is caused by natural cycles.
## FALLACY: This argument assumes that there can only be one cause for global warming. It ignores that there are in f... | single cause |
Global warming is caused by the sun. | ## FACT: Changing patterns in the yearly and daily cycle confirm human-caused global warming, rule out the sun.
## MYTH: Global warming is caused by the sun.
## FALLACY: This argument ignores the evidence that the sun has been cooling over the past few decades of global warming. It also assumes that solar activity is t... | cherry picking |
Geological sources are warming the oceans. | ## FACT: The observed patterns of ocean warming are consistent with being caused by greenhouse warming, and rule out other causes like geological sources.
## MYTH: Geological sources are warming the oceans.
## FALLACY: This argument ignores the fact that ocean warming is coming from the ocean's surface, driven by green... | slothful induction |
Ocean cycles are driving global warming. | ## FACT: The world's oceans are building up heat. This cannot be caused by ocean cycles which merely move heat around, not build up extra heat.
## MYTH: Ocean cycles are driving global warming.
## FALLACY: This argument assumes that short-term temperature change is similar to long-term temperature change, because they ... | false equivalence |
Climate is changing because climate has always changed. | ## FACT: While climate has changed naturally in the past, current climate change is faster than past warming events and can only be explained by human activity.
## MYTH: Climate is changing because climate has always changed.
## FALLACY: This argument assumes that what caused climate change in the past (natural factors... | single cause |
Climate change is caused by non-greenhouse gas forcings. | ## FACT: Human activity has a much greater influence on climate than non-greenhouse gas influences.
## MYTH: Climate change is caused by non-greenhouse gas forcings.
## FALLACY: This argument ignores the body of evidence confirming that burning of fossil fuels is the main driver of global warming.
## FACT: Many scienti... | slothful induction |
There is no evidence that greenhouse warming is driving climate change. | ## FACT: There are many lines of evidence showing that greenhouse gases cause warming and are the main driver of current global warming.
## MYTH: There's no evidence that greenhouse warming is driving climate change.
## FALLACY: This argument ignores the body of evidence confirming that burning of fossil fuels is the m... | slothful induction |
CO2 is a trace gas so can not have a strong effect. | ## FACT: Satellites measure the warming effect from CO2. The increased greenhouse effect is an observed reality.
## MYTH: CO2 is a trace gas so can't have a strong effect.
## FALLACY: This argument misrepresents how CO2 is behaves. Small active substances can have a strong effect (e.g., it only takes a small amount of ... | misrepresentation |
The greenhouse effect is saturated so adding more CO2 will not make much difference. | ## FACT: Emitting more CO2 means more heat is being trapped high up in the atmosphere where the air is thinner. This is because layers higher up in the atmosphere are less saturated than lower layers.
## MYTH: The greenhouse effect is saturated so adding more CO2 won't make much difference.
## FALLACY: This argument ov... | oversimplification |
In the past, CO2 lagged warming so CO2 does not cause warming. | ## FACT: Ice cores tell us that warming caused the ocean to emit more CO2. Combined with greenhouse effect, this is a reinforcing feedback.
## MYTH: In the past, CO2 lagged warming so CO2 doesn't cause warming.
## FALLACY: This argument is a false choice. While it is true that CO2 causes global warming, that doesn't me... | false choice |
Water vapor is the strongest driver of current global warming. | ## FACT: Water vapour provides a reinforcing feedback, making climate even more sensitive to CO2 emissions.
## MYTH: Water vapor is the strongest driver of current global warming.
## FALLACY: This argument misrepresents water vapor as a climate driver when it is actually a feedback. The amount of vapor in the air depen... | misrepresentation |
The tropospheric hot spot has not been observed, disproving human-caused global warming. | ## FACT: There are many observed patterns in our climate confirming that greenhouse gases are causing warming.
## MYTH: The tropospheric hot spot hasn't been observed, disproving human-caused global warming.
## FALLACY: This argument ignores new data using the latest, advanced technology that has found a clear signal f... | misrepresentation |
Human CO2 emissions are tiny compared to natural CO2 emissions. | ## FACT: Humans are emitting billions of tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, upsetting the natural balance and raising atmospheric CO2 to levels not seen in millions of years.
## MYTH: Human CO2 emissions are tiny compared to natural CO2 emissions.
## FALLACY: This argument oversimplifies the carbon cycle by ignoring th... | oversimplification |
Climate sensitivity is low due to negative feedbacks. | ## FACT: Independent lines of evidence find that our climate is highly sensitive to CO2 emissions, with reinforcing feedbacks amplifying the initial greenhouse warming from CO2 emissions.
## MYTH: Climate sensitivity is low due to negative feedbacks.
## FALLACY: This argument ignores the many lines of evidence that the... | cherry picking |
Species can adapt to climate change. | ## FACT: Climate is changing faster than species can adapt to it, causing negative impacts on species all over the world.
## MYTH: Species can adapt to climate change.
## FALLACY: This argument relies on a false equivalence, assuming that current climate change is equivalent to past climate change when what is happenin... | false equivalence |
Polar bear populations are increasing. | ## FACT: Polar bears need sea ice to hunt, so melting sea ice threatens their survival.
## MYTH: Polar bear populations are increasing.
## FALLACY: This argument oversimplifies the variety of factors that influence polar bear populations. One threat (hunting) has been removed but replaced with an increasing threat (mel... | oversimplification |
Coral reefs have recovered before so they will survive climate change. | ## FACT: Coral reefs will suffer permanent damage from global warming and ocean acidification.
## MYTH: Coral reefs have recovered before so they'll survive climate change.
## FALLACY: This argument fails to consider that reefs may only be able to recover if there is no new disturbance. Bleaching events will become mor... | cherry picking |
CO2 is not a pollutant. | ## FACT: A pollutant is any substance that disrupts the environment. Human CO2 emissions have resulted in the disruptive effect of global warming.
## MYTH: CO2 is not a pollutant.
## FALLACY: This argument diverts attention from the issue of global warming by focusing on terminology rather than the negative impacts of ... | red herring |
CO2 is plant food. | ## FACT: Plants need the right amount of water to flourish; climate change upsets that balance.
## MYTH: CO2 is plant food.
## FALLACY: This argument oversimplifies the ways that climate change impacts agriculture through increased heat stress and flooding. CO2 fertilisation is just one factor affecting plant growth. T... | oversimplification |
Only a few degrees of global warming is insignificant. | ## FACT: At a global scale, a few degrees of warming is a massive amount of heat, causing significant damage to society and the environment.
## MYTH: Only a few degrees of global warming is insignificant.
## FALLACY: This argument is a false equivalence, assuming two different things—local warming and global warming—a... | false equivalence |
Climate policies are harmful. | ## FACT: Numerous climate solutions are cheaper than the alternatives before even accounting for the trillions of dollars that will be saved by reducing climate and air pollution.
## MYTH: Climate policies are harmful.
## FALLACY: This argument ignores the impacts on an individual's quality of life when not drastically... | slothful induction |
Climate policy increases costs and are harmful. | ## FACT: Numerous climate solutions are cheaper than the alternatives before even accounting for the trillions of dollars that will be saved by reducing climate and air pollution.
## MYTH: Climate policy increases costs and are harmful.
## FALLACY: This argument oversimplifying the situation by selectively focusing on ... | oversimplification |
Renewable technologies harms the environment. | ## FACT: While there may be downsides to any technology, the long-term impacts of taking no climate action are both numerous and severe.
## MYTH: Renewable technologies harms the environment.
## FALLACY: This argument selectively focuses on the negative short-term impacts of clean technologies and ignores the long-term... | cherry picking |
Climate policies will limit peoples' freedoms. | ## FACT: Climate policies are designed to prolong the life of the planet, prolonging our freedom to live and our resources.
## MYTH: Climate policies will limit peoples' freedoms.
## FALLACY: This argument focuses on the negative aspects of regulation while ignoring that regulations are designed to as safeguards to pro... | cherry picking |
Climate policies are ineffective at preventing climate change. | ## FACT: At a global scale, climate change policies are effective in significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
## MYTH: Climate policies are ineffective at preventing climate change.
## FALLACY: This argument demands the impossible expectation that climate policies be perfect or singlehandedly solve climate chan... | impossible expectations |
Green jobs are small and growing slowly. | ## FACT: Green jobs are growing steadily. With more development and investment in a sector or with steady growth, green jobs will show accelerating growth in the future.
## MYTH: Green jobs are small and growing slowly.
## FALLACY: This argument falsely assumes that the current growth rate of green jobs will stay the s... | impossible expectations |
A single climate policy would have a negligible impact in reducing climate change. | ## FACT: If every nation agreed to limit CO2 emissions, significant global emissions cuts can be accomplished.
## MYTH: A single climate policy would have a negligible impact in reducing climate change.
## FALLACY: This argument demands impossible expectations by assuming a policy is only worth implementing if it is si... | impossible expectations |
It is better to adapt to climate change than to mitigate. | ## FACT: Failing to mitigate against climate change means that adapting to it will be much harder, as well as more expensive.
## MYTH: It's better to adapt to climate change than to mitigate.
## FALLACY: This argument cherry picks by only looking at the negative economic impacts of climate action while ignoring the ben... | cherry picking |
Climate action is pointless because of China's emissions. | ## FACT: Solving climate change requires all the world's countries working together to substantially reduce global emissions.
## MYTH: Climate action is pointless because of China's emissions.
## FALLACY: This argument oversimplifies by not recognising that each country has it's different resources, societal challenges... | oversimplification |
Solving climate change is too hard. | ## FACT: Climate action can be implemented on all levels of government, through corporations and wider society.
## MYTH: Solving climate change is too hard.
## FALLACY: This argument oversimplifies the situation, arguing that because political agreement can be challenging, it is impossible to implement policies.
## FAC... | oversimplification |
Climate policy is too difficult. | ## FACT: Not implementing policy now will make mitigating climate change in the future much harder.
## MYTH: Climate policy is too difficult.
## FALLACY: This argument falsely assumes that global agreement is impossible because it has been difficult before. This in turn may create a self full-filling prophecy about rea... | false equivalence |
The public do not support for climate action. | ## FACT: While some of the public may be confused about aspects of climate change, public support for climate solutions has been growing.
## MYTH: The public don't support for climate action.
## FALLACY: Often this argument relies on cherry picked data by sampling members of the public who are confused or dismissive ab... | cherry picking |
Clean energy will not work. | ## FACT: While renewable energy only supply a small part of our power now, technological improvements mean that we will be able to rely on it in the future.
## MYTH: Clean energy won't work.
## FALLACY: This argument falsely assumes that the current situation with renewables will stay the same in the future.
## FACT: C... | false equivalence |
Clean energy is unreliable. | ## FACT: The benefits of clean energy sources far outweigh any unreliable or negative aspects associated with them.
## MYTH: Clean energy is unreliable.
## FALLACY: This argument relies on cherry picking by focusing on negative aspects of renewable energy while ignoring the benefits.
## FACT: Climate policy is necessar... | cherry picking |
We need fossil fuel energy. | ## FACT: While fossil fuels have helped us build a successful economy in the past, it assumes that they are the only way to build wealth into the future.
## MYTH: We need fossil fuel energy.
## FALLACY: This argument oversimplifies by ignoring that we don't only need energy but also other resources to sustain livelihoo... | oversimplification |
Fossil fuels are plentiful. | ## FACT: Fossil fuels are not a renewable energy source. We only have a few decades left of fossil fuel use until they run out.
## MYTH: Fossil fuels are plentiful.
## FALLACY: This argument ignores the environmental impacts that comes with burning the remaining fossil fuel reserviors. Even if fossil fuels are not on t... | slothful induction |
Fossil fuels are cheap. | ## FACT: While fossil fuels have had a low market price, externalities such as air pollution and adverse health impacts raise the true price on society to be much higher than renewable sources of energy.
## MYTH: Fossil fuels are cheap.
## FALLACY: This argument oversimplifies by ignoring that there is more to energy s... | oversimplification |
Climate science is unreliable. | ## FACT: Decades of scientific research, replicated using independent methods, have consistently found that climate change is happening and is caused by human activity.
## MYTH: Climate science is unreliable.
## FALLACY: This argument relies on attacking scientists and science rather than addressing the scientific cont... | ad hominem |
There is no scientific consensus on human-caused global warming. | ## FACT: A number of scientific studies have found that between 90% to 100% of climate scientists agree that humans are causing global warming, with multipe studies converging on 97% consensus.
## MYTH: There's no scientific consensus on human-caused global warming.
## FALLACY: This argument ignores the many independen... | slothful induction |
Climate proxies are unreliable. | ## FACT: Scientists know how to account for other environmental factors that may affect the proxy data to identify clear trends.
## MYTH: Climate proxies are unreliable.
## FALLACY: This argument misrepresents how climate proxies work. Adjusting measurements is a standard scientific process and necessary to ensure obse... | misrepresentation |
The surface temperature record is unreliable. | ## FACT: We measure temperature in many ways and all the indicators consistently find that our planet is warming.
## MYTH: The surface temperature record is unreliable.
## FALLACY: This argument misrepresents the situation, as scientists take into account potential urban contamination of the temperature record.
## FACT... | misrepresentation |
Climate models are unreliable. | ## FACT: Climate models have made a number of successful predictions based on fundamental physical principles.
## MYTH: Climate models are unreliable.
## FALLACY: This argument demands impossible expectations from climate models, whose projections are averaged over time to reflect long-term externally-forced changes, s... | impossible expectations |
The climate movement is unreliable. | ## FACT: Our scientific understanding of climate change is based on many lines of empirical evidence.
## MYTH: The climate movement is unreliable.
## FALLACY: This argument relies on attacking scientists and science to distract from the robust body of evidence that find that human-caused climate change is happening.
##... | ad hominem |
Climate change is a religion. | ## FACT: Climate science is evidence-based whilst religion is faith-based.
## MYTH: Climate change is a religion.
## FALLACY: This argument is a false equivalence, with a superficial comparison between the climate change movement and religion. Climate science is evidence-based while religion is faith-based—the two are ... | false equivalence |
The media is alarmist about climate change. | ## FACT: Reporting on evidence-based climate science is not biased, but rather a reflection of the scientific consensus about climate change.
## MYTH: The media is alarmist about climate change.
## FALLACY: This argument is an ad hominem attack on the media for their choices to distract from the problem and the eviden... | ad hominem |
Politicians are biased about climate change. | ## FACT: While politicians inevitably have political biases, supporting evidence-based scientific research is not biased or partisan.
## MYTH: Politicians are biased about climate change.
## FALLACY: This argument relies on ad hominem attacks on governments and politicians rather than addresses their arguments or polic... | ad hominem |
Environmentalists are biased. | ## FACT: While environmentalists may have political biases, supporting evidence-based scientific research is not biased or partisan.
## MYTH: Environmentalists are biased.
## FALLACY: This argument relies on ad hominem attacks on environmentalists rather than addresses their arguments or policies.
## FACT: Our understa... | ad hominem |
Scientists are biased | ## FACT: Our understanding of climate science is supported by many scientists across the world employing independent methodologies to come to robust, consistent conclusions.
## MYTH: Scientists are biased
## FALLACY: This argument relies on attacking scientists instead of engaging with their scientific research.
## FAC... | ad hominem |
Governments are secretly conspiring to create climate policy. | ## FACT: Many countries have open and transparent processes for developing and implementing climate policies. Governments and corporations are subject to freedom of information laws, which means that citizens can request access to documents and records related to climate policy. This transparency makes it difficult to ... | conspiracy theory |
Climate scientists are conspiring to deceive the public. | ## FACT: Scientific research is inherently open and transparent. Researchers publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals, allowing other scientists to examine their methods and data. Scientific findings are only considered valid if they can be replicated by other researchers. This process of scrutiny helps to ensu... | conspiracy theory |
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