Original article (in Bosnian) was published on 04/12/2024; Author: Nerma Šehović
Several regional websites published articles claiming that, in a “surprising turn”, scientists declared the end of the “climate crisis”. This is not true. Scientists continue to warn that human impact on the climate can be catastrophic, while the “end of the crisis” was declared by a Dutch organization that denies climate change.
On November 26, 2024, the websites Logicno published an article with the following headline:
DRAMATIC TURN: Scientists declare a SUDDEN END to the “climate crisis” ahead of Trump taking office
The article claims that “climate scientists” at a conference organized by the Czech branch of the “International Climate Intelligence Group” declared the end of the “imaginary and fictional climate crisis”, asserting that CO2 does not cause global warming. The conference was reportedly held in the Czech Parliament in Prague this November.
In their letter to the “entire scientific community”, the attendees of the conference outlined several key points about the climate:
- The Sun, not greenhouse gases, is primarily responsible for global temperature patterns.
- The Industrial Age has not significantly impacted the climate.
- There is no evidence to suggest that extreme weather events are increasing in any way, even if they receive more media attention due to technological advancements.
- Despite trillions of dollars spent trying to curb emissions, global temperatures have continued to rise moderately since 1990.
The claims made in the article were subsequently shared by Croativ and Slavonija 24, and also spread on Facebook.
What is the “International Climate Intelligence Group”?
The Climate Intelligence Foundation (Clintel) is a group that denies climate change. It was founded in the Netherlands in 2019 by former geophysics professor Guus Berkhout and journalist Marcel Crok.
Contrary to the article’s headline, which suggests a “dramatic turn” and that “scientists suddenly declared the end of the climate crisis” following Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. elections, the positions of this climate denial group are not new. Since its inception, Clintel has claimed that the climate crisis does not exist. In February 2020, the Dutch investigative media outlet Pointer analyzed a list of 800 signatories to Clintel’s declaration denying climate change. They concluded that almost none of the signatories were scientists who had conducted research in the field of climate science. The same conclusion was reached in 2022 by Euronews after an independent analysis of the signatory list.
Clintel organized a conference in Prague on November 13 and 14, 2024. Upon reviewing the conference agenda, no climatologists could be identified among the listed speakers or organizers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). Furthermore, although Clintel’s statement claims the event took place in the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament, the address on the agenda indicates it was actually held in another building (the address of the Chamber of Deputies is available here). The Czech Parliament did not organize the conference, nor can any information about it be found on their official website.
Additionally, the credibility of this organization is undermined by findings from Dutch investigative media that Clintel is partially funded by the oil industry, which constitutes a conflict of interest.
The claim that scientists “suddenly declared the end of the climate crisis” is false.
It was made by a Dutch climate denial group whose claims contradict scientific consensus, with their integrity highly questionable.
What Are the Facts About Climate Change?
Climate change refers to long-term changes in Earth’s weather patterns. Current climate changes are caused by global warming, a term denoting the sustained warming of the Earth’s surface, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal) releases greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide, CO2), which trap solar heat in the atmosphere, thereby increasing Earth’s temperature. Scientific research has confirmed that industrial activities have raised atmospheric CO2 levels by nearly 50% since 1750.
The consequences of climate change can be highly destructive for the environment, animals, and humans. It is estimated that in the coming decades, the average global temperature will rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius. Increasingly extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, and wildfires, are partly attributed to climate change.
Evidence of human-induced climate change is abundant and includes glacier retreat worldwide, the melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, rising sea levels, increasing average global temperatures, and disruptions in animal migration patterns. For more detailed information, you can refer to the analysis published by Raskrinkavanje as part of its “prebunking” series, called Uncovering.
According to a study published in 2016, 97% of climatologists whose work has been published in scientific journals agree that climate change is caused by human activities. This conclusion was reaffirmed in 99.99% of scientific papers on the topic published between 2012 and 2020.
The scientific consensus is clear: climate change caused by human activities is real.
Based on the facts, the claim that scientists “declared the end of the climate crisis” is classified as a manipulation of facts. The claim that greenhouse gases do not significantly affect Earth’s temperature and that the Industrial Age has not substantially impacted the climate is considered to be fake news. All instances of sharing these claims are regarded as the distribution of fake news.
