{"id":254650,"date":"2023-04-25T19:03:31","date_gmt":"2023-04-25T17:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=254650"},"modified":"2023-04-25T19:03:48","modified_gmt":"2023-04-25T17:03:48","slug":"tell-the-truth-cnn-climate-change-not-pushing-species-or-landscapes-to-the-brink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=254650","title":{"rendered":"Tell the Truth, CNN, Climate Change Not Pushing Species or Landscapes to the Brink"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From\u00a0ClimateRealism<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By H. Sterling Burnett<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Just in time for Earth Day, CNN published an interactive story claiming climate change was pushing various plant and animal species to the brink of extinction, and various landscapes to the brink of disappearing. An examination of some of those claims, citing hard data and peer reviewed research, shows that even when a decline is occurring as reported by CNN, there is no link between the loss of these species and places and climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CNN interactive story, \u201cOn the Brink<\/a>,\u201d examines 16 species or landscapes that the authors, Laura Paddison, Rachel Ramirez, Henrik Pettersson and Byron Manley, assert are being pushed to the brink of non-existence by climate change. For brevity\u2019s sake, Climate Realism<\/em> selected a few species and landscapes CNN claims are threatened with destruction for closer examination, finding that for some features, there is in fact no evidence they are decline. For others features, factors other than climate change are behind their decline. The latter point means, if their decline is to be reversed, steps rather than vainly attempting to control the climate, must be undertaken. Some of which can be relatively easily accomplished, some not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CNN claims the arabica coffee bean faces significant decline due to climate change, yet geography and data tell a different story. Brazil is the largest producer of arabica beans. Geographically, Brazil lies along the equator, but temperatures along the equator are least effected by global warming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data presented at Climate Realism<\/em>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>, for example, show coffee production in general, and the production of the arabica beans in particular, have grown in Brazil and globally. As evidence, between 2005 and 2021 global Arabica bean production increased by approximately 25 percent<\/a>. And between 1990 and 2020, Brazil\u2019s coffee production grew by nearly 153 percent, setting new records for production nine times during the period, most recently in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CNN also claims staghorn coral, among other coral that make up coral reefs and atolls globally, are critically endangered by bleaching due to warmer oceans. Corals face many threats, runoff from coastal development, pollution, agricultural chemicals, siltation, even collection for jewelry, to name a few. Yet, as explored at Climate Realism<\/em>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>, for instance, the vast majority of corals recover from bleaching events<\/a>, evolving to thrive in the face of modestly warmer ocean temperatures, and coral are expanding their range with new coral species and colonies<\/a> being discovered with some regularity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CNN ties the decline in the Colorado River, the two top lakes it feeds, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, and the Great Salt Lake, to \u201cclimate change-fueled drought,\u201d yet the recent drought experienced in the region is hardly unprecedented. The western United States is relatively arid. Data shows that recent droughts have not been more severe<\/a> or longer lasting<\/a>. Nor has drought occurred more frequently<\/a> in the western United States now than it has historically<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the recent drought, now nearly wiped out by this winter\u2019s heavy snow accumulation, has contributed to the Colorado River\u2019s and the Great Salt Lake\u2019s shortfalls, in the short-term, the respective bodies of water have been declining for decades so we must seek another cause. Handily, CNN mentions one\u2014it just deemphasized it to play up the false climate change angle\u2014 the region\u2019s growing population and its \u201cincreasing demand for water.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Climate Realism<\/em> has documented that precipitation<\/a> and water levels in Lake Mead<\/a> (which is formed by water from the Colorado River<\/a>) and the Great Salt Lake<\/a>,  can vary dramatically from year to year. Over the past century, however, there has been no consistent trend of less precipitation. But there has been a huge increase in population, by tens of millions of people. The population and thus demands on water have grown dramatically for a variety of uses, most importantly agriculture, but also for urban water uses like drinking water, swimming pools, and for watering the region\u2019s lawns and golf courses. As a result, when a drought strikes, whether short-term, which is what has recently been experienced in the West, or long-term, the waterways can shrink dramatically in a short period of time. In short, one doesn\u2019t need to \u201cfight\u201d climate change, whatever that means, to save the Great Salt Lake, the Colorado River, and the reservoirs formed by dams on it, rather one just needs to manage the water withdrawals more effectively, primarily by limiting them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CNN also bemoans the fate of Pacific islands, like Kiribati, claiming they face inundation by rising seas, making their inhabitants climate refugees. Research and the behavior of the islands residents and governments refute these related claims. Research discussed in Climate Realism<\/em>, here<\/a> and here<\/a>, among other posts, demonstrate that Kiribati is among the numerous island and island nations which have added land mass in recent decades. And since the islands aren\u2019t sinking, their submersion can\u2019t be causing a refugee crisis, and it isn\u2019t, as evidenced, here<\/a> and by the growing development on the islands, discussed here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CNN also claims the huge Thwaites glacier is threatening to collapse because of warmer temperatures and waters. Once again, CNN has the cause and effect wrong. Surface temperatures haven\u2019t changed enough in Antarctica to cause any glaciers to melt dramatically. A few degrees warming on the Antarctic continent honestly doesn\u2019t mean much. As Aurora Expeditions<\/a> notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summer maximums across most of the continent rarely exceed -20\u00b0C (-4\u00b0F). The only exception is the coast, where highs occasionally rise above 0\u00b0C (32\u00b0F), particularly on the Antarctic Peninsula. [editor\u2019s note, even when temperatures spike to 40\u2109 or warmer for one or a few days, you don\u2019t get much melting.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In winter, sea ice envelops the continent and Antarctica is plunged into months of darkness. The monthly mean temperature at the South Pole in winter hovers around -60\u00b0C (-76\u00b0F). Along the coast, winter temperatures range between \u221215 and \u221220 \u00b0C (-5 and \u22124 \u00b0F).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ocean temperatures circulating around Antarctica have risen modestly in recent years, but that has nothing to do with climate change but rather is in response to large scale oceanic circulation patterns, like the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the Southern Ocean overturning circulation, which naturally shift over varying periods of time, only to shift back again after a few years or decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerning the Thwaites Glacier in particular, because neither surface nor ocean temperatures have dramatically increased, other factors must be to blame for the Thwaites\u2019 glacier\u2019s recently accelerated rate of flow. Unfortunately, the most likely factor for the Thwaites\u2019 recent rate of decline is one that with current technology, we can do nothing about: subsurface geothermal heat flow beneath the glacier. Also referred to as subsurface volcanic activity, research published by the National Science Foundation<\/a> and in the peer reviewed Nature<\/a>, indicates that a recent uptick in subsurface volcanic activity beneath the Thwaites glacier and the nearby Pine Island Glacier is a significant factor in the increasing rate the rate of glacial flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Earth Day, CNN released yet another climate horror story, attributing a purported decline or pending disappearance of various species or natural features to climate change.\u00a0Climate Realism<\/em>\u00a0has examined or \u201cFact Checked\u201d six of those claims, showing either that the supposed decline is not in fact occurring, or that it is occurring but due to factors other than climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/a>H. Sterling Burnett<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

H. Sterling Burnett, Ph.D., is the Director of the Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate and Environmental Policy and the managing editor of Environment & Climate News. In addition to directing The Heartland Institute’s Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate and Environmental Policy, Burett puts Environment & Climate News together, is the editor of Heartland’s Climate Change Weekly email, and the host of the Environment & Climate News Podcast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just in time for Earth Day, CNN published an interactive story claiming climate change was pushing various plant and animal species to the brink of extinction, and various landscapes to the brink of disappearing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":254659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691819046,691818056,691819044,691819043,691819047,691819045],"class_list":{"0":"post-254650","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-antarctic-peninsula","9":"tag-climate-change","10":"tag-climate-refugees","11":"tag-cnn","12":"tag-extinction","13":"tag-thwaites-glacier","15":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0buffsonicetop-image.webp?fit=1500%2C1419&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-14fg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":352341,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=352341","url_meta":{"origin":254650,"position":0},"title":"Conservation Successes Defy Climate Pessimism","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/26\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"When a purported climate crisis dominates much of the discourse of public policy, the trap of attributing every ecological issue to climate change easily ensnares anyone who fails to note the abundant evidence to the contrary.","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0shutterstock-1523681669.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0shutterstock-1523681669.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0shutterstock-1523681669.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0shutterstock-1523681669.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0shutterstock-1523681669.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":239348,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=239348","url_meta":{"origin":254650,"position":1},"title":"CNN Ignores the Real Story on the \u2018Past Eight Years Have Been the Eight Warmest on Record\u2019","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/12\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"More importantly, CNN completely ignored what has really happened, according to the data, over the last eight years, when they imply temperatures have gotten worse each year. The same data, examined critically, shows CNN to be flat wrong. It is actually getting cooler.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-557.png?fit=1023%2C722&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-557.png?fit=1023%2C722&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-557.png?fit=1023%2C722&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-557.png?fit=1023%2C722&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":203570,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=203570","url_meta":{"origin":254650,"position":2},"title":"CNN Hypes False Dengue Fever Claims, Putting Climate Fears Ahead of Facts, Again","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/09\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"CNN published a story claiming climate change is causing the mosquito borne disease dengue fever to spread. This is false. As CNN\u2019s own story notes, dengue bearing mosquitos are already endemic to the countries it discusses, causing thousands of illnesses and hundreds of deaths each year. Data does not support\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/0mosquito-g8b8afffa1_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/0mosquito-g8b8afffa1_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/0mosquito-g8b8afffa1_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/0mosquito-g8b8afffa1_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/0mosquito-g8b8afffa1_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":301903,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=301903","url_meta":{"origin":254650,"position":3},"title":"Wind and Solar Slaughtering India\u2019s Iconic Bird","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/15\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"By commissioning expensive and inefficient wind and solar electric generating facilities, India may have dug the grave of its own efforts to save the critically endangered great Indian bustard. Erected to avert a faux climate crisis, the so-called renewable machines and their attendant transmission lines are helping to drive one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate Alarmists\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate Alarmists","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-alarmists"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Indian-bustard-grasslands-state-Rajasthan.webp?fit=1200%2C836&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Indian-bustard-grasslands-state-Rajasthan.webp?fit=1200%2C836&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Indian-bustard-grasslands-state-Rajasthan.webp?fit=1200%2C836&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Indian-bustard-grasslands-state-Rajasthan.webp?fit=1200%2C836&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Indian-bustard-grasslands-state-Rajasthan.webp?fit=1200%2C836&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":245611,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=245611","url_meta":{"origin":254650,"position":4},"title":"No, @CNN, an Opinion Piece about \u2018Dangerous Climate Feedback Loops\u2019 Doesn\u2019t Qualify as Science","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/25\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"While cosmic and natural cyclical patterns have made dramatic changes on occasion throughout history, there is no evidence carbon dioxide levels have served as a tipping point for such occurrences.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-812.png?fit=949%2C654&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-812.png?fit=949%2C654&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-812.png?fit=949%2C654&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-812.png?fit=949%2C654&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":244927,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=244927","url_meta":{"origin":254650,"position":5},"title":"No, CNN, an Opinion Piece about \u2018Dangerous Climate Feedback Loops\u2019 Doesn\u2019t Qualify as Science","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/22\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The article provides no evidence to support this alarming claim, because there is no real-world data to back it up.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-611.png?fit=949%2C654&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-611.png?fit=949%2C654&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-611.png?fit=949%2C654&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-611.png?fit=949%2C654&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=254650"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254650\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":254660,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254650\/revisions\/254660"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/254659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=254650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=254650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=254650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}