Kerry meets Pope Francis privately, says he's in great form and spirits
VATICAN CITY U.S. climate envoy John Kerry met Pope Francis on Monday, the first official to have a
2023-06-19 19:20
A Cheap Fix to Global Warming Is Finally Gaining Support
Global support for one of the cheapest and most powerful climate actions is accelerating — and it couldn’t
2023-06-19 17:24
Coal Trains Bound for Giant Australia Port Halted by Protester
A total of 19 trains carrying coal to Australia’s flagship export hub for the fuel were disrupted after
2023-06-19 11:28
TikTok allowed millions of people to see Canadian ‘helicopter’ wildfire conspiracies before taking down videos
More than 400 wildfires are raging across Canada, and misinformation about the blazes is spreading as well, particularly on TikTok. As Media Matters for America (MMFA) noted in a recent analysis, videos on TikTok claiming the fires were started intentionally by helicopters, arsonists, and “directed energy weapons” have garnered millions of views this month, with the false ideas in these videos then spreading to other social media platforms. Only a few of the most viral false videos have been taken down, the analysis notes. Further scrutiny of such claims provides easy evidence to the contrary, with Canadian officials attributing the fires to a combination of lightning strikes, human accidents, and dry, climate crisis-fueled conditions across the country. “We are already seeing one of the worst wildfire seasons on record,” Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, said in a statement earlier this month. “We must prepare for a long summer.” Other videos about the fires featured clips from a controlled burn by fire officials, as well as what was actually a 2015 wildfire, MMFA found. The Independent has contacted TikTok for comment. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes including large numbers in Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. Hundreds of firefighters have arrived from countries like Australia, New Zealand, the US, South Africa, Chile, Costa Rica and France to assist the exhausted Canadian crews. As The Independent has previously reported, misinformation spreads quickly on TikTok during ongoing disasters, thanks in part to public distrust of government officials and an increasingly anti-science bent in US politics. “Social media can be helpful. It alerts people to a situation. It’s a way for widespread dissemination,” Dr Erin Haynes, professor of preventive medicine and environmental health at the University of Kentucky told The Independent in March in the wake of the Ohio train derailment disaster. “But because of that it allows widespread dissemination of false information, so it can go both ways. You have to be very cautious when using social media. Fact-check, find the source of that information.” Read More Canadian wildfire smoke gives Minnesota city the worst air in the US Satellites capture Canadian wildfire smoke pouring into US Midwest Wildfire smoke from Canada might be a problem ‘all summer’
2023-06-19 06:59
Biden to highlight climate commitments during West Coast swing
President Joe Biden will highlight climate commitments made by his administration and announce new federal funding for climate resilience projects as part of a three-day trip to the Bay Area in Northern California that begins Monday, according to a White House official.
2023-06-19 05:20
Spain drought forces Fuente de Piedra flamingos to find new home
Spain has witnessed its hottest spring since 1961, with high temperatures likely to continue for months.
2023-06-18 03:50
Canada Wildfires Heat Up Climate Change Pressure on Trudeau
Canada’s enormous wildfires and the acrid haze they’ve spread across North America have widened a schism in the
2023-06-17 20:29
Europe Faces an Inflation-Regime Reckoning Over Climate Goals
European central bankers’ price stability mission is on a collision course with the goal of combating climate change,
2023-06-17 13:28
Florida man executed for 1984 murders of babysitter, single mother
Florida executed death row inmate Duane Owen by lethal injection on Thursday evening, nearly four decades after he murdered a 14-year-old babysitter and a single mother of two in separate attacks.
2023-06-17 01:52
UK Faces Early Hosepipe Ban as Drinking Water Stocks Run Low
Southeast England faces a hosepipe ban later this month, after dry weather and record demand strained a utility’s
2023-06-16 21:21
Massive Swiss rockfall stops short of evacuated village of Brienz
Brienz was evacuated last month when geologists warned the rockface above it was due to collapse.
2023-06-16 20:28
The 'climate kids' want a court to force Montana's state government to go green
In Montana, Americans too young to vote are hoping a judge will back their claim to a less-polluted state as the first constitutional climate case goes to court.
2023-06-16 18:26