One in three GB News presenters cast doubt on climate science, study reveals

Almost a 3rd of presenters connected GB News person utilized their level to formed uncertainty connected the technological statement connected clime breakdown, according to an analysis.

Ten of the broadcaster’s 31 presenters made statements connected aerial successful 2022 rejecting oregon challenging wide accepted technological findings astir however humans are affecting the climate, and the relation the clime situation plays successful utmost upwind events.

Sixteen presenters utilized their broadcasts to onslaught the UK’s clime policies, including claims that measures specified arsenic the legally binding nett zero people volition pb to deaths from poorness and starvation, and “the diminution of the west”.

Responding to the findings, the Green MP, Caroline Lucas, said: “Climate denial isn’t conscionable factually inaccurate – it’s besides profoundly unsafe and puts astatine hazard each our society-wide efforts to tackle the clime emergency.

“Now much than ever, radical merit trustworthy and close quality from our media – this genuinely toxic misinformation connected GB News is not it. Ofcom cannot let these statements to spell unchallenged and uninvestigated.”

Investigative journalists astatine the clime website DeSmog scoured hours of online footage of GB News broadcasts hosted connected YouTube, inspecting comments made connected aerial by presenters listed connected the channel’s website. Six were excluded connected the ground they were quality anchors oregon reporters, and truthful improbable to explicit opinions. Of the 31 remaining, 16 attacked clime enactment connected air, portion 10 challenged oregon rejected basal clime science.

Summer 2022 brought a record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures successful the UK passing 40C (104F) for the archetypal time. The Met Office, the Intergovernmental Panel connected Climate Change and the World Weather Attribution work each concluded clime breakdown made the heatwave much likely.

But erstwhile the Met Office warned precocious temperatures were linked to the clime crisis, the GB News presenter and sometime clergyman Calvin Robinson accused the authoritative forecaster of “alarmism”. “Manmade clime change, I don’t bargain it,” helium said connected 16 July. “Because however overmuch of an interaction bash we truly marque if we’re talking astir c levels?”

On 21 July, the big Bev Turner called heatwave warnings “fearmongering” successful bid to “facilitate authorities power implicit your life”. “Green contented propaganda” was, she claimed, “part of a program to registry america each to a biometric ID and a societal recognition people strategy that’ll archer you erstwhile you tin and can’t permission the location for the involvement of the planet”.

The UK’s people of reaching nett zero emissions by 2050 was met with likewise utmost criticism. On 5 November, Neil Oliver, whose monologues person go fashionable connected societal media, utilized his amusement to attack “net zero [and] the greenish agenda”, which helium claimed was portion of “a hellish potpourri of policies guaranteed to condemn hundreds of millions to decease by poverty, decease by starvation”.

Mark Dolan, successful a 22 September occurrence of Mark Dolan Tonight, said: “Blindly pursuing nett zero threatens to hasten the diminution of the west, and truthful poses an existential menace to the escaped world.” And successful July, prima signing Nigel Farage – who has a long record of opposing clime enactment – utilized a broadcast to launch a run for a Brexit-style referendum connected nett zero.

A GB News spokesperson said DeSmog’s probe contained “numerous inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and a bully dose of misinformation”, and argued its methodology was flawed. “You person failed to see nuance and context, oregon the information that GB News embraces a wide scope of voices connected each large issues specified arsenic clime alteration and policy,” the spokesperson said.

“In short, you looked for lone 1 view, but successful doing truthful you person excluded each the different hosts, guests, politicians and commentators connected GB News who person robustly and resoundingly argued antithetic views connected clime argumentation and science. GB News is arrogant to inquire hard questions and to clasp each voices connected arguable issues. We judge it’s what bully journalism is each about.”