Kerby Anderson

Last week I talked about a John Stossel video that takes on climate myths. He dispelled three myths: Artic will be ice-free, polar bears are going extinct, and climate change has created a food shortage. Today I want to address a few of the other myths in his latest video.

Myth number one is: Climate change is making droughts worse. Even the latest news from the EPA acknowledges that the last 50 years have generally been wetter than average. There are years when an individual drought occurs, but we don’t see a trend downward.

Myth number two is: Climate change is making wildfires worse. I have talked about this in previous commentaries. US Forest Service data shows fires burned much more in the 1930s. One degree warmer doesn’t dry out all the brush and trees.

Myth number three is: Sea level rise will soon cause catastrophic damage. Back in 2004, The Guardian wrote, “A secret report ... warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas ... by 2020!” It’s 2025, and European cities still are above water.

It is true that more than 100 million people live below high-tide sea level thanks to dikes (like those found in the Netherlands). We can adapt and adjust to many environmental changes.

Myth number four is: Coral reefs are disappearing. John Stossel cites one report that proclaims “The Great Barrier Reef is dying” but then counters with a report that 2024 saw record coverage for the Great Barrier Reef.

We do have environmental challenges, but it isn’t helpful for so many scientists and journalists to engage in environmental hyperbole.