False claim WEF called for consumption of human waste to fight climate change | Fact check

Isabella Fertel, USA TODAY
·2 min read
3

The claim: WEF declares humans must eat feces and drink urine to fight climate change

A June 26 article from The People's Voice claims the World Economic Forum has announced a startling new initiative to combat climate change.

"WEF declares humans must eat feces and drink urine to fight climate change," reads the article's headline.

The article was shared more than 100 times in two weeks, according to the social media analytics tool CrowdTangle.

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Our rating: False

A WEF spokesperson said the organization made no such declaration and has no authority to enforce this or any other mandate on sovereign countries. The article was published by a website that regularly publishes fabricated stories.

WEF did not, cannot mandate consumption of human waste to fight climate change

The WEF is a Swiss-based international organization created to engage "the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas," according to its website.

The organization did not mandate the consumption of human waste for any reason, WEF spokesperson Yann Zopf told USA TODAY in an email.

"The World Economic Forum never made such a statement that 'humans must eat feces and drink urine to fight climate change,'" Zopf said. "These are false claims to discredit the important work that the World Economic Forum does on serious global challenges."

There is no mention of a global mandate to consume human waste in order to combat climate change anywhere on the WEF's website. The People's Voice article does not present any evidence to substantiate its claim.

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The WEF also does not have the ability to mandate the laws and policies of governments around the globe, Scott Moore, a political scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, previously told USA TODAY.

"The WEF is a nongovernmental organization and as such has no legal status to exercise the functions of sovereign states, though it can be influential in shaping the views of policymakers," Moore said in an email.

The People's Voice, previously known as NewsPunch, has a lengthy history of publishing fabricated stories, many of which have been debunked by USA TODAY. The WEF is a frequent subject of its baseless claims.

USA TODAY reached out to The People's Voice for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: False claim WEF ordered consumption of human waste | Fact check