Headline about Irish cold and 'asymptomatic global warming' is fabricated | Fact check

Kate S. Petersen, USA TODAY
·2 min read
6

The claim: Media reported that Ireland suffers 'from asymptomatic global warming'

A July 21 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows what appears to be a headline from the Irish news outlet, Independent.ie.

"Climate crisis explainer: Why is July so cold while everywhere else on the planet is burning? Prof. Luke O'Neill says Ireland is suffering from asymptomatic global warming," reads the purported headline.

The post garnered more than 400 likes in five days.

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The purported headline is fabricated, according to a spokesperson for Independent.ie. Ireland is experiencing clear signs of global warming and climate change, according to climate agencies.

'Asymptomatic global warming' headline fabricated

Independent.ie did not publish the headline shown in the post, Kevin Doyle, group head of news at Mediahuis Ireland − the organization which publishes Independent.ie − told USA TODAY in an email.

USA TODAY could not locate any record of such an article on Independent.ie's website. O'Neill, a professor of biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin, also told USA TODAY that he did not make the statement attributed to him in the post.

"I didn’t make that comment," he told USA TODAY in an email. "I was on Newstalk radio last week talking about how heat can affect the body – I've no idea what 'asymptomatic global warming' is."

Fact check: Human greenhouse gas emissions, not El Niño, drive climate change

Multiple effects of climate change have been observed in Ireland, according to a climate report published by the Irish meteorological service, Met Éireann, and other agencies.

These include:

  • Increased average air temperatures

  • Increased average sea surface temperatures

  • Sea level rise

  • Increased precipitation

  • Ocean acidification of surface waters west of Ireland − due to the absorption of CO2

USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

The fabricated headline was also debunked by Reuters.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Headline about Irish global warming is fabricated | Fact check