Despite heat records being broken around the globe, misinformation about extreme weather is still circulating online.
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00:00 This summer in Europe has been very hot, too hot, and despite heat records being broken
00:05 around the globe, misinformation about extreme weather is still circulating on social media.
00:11 Let`s take a look at some of the most common myths seen online.
00:20 Europe is facing a scorching heat wave this summer, especially in countries such as Spain,
00:24 Greece and Italy. In mid-July, Rome experienced its most sweltering weather on record, 42
00:31 degrees Celsius. Yet, certain social media users have been trying to cast doubt that
00:36 this record-breaking temperature has anything to do with climate change.
00:41 This viral Twitter post seen more than 3.5 million times as of July claims it was 42
00:46 degrees Celsius in Rome in July 1841, way before cars and planes, implying the heat
00:53 wave is unrelated to CO2 or man-made emissions.
00:57 So, where did this user get this information? Well, he links it to this Italian article
01:03 claiming it was recorded by the meteorological station of Rome, Collegio Romano. However,
01:09 studies on temperature records in Rome for this station do not go back beyond 1862. And
01:15 most importantly, temperature readings back then weren`t very reliable, according to experts.
01:22 Weather stations back then were much more basic. They were different instruments. Temperatures
01:27 were not measured in standardized conditions. And so, you would have to do a very careful
01:31 analysis of the conditions under which that value was measured in order to compare it
01:36 fairly with present day values.
01:44 During record-breaking temperatures, weather maps have been accused of scaremongering because
01:48 of the vivid colors used in the graphics. A series of before and after images supposedly
01:53 comparing years old TV weather maps were shared online, along with the claim that these maps,
01:59 not the temperatures, were getting scarier over time. We reached out to the U.K.`s Met
02:04 office and they told us the changes to its weather maps over the years have been to help
02:09 people who are colorblind better interpret the data.
02:17 According to a newly published report by World Weather Attribution, Europe has experienced
02:21 heat waves increasingly frequently over the last years as a result of warming caused by
02:26 human activity. Without human-induced climate change, these heat events would, however,
02:32 have been extremely rare. For more fact checks and investigations, check out our website,
02:37 Euronews.com.
02:38 (upbeat music)