copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: [climate models] systematically over-estimate the sensitivity of climate to carbon dioxide ... and modelers exclude forcings and feedbacks that run counter to their mission (Craig Idso, Robert Carter, S. Fred Singer, 2017-05-23)
Evidence (2019-07-10): The carbon cycle and other biogeochemical feedbacks, chemistry feedbacks, and slow feedback-like changes in vegetation types and ice sheets are deliberately not included in the concept of equilibrium climate sensitivity (Knutti and Hegerl, 2008; Knutti and Rugenstein, 2015), which was developed mainly to intercompare the performance of physical climate models consisting of an atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) and a simplified representation of the upper ocean only (for a recent discussion of the equilibrium climate sensitivity, see Stevens et al., 2016). For example, in an ESM, the ocean would be forced to continuously take up large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere if the CO2 forcing were to be held constant at double present-day CO2 relative to the pre-industrial period. This would render an unrealistic ocean biogeochemical state after several hundred years leading also to unrealistic fluxes of DMS (dimethyl sulfide, (CH3)2S, a major contributor to cloud condensation nuclei). The ESM could never be run to a meaningful equilibrium.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2024-01-26): Contrails are trails of condensing water vapor left in the wake of airplanes. They do not contain harmful chemicals as proposed by "chemtrail" conspiracy theories, which are not supported by any evidence. Although some politicians have proposed bills to ban chemtrails or related conspiratorial concepts, they are not evidence of their existence and no such bills have been passed. Chemtrails are increasingly conflated with solar geoengineering strategies, like stratospheric aerosol injection, but these strategies are real proposals currently being explored by scientists to limit anthropogenic global warming and have not been implemented at scale.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2024-02-01): In reality, The People’s Voice article refers to an online petition to "…prohibit the continuation of aerosolized spraying" of substances and particulates which "…is extremely harmful to our health and our environment". Chemtrails are not referenced anywhere in the petition text, but it further states that there is a covert military program to control weather whereby "weather modification is frequently used to justify the spraying" of things like "aluminum oxide and other toxic metal compounds". A previous Science Feedback claim review explained that allegations of secret large-scale atmospheric programs using chemtrails lack any supporting evidence (i.e., proof) and foundation (i.e., hypothetical basis)[1]. There are no scientific studies nor any existing data confirming elevated global atmospheric, soil, sediment, or water concentrations of the various chemicals that chemtrails are claimed to spread. [...] Various accounts on social media inaccurately claim that US state and federal proposed bills and congressional hearings confirm the existence or use of chemtrails, with some states even banning chemtrails. However, no state governments have passed laws banning chemtrails, and bill proposals and the texts from congressional hearings are not evidence for the existence of chemtrails. Chemtrails as entities distinct from contrails remain unproven, unverified, and undiscovered by science. Chemtrails are increasingly conflated with solar geoengineering strategies, like stratospheric aerosol injection, which are real proposals currently being explored by scientists to mitigate climate change and limit anthropogenic global warming, but which have not been implemented.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2024-09-30): Washington, DC— Well-understood physical and chemical processes can easily explain the alleged evidence of a secret, large-scale atmospheric spraying program, commonly referred to as "chemtrails" or "covert geoengineering," concludes a new study from Carnegie Science, University of California Irvine, and the nonprofit organization Near Zero. [...] The research team undertook their study in response to the large number of people who claim to believe in a secret spraying program. In a 2011 international survey, nearly 17 percent of respondents said they believed the existence of a secret large-scale atmospheric spraying program to be true or partly true. And in recent years a number of websites have arisen claiming to show evidence of widespread secret chemical spraying, which they say is linked to negative impacts on human health and the environment. [...] "Despite the persistence of erroneous theories about atmospheric chemical spraying programs, until now there were no peer-reviewed academic studies showing that what some people think are ‘chemtrails’ are just ordinary contrails, which are becoming more abundant as air travel expands. Also, it is possible that climate change is causing contrails to persist for longer periods than they used to." Caldeira said. "I felt it was important to definitively show what real experts in contrails and aerosols think. We might not convince die-hard believers that their beloved secret spraying program is just a paranoid fantasy, but hopefully their friends will accept the facts."
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2016-08-15): These days it's a common sight: hazy streaks crisscrossing the sky left from passing aircrafts. But many people believe there’s something more going on. Dubbing the contrails "chemtrails," conspiracy theorists have claimed that these trails of condensed water are part of a secret program to control the weather, change the climate or control our minds. [...] The chemtrails craze likely originated with a 1996 report from the Air Force called "Weather as a Force Multiplier," which speculates how the military could develop weather modification technology by 2025, report Annalee Newitz and Adam Steiner at i09. A patent filed in 1991 for a technique of seeding the upper atmosphere with particles that could reflect sunlight and slow global warming also intrigued theorists. Combined with anecdotal tales of plants dying and people getting sick after planes left contrails above their homes, the conspiracy theory coalesced and took off on the internet in the late 1990s. [...] So, if it’s not a government program, why do many people claim to see more and more contrails? Emerson says airplane contrails are likely lasting longer than they used to due to changes in jet engine technology. In addition, an increase in air travel over the last couple decades could also be fueling the belief in chemtrails, says Caldeira, and atmospheric changes from global warming may cause the artificial clouds to linger longer than they used to.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2022-07-22): Some think malign forces are spraying the population with dangerous chemicals - so-called chemtrails - for purposes that are neither entirely clear nor consistent. [...] Like many persistent conspiracies, the chemtrails idea comes with a kernel of truth. [...] Chemtrails conspiracy theorists point to such secret experiments to bolster their cause. But their claims blow the historical record out of all proportion, as they claim we are constantly - and very visibly - being deliberately sprayed with tonnes of dangerous chemicals, for an ever-shifting variety of reasons.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2024-03-12): Though the theory may sound far-fetched to some, chemtrails have become a common conspiracy both in the US and around the world, despite evidence to the contrary. [...] The chemtrails idea has been around since 1996, and is largely rooted in an Air Force research paper from the same year, "Weather as a Force Multiplier: Owning the weather in 2025." It outlines a "future weather modification system to achieve military objectives" using "aerospace forces," and "does not reflect current military policy, practice, or capability," the Environmental Protection Agency has stated. [...] Scientists have said there is no evidence for the existence of chemtrails. Even if there was a government conspiracy at work in aircraft contrails, such a large-scale program would be difficult to cover up given the amount of people who would be necessary for operation, Harvard researchers noted.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2024-03-21): The Tennessee Senate has passed a bill targeting "chemtrails." [...] "The intentional injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances, or apparatus within the borders of this state into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight is prohibited," the bill reads. [...] The chemtrail theory is the belief that the government is secretly adding toxic chemicals to the atmosphere from aircrafts, similar to contrails. According to a research group at Harvard University which focuses on climate science and technology, the reasoning behind the theory involves sterilization, reduction of life expectancy, mind control, and weather control.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2023-04-21): PolitiFact has debunked other claims involving "chemtrails." The evidence remains: chemtrails aren’t real. A 2016 study evaluated claims of a secret large-scale atmospheric program, commonly referred to as "chemtrails" or "covert geoengineering." The authors from Carnegie Science, University of California, Irvine and the nonprofit organization Near Zero surveyed atmospheric chemists who specialize in condensation trails and geochemists. [...] Contrails — short for condensation trails — are "line-shaped clouds sometimes produced by aircraft engine exhaust," as defined by experts at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2024-04-02): Tennessee passes 'chemtrail' bill banning airborne chemicals Tennessee lawmakers have passed a bill banning the release of airborne chemicals that critics say is inspired by "chemtrails" conspiracy theories. [...] "Chemtrails", meanwhile, is a separate, pseudoscientific idea that governments or corporations are spraying chemicals from planes to kill, control or poison people.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2024-04-02): Tennessee passes 'chemtrail' bill banning airborne chemicals - Published Tennessee lawmakers have passed a bill banning the release of airborne chemicals that critics say is inspired by "chemtrails" conspiracy theories. [...] "Chemtrails", meanwhile, is a separate, pseudoscientific idea that governments or corporations are spraying chemicals from planes to kill, control or poison people.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2024-04-02): The Tennessee state House of Representatives passed a bill Monday designed to prevent geoengineering, the practice of intentionally modifying the atmosphere to counteract global warming. [...] The chemtrails theory is a loose grouping of unfounded ideas that suggest planes are not making trails of condensation known as contrails but instead are spraying government-made chemicals to control people’s behavior or affect their bodies. In recent years, some chemtrails conspiracy theories have evolved, with believers suggesting that contrails are actually aerosols designed to control the weather or the climate. The Tennessee Lookout, a nonprofit news organization, reported that Republican Sen. Steve Southerland, one of the sponsors, referred to the chemtrails theory when he presented his argument for the bill to a reporter.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2024-03-20): Chemtrails are a conspiracy theory that claims the condensation trails behind aircraft are part of a secret, large-scale program to poison the atmosphere with toxic chemicals. Multiple government agencies and scientists say chemtrails are not real. [...] Another Instagram post shared a screenshot of an X post that said, "The Tennessee State Senate passed a bill today that would ban the spraying of chemicals for geoengineering in our skies." The post’s caption said, "Tennessee Senate confirms that ch!m trails are real." [...] We’ve debunked several claims about chemtrails, a conspiracy theory that claims the condensation trails behind aircraft are part of a secret, large-scale program to poison the atmosphere with toxic chemicals. Multiple government agencies and scientists say chemtrails are not real.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2023-04-20): The conspiracy theory that the U.S. government is intentionally spraying toxic chemicals into the air has persisted for nearly two decades. The baseless claims often refer to so-called "chemtrails" and say that the condensation trails behind airplanes are part of an atmospheric spraying program meant to depopulate the world. [...] In 1991, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines resulted in about 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, according to a fact sheet from the United States Geological Survey. That caused global temperatures to drop by about 1 degree Fahrenheit for two years, from 1991 to 1993.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2022-01-27): Some people believe that chemtrails are a "secret, large-scale atmospheric spraying program," said a study published in 2016 by the Carnegie Institution for Science, University of California Irvine and the nonprofit organization Near Zero. [...] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has also debunked the chemtrails conspiracy theory. The agency says it is not aware of any deliberate release of chemicals or biological agents into the atmosphere. People who spread the conspiracy theory cite varying alleged purposes for the chemtrails, including weather modification, chemical or biological weapons testing and manipulating stock prices by damaging crops. In the TikTok clip, Perlingieri mentioned weather modification, and that theory also has been embraced by Alex Jones of InfoWars, who is known for spreading misinformation.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2024-03-05): "BREAKING: Texas could become the first state to outlaw ‘chemtrails’ with a new petition that is collecting signatures to ask state representatives to pass laws banning dangerous atmospheric aerosol spraying," read the text of a screenshot in a Dec. 18 Facebook post. [...] We’ve debunked several claims about "chemtrails," a conspiracy theory that claims that the condensation trails behind aircraft are part of a secret, large-scale program to poison the atmosphere with toxic chemicals. The U.S. Air Force and scientists say chemtrails are not real. [...] The article links to a petition by Clean Texas Skies, a group asking state legislators to pass legislation to prohibit "aerosolized spraying" without testing and approval from public representatives. The petition did not use the word "chemtrails" but used other language from the chemtrails conspiracy theory, saying that the trails behind airplanes are part of a covert U.S. military operation. Some chemtrails theories posit the spraying means to reduce people’s life expectancy or sterilize them, control people’s minds or control the weather.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2023-12-18): "BREAKING: Texas could become the first state to outlaw ‘chemtrails’ with a new petition that is collecting signatures to ask state representatives to pass laws banning dangerous atmospheric aerosol spraying," read the text of a screenshot in a Dec. 18 Facebook post. [...] The People’s Voice, Texas Becomes First State To Potentially Outlaw Chemtrails, Jan. 19, 2023 "STOP Poisoning Our Families" petition, accessed March 1, 2024 [...] Climate Feedback, US proposed bills and hearings do not confirm the use of chemtrails, which do not exist and are not a geoengineering strategy, Jan. 26, 2024
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2024-01-26): Factually Inaccurate: No US state government has passed laws banning chemtrails, which remain unproven and not supported by any scientific evidence. US congressional documents have been misattributed and misinterpreted as admissions of chemtrail existence. Proposed bills, citizen petitions, and committee geoengineering hearings do not prove the existence or use of chemtrails. [...] Various accounts on social media inaccurately claim that US state and federal proposed bills and congressional hearings confirm the existence or use of chemtrails, with some states even banning chemtrails. However, no state governments have passed laws banning chemtrails, and bill proposals and the texts from congressional hearings are not evidence for the existence of chemtrails. Chemtrails as entities distinct from contrails remain unproven, unverified, and undiscovered by science. Chemtrails are increasingly conflated with solar geoengineering strategies, like stratospheric aerosol injection, which are real proposals currently being explored by scientists to mitigate climate change and limit anthropogenic global warming, but which have not been implemented.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2018-01-31): 'Chemtrail' conspiracy theorists: The people who think governments control the weather [...] "Chemtrail" conspiracy theorists vary in their claims. But some of the most popular include the belief that governments control the weather on a massive scale, that scientists carrying out legitimate research about how to counteract climate change through a process called geo-engineering are secretly poisoning us, or even that secret powerful groups are spraying us with chemicals to make us pliant and easy to control. [...] Nonetheless, "chemtrail" and geo-engineering conspiracy theorists flood social media with speculation, questions and images of contrail cross-hatched skies. One international survey suggested almost 17% of respondents thought chemtrail conspiracy theories true or partly true.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2024-03-26): A state senator relates a bill to "chemtrails," a conspiracy theory related to the lines of vapor coming from jet planes [...] Sen. Steve Southerland, a Morristown Republican who initiated the legislation, didn’t mention "chemtrails" when he passed the bill on the Senate floor last week. [...] David Keith’s Research Group with Harvard University describes "chemtrails" as a conspiracy theory that governments and other groups are running a secret program to add "visible plumes" containing toxic chemicals to the atmosphere, similar to contrails or vapor trails released by aircraft engine exhaust that are made up mainly of water in the form of ice crystals.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2023-02-10): Are chemtrails being used to vaccinate Australians secretly against COVID-19? CheckMate investigates [...] A decade-old conspiracy theory alleging that the Australian government had approved the use of "chemtrails" to vaccinate the population forcibly has resurfaced with a fresh COVID-19 twist. [...] The program has previously been the target of false claims that it could affect "natural phenomena" such as earthquakes or the weather.
Claim: US state governments are banning chemtrails, confirming secret government programs using chemtrails for various purposes that harm the public and the environment (Social media users, 2024-01-26)
Evidence (2024-10-08): Environmental and health impacts are considered minimal due to the low concentrations of substances used. But concerns persist over the potential accumulation of seeding agents in sensitive ecosystems. The practice has a long history, with initial experiments dating back to the 1940s, and has been used for various purposes, including agricultural benefits, water supply augmentation, and event planning. Legal frameworks primarily focus on prohibiting the military or hostile use of weather modification techniques, leaving the ownership and regulation of cloud-seeding activities to national discretion. Despite skepticism and debate over its efficacy and environmental impact, cloud seeding continues to be explored and applied in regions worldwide as a tool for weather modification. [citation needed] [...] In 1978, the U.S. signed the Environmental Modification Convention, which bans the use of weather modification for hostile purposes.[79] [...] - ^ a b "Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD) – UNODA". Archived from the original on 2021-05-29. Retrieved 2021-06-02.