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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Trump’s False ‘Facts’ on the Environment

Trump’s False ‘Facts’ on the Environment

Just as CNN was beginning its climate town hall event, President Donald Trump tweeted a list of “8 facts” boasting of the nation’s air quality and carbon emissions reductions. Several of his “facts,” however, are inaccurate or misleading.

Wheeler’s Misleading Carbon Emissions Math

Wheeler’s Misleading Carbon Emissions Math

During his confirmation hearing on Jan. 16, Andrew Wheeler, President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency, repeatedly used a misleading statistic to defend the EPA’s proposed replacement for the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan.

Wind Energy’s Carbon Footprint

Wind Energy’s Carbon Footprint

In observing that “every type of energy has consequences,” Department of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke claimed the “carbon footprint on wind [energy] is significant.” In fact, wind power’s carbon footprint is among the smallest of any energy source.

CO2: Friend or Foe to Agriculture?

CO2: Friend or Foe to Agriculture?

Rep. Lamar Smith said climate change “alarmists” ignore the “positive impacts” of more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, such as increased food production and quality. But the impact of increased CO2 levels on agriculture is more complicated than that — and, on balance, likely negative, particularly in the future.

Gore and Pruitt Debate Paris Targets

Gore and Pruitt Debate Paris Targets

Former Vice President Al Gore and Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt made competing claims about whether the U.S. could have changed its emissions targets under the Paris Agreement, instead of pulling out of the deal. Legal experts side with Gore, who claimed the targets could have been changed.