10/6/22: IPSO has not upheld a complaint made by environmentalist campaign group Extinction Rebellion against The Spectator.
The activists complained about an article published online as “Net zero is a disastrous solution to a nonexistent problem”. The piece was a companion to a dissenting article headlined “No choice; The urgent case for net zero”.
Extinction Rebellion took issue with two claims in the anti-net zero article: that “many more people die each year from cold-related illnesses than from heat-related ones” and that “increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere [helps] to stimulate plant growth”.
The campaigners argued that research had shown a rise in temperature increases mortality through, for example, food insecurity and greater prevalence of diseases including skin cancer and asthma. It said the second claim was misleading as research had indicated increasing carbon in the atmosphere produced “less and less benefit” in plant nutrients.
The Spectator pointed to research published in The Lancet concluding that approximately 8.52% of global deaths were associated with cold-related illness, versus approximately 0.9% associated with head-related illness. The regulator said: “While other papers might reach alternative conclusions, the commentator was entitled to rely on the findings of this study”, and that while increased CO2 could harm plant nutrient density, The Spectator’s article had not claimed otherwise. Full ruling here.
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