A group of scientists has debunked claims made in a popular podcast featuring Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson, which suggest that the planet isn't actually warming and that humans aren't causing the rise in temperatures, despite an overwhelming consensus among climate scientists. 

What happened?

According to Science Feedback, a nonprofit that crowdsources reviews and information from a community of expert scientists, Peterson and Rogan attempted to convince their audience that rising global temperatures are a hoax in episode 2309 of the Joe Rogan Experience.

At one point in the podcast, Rogan said, "We're in a cooling period." 

"The conclusion you draw about climate and carbon dioxide is entirely dependent on where you put the origin point of your graph," Peterson replied. 

However, the scientists said this is misleading, because while it is cooler in modern times than it has been in most of Earth's history, humans weren't around when the planet experienced much hotter, humid conditions. If anything, the data shows that the world can become significantly hotter than it currently is, and it does not refute that humans could accelerate the rate at which it is currently warming again.

On that note, Earth is actually warming at an unprecedented rate — about "10 times faster than the average rate of warming after an ice age," per NASA — and human activities like the burning of fossil fuels are the main cause. Cornell found in 2021 that 99.9% of over 88,000 scientific papers over the prior eight-year period agreed that humans caused climate change. 

Peterson also tried to claim that higher carbon dioxide levels are beneficial. 

"The planet is 20% greener than it was 30 years ago," he said, but did not give supporting evidence for this claim. 

Scientists cited several studies that found the Earth's surface area covered by trees increased by 5-7% from the early 1980s to 2018. However, they noted that human activities, such as planting trees to combat air pollution as well as expanding agricultural land, likely explain the growth in tree cover more than rising carbon dioxide levels. 

Ultimately, the article representing the Science Feedback organization's scientists deemed these claims to be incorrect. 

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"Peterson and Rogan make inaccurate or misleading points that have been debunked. Climate science leaves no doubt that Earth's climate is warming as a result of CO2 and other greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels," they said. 

And if you take in the logic from either perspective, it's pretty easy to conclude that any past timeline of average temperatures on Earth, barring giant meteorite impacts, has come during conditions of natural plant growth and death cycles.

Even if we plant many more trees, humans are drilling for and burning about 35 billion barrels' worth of oil per year, in addition to massive quantities of natural gas and coal — effectively dredging up burnable fossilized plant matter and burning it into the air at a rate far beyond what happens under "natural climate change." 

Why is climate change denial concerning?

When people spread misinformation about the shifting climate, especially if they run a popular podcast like Joe Rogan's, it spreads confusion and may discourage people from taking action or respecting energy transitions that are necessary to protect our current standards of living. 

It also erodes public trust in science and policymakers, and enables powerful oil companies to deflect responsibility for their role in contributing to the climate crisis. When people don't believe that oil, gas, and coal usage lead to increasing global temperatures and the higher risk of extreme weather that comes from it, no entities benefit more than oil, gas, and coal companies. 

Not to mention, neither Peterson nor Rogan is a climate scientist, as the experts at Science Feedback explained.

Peterson was a psychology professor at the University of Toronto and a clinical psychologist, and is an author of several books in his field, according to the university's website. Joe Rogan is a comedian, actor, sports broadcaster, and former TV host, and now hosts The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. 

While they may be charismatic conversationalists, neither of them has experience to analyze the field of climate science, where models have consistently predicted that global temperatures would rise with higher CO2 levels for at least the past 50 years. 

How can you spot false claims about climate change?

First, it's essential to evaluate the source; if the information originates from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, or academic institutions, it can be trusted with greater confidence. On the other hand, those who present themselves as experts in climate science or related fields but lack the credentials to support their claims should not be viewed as reliable sources. 

You can also use fact-checking tools and see if the source has a vested interest in the fossil fuel industry, which increases the chances that the information is misleading or biased. Knowing where to find accurate information about the climate can help you stay informed and provide the necessary tools to adapt.

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