CLAIM: A tweep on Oct. 30 posted on Twitter that there was absolutely nothing wrong with fossil fuels; and that what the world only needs to do is to plant trees, so that the carbon can be contained.
The tweet went further in its claim that every continent should make its own climate rules “without the white man”.
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with fossil fuels. What the world needs to do is to plant trees so that the carbon can be contained and let each continent do their own climate rules without the white man,” claimed the tweep.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH FOSSIL FUELS.
WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS TO DO IS TO PLANT TREES SO THAT THE CARBON CAN BE CONTAINED AND LET EACH CONTINENT DO THEIR OWN CLIMATE RULES WITHOUT THE WHITE MAN
— AHUVAGRACE (@prophetahuva) October 30, 2020
VERIFICATION: Fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth’s crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as fuel.
The National Geographic Resource Library explained that fossil fuels are responsible for almost three-fourths of the emissions from human activities in the last 20 years.
Wikipedia noted further that the main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas; and may be burned to provide heat for use directly (such as for cooking or heating), to power engines (such as internal combustion engines in motor vehicles), or to generate electricity.
Some fossil fuels are refined into derivatives such as kerosene, gasoline, and propane before burning. All fossil fuels can be burned in the air or with oxygen derived from the air to provide heat.
As a result of burning fossil fuels, ClientEarth said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has found that emissions from fossil fuels are the dominant cause of global warming.
Global warming is defined by NASA, an American research organisation, as the long-term heating of Earth’s surface observed since the pre-industrial period (between 1850 and 1900) due to human activities, primarily fossil fuel burning, which increases heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth’s atmosphere.
When fossil fuels are burned, they release large amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the air. Greenhouse gases trap heat in our atmosphere, causing global warming.
In 2018, ClientEarth said 89 percent of global CO2 emissions came from fossil fuels and industry. Coal, a fossil fuel, and the dirtiest of them all, is responsible for over 0.3C of the 1C increase in global average temperatures.
This makes it the single largest source of global temperature rise. Oil releases a huge amount of carbon when burned – approximately a third of the world’s total carbon emissions.
The harmful effects of burning fossil fuels include air pollution, global warming, and exhaustible natural resources
The burning of fossil fuels according to the official website of Understanding Global Change is the primary cause of current climate change, altering the Earth’s ecosystems and causing human and environmental health problems.
CONCLUSION: A claim that there is absolutely nothing wrong with fossil fuel is misleading and FALSE. While it is good to plant trees, this action is not sufficient to prevent the effect of burning fossil fuels.
This fact-check was produced by BONews Service with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck, International Fact-Checking Network, and African Fact-Checking Alliance network.