Is 3.0 Really Greater Than 0.85?
A BBC-style fact-check
POSTED ON 05 JUN 24
BY JOHN RIDGWAYIN UNCATEGORIZED
According to the BBC, we now live in a world of misinformation and fake news, in which fake experts and denialists peddle anti-science conspiracies that endanger us all. This has led to the establishment of fact-checking, in which the so-called denialist claims are seemingly debunked by self-appointed arbiters of the truth. To illustrate how these fact-checks often work in practice, I offer you the following fictional account of how the BBC Verify team might deal with one particularly interesting online talking point that is currently gaining traction. In keeping with fact-checking tradition, we start with a clear declaration of the ‘misinformation’ to be debunked:
One of the most recent of false narratives to appear on the internet has been the assertion that 3.0 is greater than 0.85, a view favoured by climate change deniers, seemingly based solely upon a rudimentary understanding of mathematics gained at a very early stage in their education. But is it really true that a number such as 3.0 can be said to be greater than 0.85? In the simplistic world of the fake expert, the answer would be yes, but in the world of climate change risk management, in which the vast majority of the world’s scientists are in agreement, a much more nuanced and context-driven reality emerges.
The problem with the naïve pseudo-mathematics of the climate change denier is that it often fails to understand the true importance of the numbers concerned, but it is only when this importance is taken into account that reliable statements can be made regarding magnitude. The fake experts will point out that when the units are the same, the numbers are directly comparable. But that is where the misdirection is introduced. Using the same units is only part of the issue. And nowhere is this more apparent than in the recent and rapidly spreading online conspiracy theory that 3.0 is greater than 0.85. To get to the bottom of the matter we consulted our specialist disinformation specialists team to find out where this false narrative is coming from and why it is fake news. This is what they had to say:
“This particularly damaging example of misinformation seems to have started with the publication of a study that showed how climate models have predicted that climate change will lead to a 0.85 metre rise in sea level within the next century for the South Eastern city of Jakarta.”
https://cliscep.com/2024/06/05/is-3-0-really-greater-than-0-85/
