Can we all get a refund? Now UN climate experts admit climate change won’t destroy Earth tomorrow

Nypost · May 18, 2026 · 378 words · By Post Editorial Board

Climate Change Skepticism Economic Impact of Green Energy Partisan Political Conflict

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Daily briefing

What to know about Climate Change Skepticism

Apocalyptic climate-change predictions were box-office gold for Hollywood but they did untold damage to the public psyche, economy and the average man’s pocketbook.

Claims checked 5

Techniques found 6

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Apocalyptic climate-change predictions were box-office gold for Hollywood but they did untold damage to the public psyche, economy and the average man’s pocketbook.

Why it matters

Now the United Nations’ influential climate change committee has quietly discarded the dire temperature-rise scenarios used in two previous reports predicting horrific consequences of global warming if greenhouse emissions weren’t curbed.

Common ground

For years, lefty outfits — based on dubious climate science — screamed about the coming climate catastrophe: The New York Times warned that “Climate Change Is Harming The Planet Faster Than We Can Adapt,” “Climate Change Is Speeding Toward Catastrophe” and “A…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Straw Man: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Climate Change Skepticism story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Last year, Dutch researchers refuted projections of calamitous sea level rises by actually looking at data gathered from coastal sites around the globe?
How does this story connect Climate Change Skepticism with Economic Impact of Green Energy over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/18/opinion/can-we-all-get-a-refund-now-un-climate-exp…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 6 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 85% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Straw Man 80% confidence

Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.

Why it matters: Recognizing straw man helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Causal Oversimplification 70% confidence

Assuming a single cause for a complex issue.

Why it matters: Recognizing causal oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Doubt 70% confidence

Questioning the credibility of a source or claim without providing evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing doubt helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 5 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 2

help Insufficient Evidence 1

info Single Source 1

report Misleading 1

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Claim 1: “Last year, Dutch researchers refuted projections of calamitous sea level rises by actually looking at data gathered from coastal sites around the globe”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

The claim states Dutch researchers 'refuted' projections of sea level rise. However, the evidence provided shows that Dutch researchers actually found that existing research had UNDERESTIMATED current sea levels, finding them to be nearly 1 foot higher than standard estimates, which contradicts the claim that they refuted calamitous rises.

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web search NEUTRAL — An interactive map showing areas threatened by sea level rise and coastal flooding. Combining the most advanced global model of coastal elevations with the latest projections for future flood levels.
https://coastal.climatecentral.org/

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web search NEUTRAL — Using tidal gauges, Dutch researchers analyzed sea levels and found that nearly all existing research has underestimated current sea levels, averaging almost 1 foot higher than standard estimates.
https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/land-subsidence-sea-lev…

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web search NEUTRAL — View sea level rise and potential coastal flooding impact areas and relative depth.
https://coast.noaa.gov/slr/

info

Claim 2: “Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) insisted the world would end by 2030 if we didn’t address climate change”

SINGLE SOURCE

Only one source (The Heartland Institute) mentions AOC warning that 'the world would end' by 2030. Wikipedia and other sources confirm her identity and the Green New Deal, but do not corroborate this specific quote or timeframe.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2028 United States Senate elections will be held on November 7, 2028, with 34 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested in regular elections, the winners of which will serve 6-year terms in t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_Senate_elec…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Green New Deal (GND) calls for public policy to address climate change, along with achieving other social aims like job creation, economic growth, and reducing economic inequality. The name refers…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_New_Deal

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Local Law No 97 of 2019, passed as a part of the Climate Mobilization Act by the New York City Council in March 2019, requires large (over 25,000 square feet in 2017) existing buildings in New York Ci…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Law_97_of_2019

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “The newest IPCC report credits renewables, global climate policy and recent emission trends for making the most dire forecasts “implausible.””

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report that the IPCC has moved away from extreme scenarios, with one source specifically mentioning that a climate analyst (Roger Pielke Jr) suggests this shows the most apocalyptic forecasts are now less plausible.

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web search NEUTRAL — The ditching of the most apocalyptic global warming forecast is proof science is never settled, a climate analyst has said. Professor Roger Pielke Jr suggests a “comprehensive reassessment” of both po…
https://www.gbnews.com/news/climate-change-ipcc-forecast-sci…

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web search NEUTRAL — IPCC reports are neutral, policy-relevant but not policy-prescriptive. The assessment reports are a key input into the international negotiations to tackle climate change.
https://www.ipcc.ch/

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web search NEUTRAL — President Trump blasted Democratic climate policies after scientists moved away from one of the most extreme global warming scenarios previously used in United Nations-backed climate modeling.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/17/us-news/trump-celebrates-after…

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Claim 4: “In New York alone, the disastrous Climate Action Plan requires the closure of reliable natural-gas power plants and replaces them with more costly — and less reliable — solar and offshore wind installations.”

MISLEADING

While sources confirm New York has an ambitious climate plan and that some critics argue it risks reliability by replacing gas with wind/solar, the evidence also shows that Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a scaling back of these mandates, suggesting the 'requirement' is being modified rather than strictly enforced as described.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The People's Climate March (PCM) was a large-scale activist event orchestrated by the People's Climate Movement to advocate global action against climate change, which took place on Sunday, September …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_People's_Climate_March

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Climate Week NYC is a charity event that takes place in New York City every year. Its purpose is to promote climate action by appealing to "business leaders, political change makers, local decision ta…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_Week_NYC

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also inclu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “the United Nations’ influential climate change committee has quietly discarded the dire temperature-rise scenarios used in two previous reports”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results independently report that the IPCC has moved away from or discarded the most extreme temperature-rise scenarios (specifically the 4-6 degree warming projections) used in previous reports.

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web search NEUTRAL — The UN-affiliated climate science body (IPCC) has published six ‘climate assessment reports’ at 5–9-year intervals. The seventh report is expected in 2028–2029.It discards the extreme temperature rise…
https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion-en/2026/05/18/GRZCLZU…

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web search NEUTRAL — The most extreme climate scenario (4 to 6 degrees of warming by 2100), which for years stood at the centre of predictions about catastrophic warming, large-scale flooding and societal collapse, has no…
https://fvdinternational.com/article/climate-alarmists-under…

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web search NEUTRAL — Yet, an unexpected U-turn has just emerged —one that is, however, largely being met with a wall of silence in the mainstream media: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has quietly wal…
https://notrickszone.com/2026/05/17/scandal-although-climate…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.