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Climate desk

Climate

The measurements, methods, and public records behind claims about weather, climate, energy, and environmental change.

Verdict mix: 4 True · 1 Mostly True · 3 Misleading · 1 False

Follow climate by RSS →

Open source desk

Start with the record.

This desk separates a weather event, a long-term climate record, and a policy claim. Published checks appear below only after the relevant data and framing have been reviewed.

What this desk watches

  • Temperature, precipitation, and extreme-event records
  • Emissions, energy, and electricity data
  • Climate science and environmental indicators
  • Federal and state climate-policy claims
↗National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationFederal climate data, tools, and explanatory resources.↗NOAA Climate Data OnlineHistorical weather and climate observations with public downloads.↗U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEnvironmental indicators, regulations, and program information.↗U.S. Energy Information AdministrationEnergy data, forecasts, and electricity and fuel statistics.
Across the press

What newsrooms are covering on climate right now

From our own wire · ranked by independent newsrooms · not verdicts
01
5 newsrooms7 hours ago

Limiting Global Warming to 1.5 Degrees Celsius Is No Longer Feasible, UN Report Finds ↗

  • Inside Climate News
  • The Hill
  • The Washington Times
  • The Guardian
  • NPR
02
4 newsrooms6 hours ago
Published record

9 reviewed checks

No automated verdicts.
Energy

Donald Trump signed an executive order waiving the off-road requirement for red-dye diesel, allowing farmers, truckers, and others to purchase diesel tax-free.

Verdict: True
Donald Trump signed an executive order waiving the off-road requirement for red-dye diesel to permit drivers, including farmers and truckers, to buy it tax-free.The Baseline automated desk · Oct 20, 2026
Energy

James Talarico recently stated, while wearing a large mask covering his face, that 'FOSSIL FUELS ARE DESTROYING THE PLANET.'

Verdict: Misleading
While James Talarico did make the remark about fossil fuels, it occurred years earlier in February 2022 rather than recently.The Baseline automated desk · Oct 16, 2026
Energy

Europe has agreed to immediately begin releasing a massive amount of their stocked diesel oil

Verdict: True
European and G7 leaders confirmed an agreement to immediately begin releasing up to 100 million barrels of reserves, front-loading a substantial release of diesel.
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© 2026 The Baseline, published and edited by Cory Hepler. Every verdict cites its sources; automated checks are labeled until the editor has read them.Non-partisan in method · Press kit · RSS · Podcast RSS

Trump again targets offshore wind, risking deal to speed approvals of new energy projects ↗

  • The Washington Times
  • Politico
  • Inside Climate News
  • The Hill
03
3 newsrooms2 days ago

Texas Continued Permitting Data Centers After Abbott’s Pause, Report Finds ↗

  • Inside Climate News
  • The Washington Times
  • The Hill
04
2 newsrooms20 hours ago

Climate campaigners condemn ‘maddening’ decision to approve Jackdaw gasfield ↗

  • The Guardian
  • The Washington Times

Also on the wire

  1. NPRArizona adds U.S.'s newest national park, but National Park Service remains underfundedOct 21
  2. The HillOlympic canoeist's lawyers urge DOJ inspector general to reconsider Reflecting Pool case probeOct 21
  3. The GuardianBurnham approves Jackdaw – and Labour’s unity on climate action is imperilled with the stroke of a pen | Zoe WilliamsOct 21
  4. The HillTrump ties Camp Lejeune toxic water settlements to GOP midterm resultsOct 21
  5. Politico'This is how you blow up a permitting deal': Sen. Whitehouse slams Trump over offshore windOct 21
  6. PoliticoMichigan’s sleeper race is waking upOct 21
  7. The HillTrump says he's requiring data centers to provide their own electricityOct 21
  8. The HillMeet the US's newest national park, ChiricahuaOct 21
  9. PoliticoData center real estate is getting hard to findOct 21
  10. Inside Climate NewsThe Okefenokee’s Next ChapterOct 21
  11. The GuardianWednesday briefing: ​Why has Jackdaw been approved in the middle of a climate crisis?Oct 21
  12. The GuardianThis Norwegian village is one of the fastest-warming places on Earth. How can its people save it?Oct 21

Headlines link to the newsroom that wrote them. Appearing here is not an endorsement, and a story many outlets carry is corroborated, not necessarily true. Claims worth checking go to the desk and land in the record below.

The Baseline automated desk · Oct 2, 2026
Energy

He is considering a ban on diesel exports to ease high U.S. prices

Verdict: True
Donald Trump explicitly confirmed that his administration is very seriously considering a ban on diesel exports to help ease high domestic fuel prices.The Baseline automated desk · Sep 30, 2026
Energy

Surging gas costs are a 'very inexpensive price to pay' for the Iran war

Verdict: True
Donald Trump explicitly described rising gas prices as a 'very inexpensive price to pay' for the war in Iran during a campaign rally in North Carolina.The Baseline automated desk · Sep 19, 2026
Climate

"The United Nations top climate committee just admitted that its own projections were WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!"

Verdict: Misleading
A routine update narrowed the range of emissions scenarios, retiring an old worst-case path partly because the world shifted off coal toward renewables. It does not mean climate science was wrong, and researchers stress warming remains a serious, worsening problem.FactCheck.org, IPCC · Jun 4, 2026
Energy

"We are right now producing more oil than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined."

Verdict: Mostly True
True if you count all petroleum liquids: the U.S. produces more total liquids than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined. For crude oil alone, the U.S. leads each country but not their combined total.PolitiFact, U.S. Energy Information Administration · Apr 29, 2026
Energy

"If you look at gasoline, $1.99 a gallon."

Verdict: False
The national average was $2.90 a gallon the week of Feb. 9, 2026 - nearly a dollar higher than claimed. No state averaged under $2; the cheapest, Oklahoma, was about $2.36.FactCheck.org, U.S. Energy Information Administration · Feb 19, 2026
Energy

“Gas prices hit an all-time record high this year.”

Verdict: Misleading
May 21, 2026 did set a record — for the Trump presidencies, at $4.56 a gallon. It was not an all-time record: June 2022 averaged over $5.00 nominal, and adjusted for inflation 2012 gas cost about $5.07 in today’s dollars. Prices have since fallen back to about $3.84.EIA / AAA · Jul 2, 2026