A claim that climate change campaigners have vowed to slaughter millions of dogs in a bid to combat climate change is spreading online.
Numerous posts (see here, here and here) link to a story on the disinformation site NewPunch.
The NewsPunch story carries the headline “Climate activists vow to slaughter millions of dogs to ‘reduce carbon footprint'”.
The content of the story does not support the headline’s claim, but it cites a CNN report detailing the “immediate action” required.
But the statement is false. The CNN report makes no mention of any slaughter. Instead, it offers advice on how to help minimize your pet’s “carbon footprint”.
The story was published by US-based News Punch on November 26, 2022 and contains a misleading “verified” tag above the name.
Various posts sharing the story on social media (including here , here , here , here and here ) have sent animal lovers into a frenzy.
“Share to stop this shameful evil plan,” one user commented under one post.
“Someone touches my dogs, I’ll send them to hell and they’ll be on their way. The people of this world have gone mad,” said another.
The CNN article in question was published on September 27. In it, the author says that our pets play a significant role in the climate crisis.
It links to a 2017 study that states that in the US alone, dogs and cats produce about 64 million tons of carbon dioxide.
However, contrary to the NewsPunch headline, the article says, “Don’t panic. Saying goodbye to your best friends is not the answer.”
The article suggests that owners can help reduce the environmental impact of their pets by evaluating their food and even flushing their feces down the toilet rather than using disposable bags.
It also suggests owners consider adopting smaller breeds.
“The general rule is that larger pets will have a greater impact on the climate than smaller ones, primarily because they need more food. So you might consider smaller breeds or species if you want to minimize your impact on the planet. A Chihuahua’s carbon footprint will be much smaller than a Saint Bernard’s, for example,” the article says.
NewsPunch has been a frequent purveyor of misinformation over the years, it has been checked numerous times by fact checkers (here, here, here, here and here).
verdict
The claim that climate change activists have promised to slaughter millions of dogs in an attempt to combat climate change is false.
Headline courtesy of disinformation site NewsPunch. The article links to a CNN story. However, there is no mention of vows to sacrifice dogs. Instead, the article offers tips to help reduce your pet’s carbon footprint, while making it clear that getting rid of your four-legged friend isn’t the answer.
Fake – The statement is inaccurate.
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