As many regions of the country experienced dangerously low temperatures, right-wing media used the cold weather to push climate change denial, delegitimize climate protesters at Iowa caucus events, and gripe about supposed bias toward science-based climate reporting.

Millions of Americans were under wind chill advisories and winter weather advisories this January as an arctic blast brought subzero temperatures, snow, and ice across the Northeast, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and South. At least one power company made an appeal for energy conservation. 

Amid the cold weather, figures across right-wing media have yet again been making claims that global warming is a “hoax,” and that the scientists and politicians who discuss it are part of a “cult.” Several influencers and climate scientists debunked the claim that cold weather means global warming is not occurring, and pointed out its absurdity. 

Substack author Andrew Wortman called the conflation of cold weather with the absence of climate change “hopelessly stupid.” 

“We will always have winter even as our climate continues to warm,” wrote meteorologist Marshall Shepherd in a Forbes article explaining how we can have a polar vortex in a warming world. Former columnist for The Boston Globe and Union of Concerned Scientists fellow in climate and energy Derrick Z. Jackson. also amplified this message:

Right-wing media falsely claimed that the spate of cold weather discredits global warming

The drumbeat of climate change denial during cold weather persisted this winter, as right-wing media figures conflate day-to-day weather with long-term changes to the climate.

• Fox Business host Larry Kudlow said that “the immediate danger from global warming is a hoax.” “What about all the subfreezing, subzero record temperatures we're talking about?” he said. “That sounds like global freezing. I even remember the big freeze cover of Time magazine way back in the early 1970s. … The immediate danger from global warming is a hoax. It's a left-wing Biden-esque hoax. It’s a socialist Green New Deal hoax. And there may be climate change over the next hundred years, but like Bjorn Lomborg or physicist Steve Koonin, I'm more than willing to wait for technological innovation and economic growth to take care of all that, but there is no immediate threat.” [Fox Business, Kudlow, 1/12/24]
   
• Newsmax host Chirs Salcedo said that the cold temperatures in Iowa are “contradicting the Democrats’ man-made global warming religion.” [Newsmax, The Chris Salcedo Show, 1/13/24]
   
• Trump loyalist and America First Policy Institute ambassador Nick Adams: “This is how cold it is at Arrowhead Stadium tonight. Where is your global warming now, Democrats?” [Twitter/X, 1/13/24]
   
• Right-wing political commentator and serial plagiarist Benny Johnson: “Can’t wait to experience Global Warming first hand in Iowa!” [Twitter/X, 1/14/24]
   
• Right-wing troll account Catturd: “The global warming cult sure is quiet right now.” [Twitter/X, 1/15/24]
   
• Right-wing social media personality Amuse: “Brrr… illegal aliens believed the global warming hype pushed by the WEF and now they’re complaining it is too cold in the US.” [Twitter/X, 1/16/24]

Right-wing media targeted bundled-up climate protesters disrupting Iowa caucus events

This year’s Iowa caucuses were the coldest on record. Climate protesters interrupted several campaign events to voice their opposition to the candidates’ climate change denial or refusal to address the climate crisis. 

• On Newsmax’s Wake Up America, hosts and guests delegitimized climate protesters at the Iowa caucus because “it was below 20.” “OK, by the way, that was a climate change protester. It was 20 below in Iowa yesterday, so I don't know. What are they — ‘It's too cold now?'”asked host Rob Finnerty. Guest Hogan Gidley then asked whether they were “protesting for global warming because it's so cold.” [Newsmax, Wake Up America, 1/15/24]
   
• Fox host Dana Perino suggested cold weather in Iowa delegitimizes the message of climate activists there. “I would just say that it reminds me of the day that…Al Gore released An Inconvenient Truth in 2002 or 2003; it was the coldest day of the year,” she said. “That’s what these climate protesters remind me of. It’s ridiculous and they’re persuading no one.” [The Daily Beast, 1/15/24]

Mainstream media were baselessly accused of downplaying coverage of the Arctic blast to push a “green agenda”

Even though the cold weather was widely covered, right-wing media complained that coverage of extreme heat has been purposefully exaggerated in comparison. Some figures also suggested that reporting on a wide range of extreme weather events in the context of climate change, including winter storms, somehow made media outlets dishonest. 

But as some mainstream media outlets are correctly reporting, cold weather doesn’t mean climate change isn’t happening.  A warming winter looks different in different parts of the world. Even if there are some unusually cold days, overall, temperatures are trending upward. Other countries, such as Oman and Argentina, have seen record-high temperatures in January.

As The New York Times explained, “Global climate change unfolds a history of extremes: Historically wet areas are likely to experience increased precipitation (sometimes in the form of snow), while historically dry areas may see more drought.”

• Climate denier Steve Milloy said the Times needs to “get its story straight.” He added: “Jan. 2: Global warming to end snow. Jan. 12: Global warming to increase snow. That is the say-anything 'science' behind the climate hoax.” [Twitter/X, 1/13/24]
   
• The Five accused The New York Times of “trafficking global warming hysteria” by allegedly publishing contradicting stories. The segment featured the chyron “Climate Confusion: NYT cries ‘end of snow’ days before saying ‘increase’” and was seemingly inspired by a tweet from climate denier Steve Milloy from a few days prior. “Well it was global warming, and then, I don’t know, every time it was snowing or blizzarding, then Democrats want it to be climate change,” said America Reports co-anchor Sandra Smith. [Fox News, The Five, 1/17/24]
   
• Larry Kudlow asked, “Why hasn’t there been front page stories?” and called climate change a “hoax.” “There's a story in the Washington Post today, 60 degrees below normal, parts of Montana, where we were married, minus 40 degrees,” he said. “ This is The Washington Post. So, I just want to know of Mr. Kerry, whatever happened to global warming? Why hasn't there been front page stories? I mean every time you get a little heat wave or every time you get a bad rainstorm, everyone runs with these crazy stories about global warming, global warming, global warming, and climate change. … The whole thing is a — I just want to — it is a hoax. Global warming is a hoax.” [Fox News, America Reports, 1/12/24]
   
• Right-wing media personality Tim Young: “The AP is covering for the climate grift today… Can't let the extreme cold weather disprove the obvious.” [Twitter/X, 1/17/24]
   
• Arizona Sun-Times and Townhall reporter Rachel Alexander asked where are “all the dramatic headlines they run like when the temperature is hotter than expected?” She wrote: “Oh no, global warming hitting Arizona now. They're saying this cold spell is expected to linger.  Where's all the dramatic headlines they run like when the temperature is hotter than expected?” [Twitter/X, 1/12/24]