2401 12566 Automated Fact Checking Of Climate Change Claims With

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 8, 2025, 4:49 PM

2401 12566 automated fact checking of climate change claims with

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Accurate identification of true versus false climate information in the digital age is critical. Misinformation can significantly affect public understanding and policymaking. Automated fact-checking seeks to validate claims against trustworthy factual data. This study tackles the challenge of fact-checking climate claims by leveraging the currently most capable Large Language Models (LLMs). To this end, we introduce Climinator, an acronym for CLImate Mediator for INformed Analysis and Transparent Objective Reasoning. It significantly boosts the performance of automated fact-checking by integrating authoritative, up-to-date sources within a novel debating framework.

This framework provides a trustworthy and context-aware analysis incorporating multiple scientific viewpoints. Climinator helps identify misinformation in real time and facilitates informed dialog on climate change, highlighting AI’s role in environmental discussions and policy with reliable data. In the era of digital information abundance, the endeavor to counter climate misinformation has found a promising ally in artificial intelligence (AI). Research shows that engaging with an AI chatbot on climate change can significantly align public perception with scientific consensus1, highlighting the importance of ensuring that the large language models (LLMs) underpinning these systems are... Therefore, we ask how well we can embed scientific consensus into automated fact-checking. To this end, we developed Climinator—an acronym for CLImate Mediator for INformed Analysis and Transparent Objective Reasoning.

Climinator evaluates the veracity of climate statements and improves its verdicts with evidence-based and scientifically credible reasoning and references to relevant literature. Our vision is to use AI to catalyze a well-informed global climate dialog, enrich public discourse with scientific insights, and foster a more informed society ready to engage with climate challenges. Climinator serves as a first step in this direction. Platforms like Climate Feedback and Skeptical Science have made commendable efforts to involve climate scientists in volunteering their expertise and providing an essential service in addressing climate misinformation. These scientists voluntarily dedicate their time to giving concise science-based evaluations, including references, and delivering a final verdict on disputed claims. Despite their valuable contributions, these efforts face significant challenges, including scalability and actuality.

Hence, their impact is limited by the sheer volume of misinformation and skepticism in digital media, worsened by misinformation spreading more rapidly and widely than factual information2. As a response, automated fact-checking3,4 aims to debunk misinformation at scale using natural language processing methods. While automated fact-checking tools have improved, they struggle with complex claims due to a lack of detailed reasoning5,6,7, particularly in the domain of climate change8. To address this problem, we introduce an advanced framework that overcomes these limitations by integrating LLMs within a Mediator-Advocate model. Although recent work has explored the aggregation of different viewpoints using LLMs to build a general consensus9, we address real-world claim complexities and evidence controversies in a novel way10,11,12. In particular, we introduce separate “Advocates,” each drawing on a distinct text corpus to represent a specific viewpoint, while a “Mediator” either asks follow-up questions or synthesizes these perspectives into a cohesive and balanced...

A comprehensive overview of the Climinator tool, designed to automate the fact-checking of climate change claims using Large Language Models (LLMs). Note: We are building fact verification tools based on Climinator and other research papers, and have started an open-source project in its early stages. Researchers and developers who want to join, or stakeholders and organizations with interest, should contact us for more information. Climinator employs LLMs to parse initial claims into subclaims, enhancing specificity and efficiency. Advocates, specialized LLMs grounded in curated text corpora, assess claims against reliable sources like IPCC reports and scientific articles. The Mediator LLM consolidates these verdicts through a dynamic dialogue process, leading to a unified judgment【oaicite:4】.

The tool was tested on 414 claims from varied sources, showing high accuracy in classifying claims. This involved 170 claims from Climate Feedback, 163 from Skeptical Science, and 81 from NIPCC reports. Climinator effectively fact-checks against contrarian viewpoints, reconciling diverse scientific perspectives into scientifically sound conclusions【oaicite:3】. Challenges include the tool’s reliance on potentially outdated information and limited scope of source materials. Future iterations might prioritize recent scientific publications and broaden source bases. Transitioning to open-source models could offer more transparency and control, enhancing Climinator’s capabilities in climate science communication【oaicite:2】.

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Performance in terms of accuracy… Fig. 1. Performance in terms of accuracy (averaged micro-F1) of various models in classifying Climate… This paper presents Climinator, a novel AI-based tool designed to automate the fact-checking of climate change claims. Utilizing an array of Large Language Models (LLMs) informed by authoritative sources like the IPCC reports and peer-reviewed scientific literature, Climinator employs an innovative Mediator-Advocate framework.

This design allows Climinator to effectively synthesize varying scientific perspectives, leading to robust, evidence-based evaluations. Our model demonstrates remarkable accuracy when testing claims collected from Climate Feedback and Skeptical Science. Notably, when integrating an advocate with a climate science denial perspective in our framework, Climinator's iterative debate process reliably converges towards scientific consensus, underscoring its adeptness at reconciling diverse viewpoints into science-based, factual conclusions. While our research is subject to certain limitations and necessitates careful interpretation, our approach holds significant potential. We hope to stimulate further research and encourage exploring its applicability in other contexts, including political fact-checking and legal domains. We are excited to share a new open-access publication in Nature Reviews Methods Primers, co-authored by EClim members Christian Huggel and Veruska Muccione:

📰 “Automated fact-checking of climate claims with large language models”🔗 Read the paper The paper introduces CLIMINATOR, a novel AI-powered framework designed to enhance fact-checking of climate-related claims. By integrating verified scientific sources into a structured debate format, this tool supports the fight against climate misinformation. This interdisciplinary effort brings together experts from climate science, finance, and artificial intelligence, showcasing how collaboration can drive innovation for climate action. Climate change is an important issue that affects everyone. People often make Claims about it, but not all statements are true.

This paper talks about a new tool designed to help check if these claims are accurate. The tool uses advanced computer models that can understand and analyze large amounts of information quickly. In today's world, people are surrounded by information, some of which may not be true. This is especially true with climate change, where various individuals and groups make conflicting statements that can confuse the public. The recent claims made by notable figures can spark debate about what is accurate and what is not. For example, a recent claim stated that there is no scientific Evidence supporting the need to phase out fossil fuels to limit global warming.

This claim shows how critical it is to have a reliable system that can verify such statements. The tool discussed in this paper is designed to automatically check facts related to climate change. It uses a method called the Mediator-Advocate framework. This framework helps the tool to collect and evaluate different scientific opinions effectively, leading to accurate outcomes based on evidence. Gathering Claims: The tool starts by gathering statements related to climate change from various sources. Analyzing Claims: It breaks down these claims into smaller parts to understand them better.

2401 12566 Automated Fact Checking Of Climate Change Claims With

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