Wait, Dingy lied?
Via Washington Post:
The Facts
In his remarks, Reid referred to a 2013 study by the Political Economy Research Institute of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst — the Greenhouse 100 Polluters Index.
U-Mass. “ranked Koch Industries as one of the nation’s biggest air and water polluters, period. In one year Koch Industries released 31 million pounds of toxic air,” Reid said. “How much is that? It’s more than Dow Chemical, Exxon Mobil and General Electric combined emitted. They are the champions.”
Actually, the report lists Koch Industries at 24 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (CO2 equivalent emissions), which puts the company at 27th on the list, responsible for 0.36 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Exxon Mobil landed in 14th place, with 39 million tons, Dow Chemical was 44th with 15 million tons and GE was not on the list. Combined, those companies actually had more than double the emissions of Koch Industries.
So does one-third of 1 percent in the United States make a company “the champions” and “one of the main causes” of global climate change? Perhaps that’s a judgment call, but the Koch brothers’ contribution shrinks even further when seen in global context — to about 6/1,000th of a percent. That’s because there are many companies overseas that are far bigger polluters. […]
The Pinocchio Test
Regular readers know that The Fact Checker has often faulted politicians who deny the science behind climate change. But that does not give license to people on the other side to make exaggerated claims.
In making the case against the Koch brothers, Reid claimed that they are “one of the main causes” of climate change, saying those words twice. Then he inaccurately characterized the report from which he drew his information, wrongly saying that Koch Industries produced more than three other companies combined in order to assert they are “the champions.”
Certainly, Koch Industries contributes to climate change, but the relative impact falls well short of being a “major cause.” We understand Reid’s overall point, but it’s important to stick to the facts when making such claims. Given that Reid did not accurately describe the U-Mass. report, our rating on this statement tips toward Three Pinocchios.
