Your weekly fact-checks
#South Africa
Africa Check
True: “89% of households in [South Africa] now have access to water.”
However the quality of water in the country’s supply systems is an issue. According to a recent assessment by the water department, almost half (46%) of South Africa’s water supply systems “achieved poor or bad quality”.
Africa Check
Mostly true: "85% of South African homes have access to electricity."
While access to electricity has improved (almost 90% households surveyed had access to mains electricity), planned electricity outages, affected supply on 335 days in 2023 and 15 days in 2024 at time of publication.
Africa Check
True: “Nearly every young person aged 15 to 24 years is literate.”
According to Stats SA, improved access to schooling has led to a significant decline in the percentage of functionally illiterate individuals in the 20 to 39 age group. In 2002, this figure stood at 32.9%. In 2022, it was 7.1%.
#Health
Snopes
True: Eating too much sour candy can cause the tongue to peel.
Some sour candies are almost as acidic as battery acid, and many use citric acids to get that desired effect. Just like burning your tongue can damage the papillae and taste buds, so too can acidic foods that produce a sour taste.
#Climate Change
Agence France-Presse
Missing Context: Solar farms cause extreme weather changes
Energy radiating off solar panels can cause slight temperature changes in a limited area, but posts circulating on social media claim this phenomenon will lead to extreme weather events. This is misleading; scientists say these fluctuations are comparable to those generated in urban areas, and solar farms have not been linked to severe climatic conditions.
Agence France-Presse
Missing Context: Most carbon emissions have nothing to do with fossil fuels.
Australian politician Craig Kelly has suggested human activity has little impact on carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. He pointed out that a sharp decline in air travel during the pandemic did not lead to a subsequent fall in CO2 levels. However, climate scientists said air travel accounts for a relatively small share of global emissions. The burning of fossil fuels from human activity is the main emitter of greenhouse gases heating the planet.
#Nordics
Tjekdet
Falsk: Monarkiets popularitet falder støt
Hverken analyseinstitutter eller ekspert i meningsmålinger kan se tegn på, at Kim Bach har ret.
Tjekdet
Falsk: Det amerikanske konsulat i Irak blev ramt af iransk missilangreb
Mandag blev både Irak og Syrien nemlig ramt af missilangreb, som den iranske revolutionsgarde har taget ansvaret for. Men opslagene på X misinformerer. Det amerikanske konsulat i Irak er ikke blevet ramt.
#WTF?! What The Fact of the week
PolitiFact
False: “Any type of ground or processed meats have human flesh in them.”
There is no human flesh in processed, ground meat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture inspects all meat products and allows only other farm animal products as additives, according to its website.
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