On November 23 at 9:19 pm, climate alarmist Eric Holthaus tweeted out a viral article claiming koala bears are “functionally extinct” because of climate change:
Koalas have now become "functionally extinct" in recent months due to fires, drought, heat, and deforestation. An iconic and irreplaceable species will no longer be able to survive in the wild without massive intervention.
We are in a climate emergency. https://t.co/YMZkjrhdob
— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) November 24, 2019
But that quickly changed. November 24 at 11:52 am: It’s complicated:
Update on the koalas: Scientists say there's no way to know how bad the situation is.
"It's incredibly difficult for scientists to get a full grasp on koala numbers across Australia, so categorizing the species as 'functionally extinct' is difficult." https://t.co/k7V4h7lnu9
— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) November 24, 2019
And on November 26 at 11:57 am: Never mind. Koalas are fine:
Major update: The article that claimed koalas are now 'functionally extinct' has been revised, with more nuance added reflecting pushback from scientists. https://t.co/eQ2AylcXUV
— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) November 26, 2019
But don’t believe us. Here’s National Geographic with the explainer:
Yes, koalas are being hurt in fires in Australia; it’s a sad story that has people upset. But no, koalas aren't 'functionally extinct’ — and alarmist and inaccurate headlines aren’t doing anything to help them. Our @NatGeo explainer of what’s going on https://t.co/fNybHMrbYQ
— Susan Goldberg (@susanbgoldberg) November 26, 2019
The claim that they’ve lost 80% of their habitat was a lie, too:
No, koalas are not "functionally extinct." Nor have they lost "80 percent" of their habitat. They are in trouble though. @natashaldaly explains https://t.co/reZr7OdRYf pic.twitter.com/3Kf7mCfr6n
— Rachael Bale (@Rachael_Bale) November 26, 2019
They are not even on the endangered list at this time:
Some objective information about the plight of Koalas.
Not "functionally extinct" yet. But close to now being declared 'endangered' as a species. Via @NatGeo: https://t.co/y7a4rEoIJL— Michael E. Mann (@MichaelEMann) November 26, 2019
This keeps happening. Remember the starving polar bear?
Fact Check: If you've seen the viral starving polar bear photo, read this thread on why linking it to global warming is BS https://t.co/HgDaILXB5a
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) December 11, 2017
And now here’s the cleanup of the damage from the alarmist BS:
No, koalas aren't 'functionally extinct'—yet. Most of what you've read is probably wrong, but the species still faces very real threats that started before the fires and will continue afterwards https://t.co/z1Rr3DrdOz via @NatGeo pic.twitter.com/jhNII8VtI2
— Kaleigh Rogers (@KaleighRogers) November 26, 2019
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
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