Complaint
This programme looked at the likely effect of rising sea levels on coastal towns and cities. Β A listener complained it gave an incorrect estimate for the projected average increase by the end of the century because it omitted the impact of burning fossil fuels in air. Β The ECU considered whether the programme met the requirements for due accuracy set out in the Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
The estimates given in the programme came from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on the ocean and the cryosphere.  The two principal causes presented by the programme for the rise in global mean sea levels were also confirmed in the same report.  In the ECU’s view the use of figures from the IPCC – which is the UN body which brings together many of the world’s leading climate scientists – was sufficient to ensure due accuracy.
Not Upheld