About the data

How a statement enters the record, how it is verified, and how to use this archive — in full.

What we archive

The Climate Record documents public statements that deny or minimize humanity's impact on the climate. A statement qualifies only if all of the following hold: it was made by a public figure or in a public setting (press, broadcast, a public speech or event, or a public social-media account); it is quoted verbatim, in its original language, with enough context not to mislead; and it explicitly denies that warming is happening, denies its human cause, or minimizes its scale or impact — the three categories used throughout the site. Private conversations, private individuals and unsourced paraphrases are never included.

How verification works

Anyone can submit a statement, but nothing is published without human review. Every submission requires evidence — a source link or a screenshot — and enters a moderation queue where an editor checks the quote against the source, confirms the speaker's identity (including against Wikidata, to prevent confusing people with similar names) and verifies the criteria above. Rejections are recorded with a reason. Every editorial action is written to a moderation log under the acting editor's identity.

Evidence, in layers

Sources disappear; the archive plans for it. For every source URL we automatically request a snapshot in the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine and, where technically possible, capture our own full-page screenshot, stored with a SHA-256 hash recorded at capture time so any later alteration would be detectable. Contributors can attach their own screenshots, and video sources are preserved separately. Each statement page lists all of its evidence, with the original source and archived copies side by side.

Cryptographic notarization

Every piece of stored evidence is fingerprinted with a SHA-256 hash at capture time. Monthly, the hash of the full dataset and a public list of all evidence hashes are anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain via OpenTimestamps — an open, cost-free timestamping standard. The .ots proof files are published alongside each monthly dump. This lets anyone verify, mathematically and without trusting us, that a given piece of evidence existed at a given date and has not been altered since. Only digests are anchored, never content: the archive retains the ability to correct or retract entries, as any accountable publication must.

Notability tiers and reader votes

Every person is assigned a factual notability tier: A for holders of high public office, B for public figures with a wide audience, C for minor voices. Tier C statements are archived and searchable but not amplified on the front page or in rankings — archiving is not endorsement of attention. Reader votes shape the reader rankings only; they are weighted by tier and never alter the archive itself.

Corrections and disputes

Anyone — including a person documented here — may request a correction or dispute an entry via the contact form. Disputes reopen the entry in the moderation queue with priority, and their resolutions are logged. The archive documents; it does not label. If we got a quote, a date or an attribution wrong, we want to know, and we will fix it visibly.

Using the data

The full dataset — persons, statements, evidence metadata with hashes; never submitters' personal data — is published openly under a CC BY 4.0 license, refreshed monthly and mirrored to independent locations. Download it as JSON or CSV. To cite the archive: The Climate Record, theclimaterecord.org, retrieved [date] — every statement page has a permanent URL.

Questions about methodology: contact the editors via the submission form.