DoubleChecks

What was claimed

The world's biggest companies have caused $28 trillion in climate damage, a new study estimates

Our verdict

Accurate

Dartmouth and CBS report a new peer-reviewed Nature study with this estimate.

Combined assessment15 sourcesChecked Aug 30, 2026

Why this verdict

  • "The world's biggest companies have caused $28 trillion in climate damage, a new study estimates"

    Verified
    Two assessments reached this conclusion; one differed·Perplexity: Misleading

  • A new study estimates this amount.

    Verified
    All assessments reached this conclusion

Evidence reviewed

15 sources

Perplexity and Claude sources are combined here. No source links were stored for ChatGPT.

cbsnews.comecowatch.comthedartmouth.comcommondreams.orgdailymail.co.ukhome.dartmouth.edureddit.comatmos.earthncei.noaa.govsej.org

Individual assessments

Assessment summary

  • The claim is supported by multiple current sources, including Dartmouth’s own summary and coverage in CBS News and other outlets.
  • The study found that 111 fossil fuel companies caused about $28 trillion in climate-related heat damage from 1991 to 2020, so the core statement is accurate.
  • The wording "world's biggest companies" is a simplification, since the study focuses on major fossil fuel companies rather than all large companies.

Claims reviewed

The world's biggest companies have caused $28 trillion in climate damage.

Misleading
The $28 trillion figure is supported, but the study is about 111 major fossil fuel companies, not the world's biggest companies in general. The wording overbroadly generalizes the scope.

This claim may mislead readers without added context.

A new study estimates this amount.

Verified
Dartmouth and CBS report a new peer-reviewed Nature study with this estimate.

Assessment summary

  • A Dartmouth College research team estimated that the world's biggest corporations have caused $28 trillion in climate damage, based on analysis of 111 companies with more than half coming from 10 fossil fuel providers.
  • The claim accurately reflects this published study.

Claims reviewed

The world's biggest companies have caused $28 trillion in climate damage

Verified
Multiple credible sources confirm a Dartmouth College study published in Nature (April 2025) estimated exactly $28 trillion in climate damage from 111 major companies. This is a direct, accurate representation of the study's findings.

A new study estimates this figure

Verified
The study was published in Nature in April 2025, making it recent and new at the time of reporting. Multiple sources confirm this is a newly published study.

Assessment summary

  • Multiple reputable outlets and the peer‑reviewed study from Dartmouth report the same figure.
  • The study estimates about $28 trillion in heat‑related economic damages tied to emissions from 111 major fossil fuel companies (1991–2020).

Claims reviewed

"The world's biggest companies have caused $28 trillion in climate damage, a new study estimates"

Verified
A Dartmouth College study published in Nature estimates roughly $28 trillion in heat‑related economic damages attributable to emissions from 111 major fossil fuel companies (covering 1991–2020), and this phrasing matches media coverage of that research.

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