Harald Lesch accepts the reality of global warming

In recent years, a video clip from ZDF Terra X featuring astrophysicist Harald Lesch has been circulating online, causing confusion about his stance on synthetic fuels and climate change. However, a closer look reveals that the video has been misleadingly edited, creating an impression of opinion changes that do not exist.

The clip, which was first shared on Instagram in 2020 and later spread to platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and another unnamed platform, focuses on three statements by Lesch regarding synthetic fuels, ice ages, and the climate crisis. These statements have been taken out of context, leading to a narrative that suggests Lesch contradicts himself and that the warming of the climate in an ice age is not that bad.

However, the main cause of climate change today is not natural factors like volcanic eruptions or changed solar radiation, but human activities. The video's apparent contradiction is due to a misinterpretation of Lesch's statements. In the original video, Lesch is explaining that we are currently in an ice age and that we are in an interglacial period within an overarching ice age. He also states that ice ages illustrate the instability of Earth's climate, with temperature changes of up to 14-15 degrees within ten years being an absolute catastrophe if it happened today.

At 13:02 in the original video, Lesch states that ice ages demonstrate the instability of Earth's climate, and at 20:32, he warns that we must not further heat the planet Earth, as it is currently experiencing a climate crisis due to greenhouse gas emissions. These statements are scientifically recognized and proven by numerous studies and IPCC reports.

Lesch's explanation is also scientifically recognized by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources. The climate has changed repeatedly in the past due to natural causes, but the current temperature increase is happening within a few decades, not hundreds or thousands of years as in the past.

It is essential to approach scientific information with caution and to verify its source before sharing it. The misleading narrative of the video compilation is due to its editing and the removal of context from Lesch's statements. Harald Lesch has not changed his opinion on climate change; he continues to emphasize the importance of addressing the climate crisis and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.