A March 1 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) features side-by-side pictures of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a brown cow.
“Bill Gates and AOC are now claiming that a cow emits more pollution than a car,” reads the text in the post.
The meme garnered more than 300 likes in four days. Other versions of the claim have circulated on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for over two years.
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There’s no evidence that either Gates or Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, made this statement, or one like it. Both Gates and Ocasio-Cortez have, however, spoken about the effects of agriculture on climate change.
The social media user who made the March 1 post told USA TODAY the meme is satirical, although it was presented as a factual claim online and has been widely shared as a factual statement for years.
Gates, the billionaire Microsoft founder, has not said a single cow produces a greater amount of emissions than a car, according to a statement provided by Gates’ office.
No credible media outlets have reported Gates or Ocasio-Cortez said anything of the sort.
And no such statement appears in any of Gates' press releases, blog posts or social media accounts.
Foley partner Lisa Noller, Chair of the Firm’s Litigation Department, will be speaking at the American Bar Association’s Qui Tam & Civil False Claims and Healthcare Fraud Institute in Washingt...