Images shared on social media purport to show a German television channel changed the colors of its weather maps to exaggerate the effect of climate change. This is false; the images show different types of maps, one photo is doctored and a broad majority of scientists say climate change is making heatwaves more frequent and intense.

A July 17, 2022 Facebook post shows a series of weather maps from German television channels.

The top image, purportedly from 2009, shows a map of Germany in green with a sun over it and temperatures up to 36 degrees Celsius (97 Fahrenheit). The middle photo, labeled "2019," is red and shows temperatures up to 34C. The third image in the post shows a weather presenter in front of a backdrop of flames, with temperatures up to 32C.

"That's how manipulation works," the caption says.

German text under the photos says: "From weather reports to climate hysteria."

The post, which comes amid a severe heatwave in Europe, is the latest to misleadingly share weather maps to cast doubt on the credibility of climate change coverage. Social media users have also promoted old news reports to claim record temperatures in July 2022 were not unusual.

The top two images in the latest post come from the German news program "Tagesschau," while the bottom photo is doctored from a weather forecast by German broadcaster RTL. They show different kinds of reports -- and do not negate the scientific consensus on climate change's role in worsening heatwaves.

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