Bizarre Climate Change Misinformation From Joe Rogan’s Podcast Goes VIral on TikTok

Seven Joe Rogan clips and related videos promoting a spurious global warming theory about a shift in Earth’s magnetic fields and its catastrophic effects have accumulated more than 20 million views on TikTok.

The TikTok videos are from a Joe Rogan Experience podcast episode, where Rogan’s guests made statements regarding the so-called “Adam and Eve” theory, which reportedly contradicts the mainstream scientific view.

According to a report about the climate change conspiracy theory by the nonprofit organization Media Matters for America, the videos promoting misinformation have gone viral on TikTok, amassing more than 20 million views.

The videos are an example of how easily misinformation can be plucked out and dispersed widely on social media platforms.

“It’s just unfortunate that these things are being put out there,” Martin Mlynczak, a senior research scientist at the NASA Langley Research Center, told The Verge in an interview. He added:

“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. And there’s no proof and no science and no physics behind any of the claims about the magnetic field change being associated with climate change.”

What is this Adam and Eve Climate Change Conspiracy Theory?

The Adam and Eve theory, as discussed by YouTuber Jimmy Corsetti on Rogan’s podcast, claims that Earth flips roughly every 6,500 years, which would be a 90-degree flip causing catastrophic effects across the planet.

“It’s a 90-degree flip, but six days later, or on the seventh day, it corrects itself,” Corsetti told Rogan. “Because of it, the Earth essentially does a standstill — the sun will basically stay in the same spot, causing heating like we’ve never experienced,” he added.

However, the theory lacks viable evidence, and there is no science or physics behind the claims that magnetic field change is associated with climate change.

Earth’s magnetic poles are shifting, but not in the way that Corsetti and Rogan discussed. The magnetic field is generated by the flowing molten iron found in the Earth’s core.

Earth’s magnetic field is in constant flux, and our planet’s magnetic north pole is moving towards the Siberian Arctic from Arctic Canada. In fact, earth’s magnetic poles have even reversed 183 times over the last 83 million years as paleomagnetic records show.

However, in a pole reversal, Earth’s magnetic field gradually weakens and then grows in strength in the opposite orientation, a process that takes place very slowly, likely spanning over a couple of thousand years.

The idea of such a reversal happening so suddenly is patently absurd as it would require the alignment of most of the molten iron atoms in the core of the planet to suddenly reverse their alignment.

These iron atoms slowly realign in waves and patches, but there’s no evidence to support that so many can flip at once.

Where Does the Adam and Eve Theory Originate From If Not From Joe Rogan?

The Adam and Eve theory originated from a 1965 book by Chan Thomas, written before climate science had been widely researched.

The book caused a stir in conspiracy theory circles after the CIA declassified it in 2013.

The theory today frames natural forces as the sole cause of climate change, proliferating the idea that the burning of fossil fuels isn’t as significant as other threats to the climate.

This, of course, is inordinately dangerous as man-made emissions are the leading cause of climate change and scientists agree that they must be addressed immediately to avoid calamity.

Addressing the videos, Corsetti claimed that the TikTok videos took some of his statements out of context.

“Remember that the different TikTok clips are edited parts of my talk on the Joe Rogan Podcast where I explain the difference between the ‘mainstream scientific view’ of Pole Shifts and the ‘Adam & Eve Story’ — which is definitely not seen as accepted science,” he reportedly stated.

Meanwhile, the popularity of the videos shows how easy it is to spread false information on platforms such as TikTok through emotive short-form videos.

While TikTok has recently announced plans to “ramp up enforcement” of climate change misinformation, the recent videos suggest the social media platform is failing to enforce its own policies.