GB News accused of fuelling conspiracy theory net zero will kill 'half the population'

Jasmine Birtles spread misinformation about environmental measures on GB News (Picture: GB News)

GB News has been criticised for peddling a conspiracy theory that reducing carbon emissions will kill off half the population.

On Sunday’s The Neil Oliver Show, guest Jasmine Birtles falsely claimed that governments’ net-zero plans had a covert ‘depopulation’ agenda, aiming to wipe out 7.5billion people worldwide.

Presenter Neil Oliver, 57, did not challenge or correct her misinformation and instead called the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations members in 2025, ‘anti-human’.

Birtles’ harmful comments were made after a discussion about the predicted proliferation of lab-grown meat products, made from natural resources to help climate change.

On the topic of eco-friendly measures, Birtles said: ‘One of the co-founders of Greenpeace, Patrick Moore, he recently said that if we get to net zero half the population of the world will die. Now many will say that’s part of the point.

‘The agenda, the depopulation agenda, if it does exist, is to remove 7.5 billion people from the world.’

In response, Oliver said environmental pledges felt ‘anti-human’ because it ‘feels like people are being put into second and third place and it’s an unhappy direction of travel.’

The clip was shared by X account @StopFundingHeat which expressed shock that the GB News show fuelled a climate change conspiracy theory.

They captioned their post: ‘GB News ramping up the climate conspiracy rhetoric this evening – suggesting to viewers that if net zero policies are implemented “half of the population will die”, and that this may be “part of the point”, within something called “the depopulation agenda”…’

Oliver described the 2030 agenda as ‘anti-human’ (Picture: BBC)

In 2019, the UK signed a legally binding target to cut climate pollution to zero overall by 2050 to end the nation’s contribution to global warming.

Net zero means any emissions would be balanced by schemes to offset an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, such as planting trees or using technology like carbon capture and storage.

The measures have been designed to protect the planet and save human life.

If no action is taken to prevent climate change, experts predict there will be catastrophic consequences, including that parts of the UK could be underwater in less than three decades.

Since launching in 2021, GB News has faced more than 50 inquires from Ofcom, the media watchdog which ensures broadcasters adhere to its code of conduct on areas including impartiality.

It has been found to have been in breach 11 times, including when Ms McVey and Mr Davies interviewed Conservative MP and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt about the Budget in a pre-recorded programme, which aired on March 11 2023.

There are eight open investigations into GB News programmes currently.

Metro.co.uk has contacted GB News and Oliver for comment.

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