Claim: Spain’s environment minister flew to the climate conference by private jet before cycling for photos
A July 11 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) has a video of the Spanish Minister of Ecological Transformation Teresa Ribera cycling to a European Union climate policy meeting.
“Spanish minister attending climate conference stepped out of limo 100 meters before arriving to pretend to cycle there,” the post reads. The post caption adds, “She also traveled most of the way by private jet.
The post attracted more than 3,000 shares in a week. Other versions of the post continue to circulate ABOVE Instagram, Twitter And telegraphy.
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Our rating: False
The Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenges has repeatedly stated on social media that Ribera did not travel by commercial or private jet to the meeting of the EU Environment and Energy Ministers in Valladolid, Spain.
Spanish government says Ribera didn’t fly to climate meeting
ABOVE July 10Ribera attends informal meeting along with several other Spanish government officials.
Ribera is photographed riding a rent a bicycle to the meeting, shared quickly by both newspapers and the Spanish Eco-Converter Official Twitter account.
The ministry said the claim that Ribera traveled to Valladolid by commercial or private jet was “falsa noticia” in the a post on Twitter.
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Some posts include screenshots of a Flight map for one of the Spanish government’s private planes flew from Torrejon de Ardoz, east of Madrid, to Valladolid.
But the original photo of Ribera riding a bike was shared by the Spanish Eco-Converter Official Twitter account before that plane departed, let alone reached Valladolid, according to flight log used in the article.
One of the accounts that posted the flight map was clearly labeled as satire in username and profile.
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Main story And France 24 also denied this claim.
Our fact-checking source:
- Biki, accessed July 19 home page
- Council of the European Union, July 10-12 Informal meeting of the Minister of Environment and Energy – July 2023
- La Moncloa, accessed July 19 Teresa Ribera RodrÃguez
- The Spanish President of the Council of the European Union, 11 July EU environment ministers debate biodiversity and climate change in Valladolid
- Spanish Eco-Transformer, July 10 Twitter posts
- Spanish Eco-Transformer, July 10 Twitter posts
- Reuters, July 17 Spain elections: Bike lanes, low-emissions zones on target in right-wing cities
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