'Garbage!' CBS News gets called out for claiming airplane turbulence is caused by climate change
CBS News has been called out by Fox and mocked by social media users after claiming airplane turbulence is caused by . CBS published a line on Monday about what causes turbulence after on board a Hawaiian Airlines flight last Sunday. They quoted Taylor Garland, spokesperson for the Association of Flight Attendants, who claimed turbulence caused by severe weather is going to become more common due to climate change. Her comments triggered a barrage of responses on and blasted the claims on Tuesday - calling out for data to back them up. Dr. Nicole Saphier, a Fox News medical contributor, hit back at the Flight Attendants Association Union claims - and urged people to buckle up on flights. 'I don't think the spokesperson for the Flight Attendants Association Union should be the climate change czar. 'Turbulence happens all the time. It's happened since we've invented flying. And thankfully, it's actually gotten better because of the technology on the airplanes. 'I don't think that we should just chalk this up to climate change and I think maybe people should just, you know, wear a seatbelt.' Jimmy Failla, host of Fox Across America, questioned the data behind the claim that climate change will make incidents of extreme turbulence more common. 'The reason people fall for this garbage is because they want to sound empathetic and considerate. 'The only data we have to support climate change is that people are getting rich selling it to us, and none of the people making that money are adhering to any of the guidelines they're forcing on us,' Failla said. 'I want to become a climate activist just so that I can fly on private jets. That's the perk to me.' CBS News was mocked on Twitter with many criticizing the outlet for using the union's statement as evidence. One said, 'I spilled my coffee this morning... due to climate change' as others just simply said, 'That's called weather'. Tammy Bruce, a Fox News contributor, rounded off the debate on Outnumbered debate by taking a jab at organizations for turning issues like turbulence into a political issue. 'This is a union entity reinforcing a government-Democrat narrative', she said. 'As long as there's this malleable, kind of Play-Doh like issue that can become whatever they need it to become, there'll be more federal money distributed to unions, which work in all the industries that need it to help save people from climate change. 'So it's this vicious circle. It's typical. Shame on the flight attendants union,' she said. The topic was in the news after severe turbulence on a Hawaiian Airlines flight left 20 people needing hospital treatment including 11 who were seriously injured. Disturbing video footage has emerged showing the aftermath of the flight, showing passengers scrambling to secure luggage that had fallen from the overhead bins, as children can be heard wailing in the background. A flight attendant is heard making an appeal over the intercom: 'Ladies and gentlemen, attention onboard: do we have any trained medical personnel? Do we have any doctors, nurses, firefighters?' The flight from Phoenix to Honolulu on Sunday was carrying many people traveling for the holidays, and hit intense turbulence shortly before landing, sending passengers flying from their seats as the plane nosedived. In all, 36 people on board the plane received medical treatment for bumps, bruises, cuts and nausea.