But this murky world has a predator of its own – climate science deniers looking to take advantage of the questionable quality controls in return for getting their work published in what the publishers claim are “peer-reviewed journals” but that, in reality, are not.

One climate science denier has targeted at least six journals for his research claiming that sea levels around Fiji and other Pacific islands are not rising.

The author of the research, Dr Nils-Axel Mörner, has acknowledged that the work was paid for by the CO2 Coalition, a climate science denial group that has links to the US president Donald Trump’s administration (coalition member Kathleen Hartnett-White is Trump’s pick to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality and a director, Prof Will Happer, has been touted as a potential chief science adviser to the president).

According to Prof Kurt Lambeck, a geophysicist and sea level expert at the Australian National University, none of the research “would have passed the reviewing process for more reputable journals”.