The growing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education offers both opportunities and challenges, particularly concerning the evaluation of the validity and reliability of AI-generated data. This study examines in-service primary and secondary teachers’ attitudes and skills in critically assessing textual information produced by freely accessible AI tools such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Gemini, with a specific focus on urban heatwaves as climate change-related issue. Employing a quantitative methodology, 279 teachers were surveyed using a questionnaire grounded in the CRAAP framework to assess their skills in evaluating AI-generated content. Findings reveal that some educators are concerned about students relying on AI tools for environmental research, worrying that such use may reinforce misconceptions, particularly in the context of socio-environmental issues such as urban heatwaves. Furthermore, several teachers reported difficulties in effectively assessing the validity and reliability of AI-generated information across all dimensions of the CRAAP framework. These findings highlight the need for targeted training programs to enhance teachers’ digital literacy and critical evaluation skills in the context of emerging AI technologies.