Written by on May 17, 2021

Climate is changing. Why aren’t why?

Media
It should be warm when it must be warm, and it should be cold when it must be cold. Let’s maintain this balance.
First picture: Tegernsee, Bayern (April). Second picture: Zugspitze, Bayern (January). 

Global warming, endangering of species, air pollution, plastic use, ocean contamination, natural disasters, drought… We are constantly bombarded with detailed articles, scientific papers, worrying news and heart-wrenching images of the consequences of climate change worldwide. It has become a rather uncomfortable habit finding such an alarming number of articles on climate change in the media, but it is even more tiring to see how the situation is not getting any better. 

Climate change is probably one of the greatest worries of our generation, which isn’t surprising at all, given all of the current climate protests, the environmental sensitivity taught at home and school, movements such as #FridaysForFuture and global mobilization of citizens advocating for change. But how is it that so many people around the world stand united and work towards the exact same goal? Why is there so much engagement and involvement in the fight for a sustainable (and possible) future? Well, among many other factors, the role of media in this regard is key.

Not only traditional media such as newspapers, the radio and magazines are powerful actors in moderating population’s behavior towards climate change, but also digital and online media, especially nowadays. Different types of communication channels serve as trustworthy and enriching sources of information about climate change, a topic which is very present in modern media because every single citizen is and will be affected by it. 

It goes without saying that some of the main purposes of mainstream media are to inform and spread data. Nonetheless, it is media’s role in generating sensibility about several issues and shaping public opinion which matters the most when it comes to climate change. The media’s constant report on climate-related catastrophes and events fosters the debate around climate change and motivates readers, watchers and users to start a meaningful conversation on the matter. Without going any further, media is a vital and dominant player whose impact on the population’s “environmental” behavior is undeniable. But how exactly does the media portray this specific global crisis, and how does its report on climate change affect public opinion? 

To answer this question, let us focus on a universal perspective first. Media coverage of climate change is crucial in shaping the stances and behaviors of people: it influences public opinion, generates involvement and engagement to mitigate its dangerous effects and simulating political action too. There are several studies and numeric data which help us visualize media’s increasing coverage on climate change even better. Since less than a since 2014, less than a decade ago, global media coverage on climate issues increased at an astonishing pace. The average daily number of climate change articles or posts related to the topic in 2019 was already 4.8 times higher than that back in 2014. Quite impressive, isn’t it? 

The media landscape in my home country, Spain, reflects just as perfectly how climate change has become such an important matter to be discussed. The number of articles or references to climate change and similar issues in the most read newspaper in Spain, El País, has increased significantly since the late seventies. Over 33 years (1976-2009), around 3.547 references to climate change could be found in the different issues of El País, but the most shocking thing is that only 15 mentions were made during the first decade. This proves how the critical climatic situation is much more present in the Spanish media now than before. The main focus of this same newspaper in 2017 was the “reduction of emissions”, a theme which was mentioned 819 times only in that same year. However, since the beginning of the pandemic in Spain, the coverage by Spanish media of climate change has decreased and has been overshadowed by the coronavirus. That doesn’t mean that the issue of climate change has completely vanished from the pages of Spanish traditional media, with topics such as heatwaves, droughts, melting poles and the rise of temperatures still occupying front pages and being mentioned countless times.

The Spanish media (especially newspapers, the main television and radio channels) also report on these phenomena and inform the audience about the different initiatives promoted by citizens and other organizations to combat its effects. Moreover, Spanish media keep trying to connect climate change with extreme weather events so as to make the civilians understand the problem and motivate them to be part of the solution. By trying to mobilize not only the youth, who have already proved to be quite engaged in the battle against climate change (little hint: #FridaysForFuture), but also the majority of the audience, media in general prove once again how good of an ally they are in this fight.

We must bear in mind that, although the role of media is much more than necessary in spreading awareness, informing and motivating the population to take action to stop climate change, it is not the only one responsible for that. In fact, we are. Because if we ourselves don’t change our attitude and modify our behavior to solve the problem, then who will?

Bibliography (sources of information):

The news media have a critical role to play in educating the public about climate change

Amy Goodman