Media coverage of climate change: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 08:10, 8 April 2025

Revision as of 08:30, 8 April 2025

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Furthermore, media coverage of climate change (particularly in tabloid journalism but also more generally), is concentrated around extreme weather events and projections of catastrophe, creating "a language of imminent terror"<ref>{{cite book|last=Hulme|first=M|title=Why We Disagree About Climate Change|year=2009|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-72732-7|page=432}}</ref> which some commentators argue has instilled policy-paralysis and inhibited response. Moser et al. suggest using solution-orientated frames will help inspire action to solve climate change.<ref name="Moser & Dilling 2007">{{cite book|title=Creating a Climate for Change|last=Moser & Dilling|first=M., and L.|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-521-86923-2}}</ref> The predominance of catastrophe frames over solution frames<ref name="Boykoff2007">{{cite journal|last=Boykoff|first=M|author2=Boykoff, J|title=Climate Change and Journalistic Norms: A case study of US mass-media coverage|journal=[[Geoforum]]|date=November 2007|volume=38|issue=6|pages=1190–1204|doi=10.1016/j.geoforum.2007.01.008|url=http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/publications/downloads/boykoff07-geoforum.pdf|access-date=2015-09-04|archive-date=2011-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110125051051/http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/publications/downloads/boykoff07-geoforum.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> may help explain the apparent [[value-action gap]] with climate change; the current discursive setting has generated concern over climate change but not inspired action.

Breaking the prevailing notions in society requires discourse that is traditionally appropriate and approachable to common people. For example, Bill McKibben, an environmental activist, provides one approach to inspiring action: a war-like mobilization, where climate change is the enemy. This approach could resonate with working Americans who normally find themselves occupied with other news headlines.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=McKibben|first1=Bill|title=We Need to Literally Declare War on Climate Change|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/135684/declare-war-climate-change-mobilize-wwii|magazine=The New Republic|publisher=The New Republic|access-date=1 March 2018|archive-date=10 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610094752/https://newrepublic.com/article/135684/declare-war-climate-change-mobilize-wwii|url-status=live}}</ref> A study published in [[ScienceDirect]] found that the usage of military termes in climate policy is dangerous and can lead to unintended consequences.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kester |first1=Johannes |last2=K. Sovacool |first2=Benjamin |date=May 2017 |title=Torn between war and peace: Critiquing the use of war to mobilize peaceful climate action |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421517300368 |journal=Energy Policy |volume=104 |doi=10.1016/j.enpol.2017.01.026 |access-date=3 January 2025}}</ref> A study published in [[Nature (journal)]] found thar real wars humper climate change mitigation by several ways, and one of them is reducing the time media devotes to climate.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Block |first1=Katharina |last2=Li |first2=Mengyu |title=Geopolitical conflict impedes climate change mitigation |journal=Climate action |date=29 March 2025 |volume=4 |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s44168-025-00224-7 |access-date=4 April 2025}}</ref>

Compared to what experts know about traditional media's and tabloid journalism's impacts on the formation of public perceptions of climate change and willingness to act, there is comparatively little knowledge of the impacts of social media, including message platforms like Twitter, on public attitudes toward climate change.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Auer M.|title=The Potential of Microblogs for the Study of Public Perceptions of Climate Change|journal=WIREs Climate Change|date=2014| doi=10.1002/wcc.273|display-authors=etal|volume=5|issue=3|pages=291–296|bibcode=2014WIRCC...5..291A |s2cid=129809371 }}</ref>