Human-induced global warming poses dire consequences for all living beings, including humans, as the planet continues to experience an upward trend in temperature. The media serves as a primary conduit for disseminating information regarding this critical issue to the masses.
However, the manner in which scientific journals and the media relay research findings on climate change warrants closer examination. To this end, a recent study conducted by the University of Lausanne delved into these questions, analyzing approximately 50,000 scientific publications on climate change from the year 2020 to ascertain the extent to which this vast body of research reached mainstream media.
Biased coverage
The findings of the study revealed a notable bias in the selection of research by the media, predominantly favoring the natural sciences. Moreover, the media’s focus appeared disproportionately fixated on large-scale climate projections pertaining to future occurrences, as well as a narrow range of specific threats such as polar bears, drought, and melting glaciers.
It is worth noting that this narrative fails to trigger the psychological mechanisms known to stimulate pro-environmental behaviors among readers, as elucidated in prior research.
On the contrary, the selective manner in which the media presents certain facets of climate change research may inadvertently lead to counterproductive outcomes, fostering denial and avoidance among its audience.
“The individuals exposed to these facts, not feeling directly concerned by them, will tend towards a peripheral, superficial and distracted treatment of the information,” the researchers explain. “Only a central, deep and attentive consideration will allow the public to transform what they know into mechanisms of action and commitment.”
The wrong approach
The authors explain that whereas fearful coverage can provoke action, it only generally does so when accompanied by solutions that can help people adequately adapt. If we’re only faced with the problem in the media, then we can prefer to bury our heads in the sand and ignore the problem to avoid the anxiety reading about it causes.
“The treatment of environmental issues in a transversal and solution-oriented way would be useful. It would show that climate change has direct consequences on our lifestyles, our immediate environment or our finances, for example,” the researchers explain.
It’s an approach that requires a shift in not only what the media reports but also on the research produced by institutions and published in journals, which often lean towards end-of-century studies.
“Instead, in France, for example, a group of journalists has drawn up a charter advocating the adaptation of media coverage of these issues, and calling for more cross-disciplinarity,” the researchers conclude.
