Fire and Climate: Connecting the Dots in British Columbia News Media

2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Earle ◽  
Shane Gunster
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
News Media ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Changement Climatique ◽  
The Public ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Connecting The Dots ◽  
Climate Crisis

Background: Extreme weather events are intensifying with climate change, offering opportunities to raise the public urgency of this issue. The media’s role in communicating this connection is crucial.  Analysis: This article analyzes media coverage of wildfires over a nine-year period in British Columbia focusing on how they are linked to climate change, in particular, during the 2017 and 2018 record-breaking fire seasons.  Conclusion and implications: In media coverage in British Columbia, there is a marked absence of a link between climate change and wildfires and a tendency for connections to be tokenistic, decontextualized, and normalizing. More provocative narratives developed by various public figures that locate wildfires within broader narratives of climate crisis offer more compelling accounts. Contexte : À cause du changement climatique, les événements climatiques extrêmes sont en train de devenir plus intenses. Dans les circonstances, il devient pertinent de soulever l’urgence publique de cet enjeu, et les médias pourraient jouer un rôle crucial pour le communiquer. Analyse : Cet article analyse la couverture médiatique de feux de forêt sur une période de neuf ans en Colombie-Britannique, particulièrement durant les saisons des feux de 2017 et 2018 qui ont battu tous les records. L’article met l’accent sur comment ces incendies sont reliés au changement climatique. Conclusions et implications : Dans la couverture médiatique en Colombie-Britannique, on néglige de montrer les liens qui existent entre le changement climatique et les feux de forêt. Toute connexion établie tend à être superficielle, décontextualisée et normalisée. En revanche, diverses personnalités publiques ont incorporé les feux de forêt dans des narrations englobant l’idée de crise climatique, offrant ainsi une perspective plus intéressante, voire provocatrice.

scholarly journals Et tabt årti? Dansk klimadækning siden COP15

Politik ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikkel Fugl Eskjær
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
News Media ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Sharp Drop ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Climate Crisis

Danish media coverage of climate change peaked in 2009 when Denmark hosted COP15. Like most other countries Denmark experienced a sharp drop in climate change reporting following the failure of COP15. It is only within recent years that Danish climate change agenda is showing signs of regaining some of its former strength. What can we learn from ten years of climate change reporting in Danish media? How is the climate crisis communicated in the public sphere? How much attention is payed to the climate change agenda and who gets to speak about the climate? The present investigation looks at ten years of Danish climate change reporting across different news media and media platforms, focusing on the development of the media’s climate change agenda and the sources that dominates climate change reporting.

scholarly journals Weather Literacy in Times of Climate Change

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine Fleischhut ◽  
Stefan M. Herzog ◽  
Ralph Hertwig
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
The Public ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
The Future ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Weather Risks

AbstractAs climate change unfolds, extreme weather events are on the rise worldwide. According to experts, extreme weather risks already outrank those of terrorism and migration in likelihood and impact. But how well does the public understand weather risks and forecast uncertainty and thus grasp the amplified weather risks that climate change poses for the future? In a nationally representative survey (N = 1004; Germany), we tested the public’s weather literacy and awareness of climate change using 62 factual questions. Many respondents misjudged important weather risks (e.g., they were unaware that UV radiation can be higher under patchy cloud cover than on a cloudless day) and struggled to connect weather conditions to their impacts (e.g., they overestimated the distance to a thunderstorm). Most misinterpreted a probabilistic forecast deterministically, yet they strongly underestimated the uncertainty of deterministic forecasts. Respondents with higher weather literacy obtained weather information more often and spent more time outside but were not more educated. Those better informed about climate change were only slightly more weather literate. Overall, the public does not seem well equipped to anticipate weather risks in the here and now and may thus also fail to fully grasp what climate change implies for the future. These deficits in weather literacy highlight the need for impact forecasts that translate what the weather may be into what the weather may do and for transparent communication of uncertainty to the public. Boosting weather literacy may help to improve the public’s understanding of weather and climate change risks, thereby fostering informed decisions and mitigation support.

Lay Detection of Unusual Patterns in the Frequency of Hurricanes

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 597-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Dryden ◽  
M. Granger Morgan ◽  
Stephen Broomell
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Signal Detection Theory ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
The Public ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Hurricane Season ◽  
Future Work

AbstractAn increase in the severity of extreme weather is arguably one of the most important consequences of climate change with immediate and potentially devastating impacts. Recent events, like Hurricane Harvey, stimulated public discourse surrounding the role of climate change in amplifying, or otherwise modifying, the patterns of such events. Within the scientific community, recent years have witnessed considerable progress on “climate attribution”—the use of statistical techniques to assess the probability that climate change is influencing the character of some extreme weather events. Using a novel application of signal detection theory, this article assesses when, and to what extent, laypeople attribute changes in hurricanes to climate change and whether and how certain characteristics predict this decision. The results show that people attribute hurricanes to climate change based on their preexisting climate beliefs and numeracy. Respondents who were more dubious about the existence of climate change (and more numerate) required a greater degree of evidence (i.e., a more extreme world) before they were willing to suggest that an unusual hurricane season might be influenced by climate change. However, those who have doubts were still willing to make these attributions when hurricane behavior becomes sufficiently extreme. In general, members of the public who hold different prior views about climate change are not in complete disagreement about the evidence they perceive, which leaves the possibility for future work to explore ways to bring such judgments back into alignment.

scholarly journals Media Representation of Extreme Event Attribution: A Case Study of the 2011–17 California Drought

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 847-862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Osaka ◽  
James Painter ◽  
Peter Walton ◽  
Abby Halperin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Extreme Event ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Media Representation ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Event Attribution ◽  
The Media

AbstractExtreme event attribution (EEA) is a relatively new branch of climate science combining weather observations and modeling to assess and quantify whether and to what extent anthropogenic climate change altered extreme weather events (such as heat waves, droughts, and floods). Such weather events are frequently depicted in the media, which enhances the potential of EEA coverage to serve as a tool to communicate on-the-ground climate impacts to the general public. However, few academic papers have systematically analyzed EEA’s media representation. This paper helps to fill this literature gap through a comprehensive analysis of media coverage of the 2011–17 California drought, with specific attention to the types of attribution and uncertainty represented. Results from an analysis of five U.S. media outlets between 2014 and 2015 indicate that the connection between the drought and climate change was covered widely in both local and national news. However, legitimate differences in the methods underpinning the attribution studies performed by different researchers often resulted in a frame of scientific uncertainty or disagreement in the media coverage. While this case study shows substantial media interest in attribution science, it also raises important challenges for scientists and others communicating the results of multiple attribution studies via the media.

Climate Change Communication in Ireland

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmet Fox ◽  
Henrike Rau
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Ecological Modernization ◽  
Climate Change Communication ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Change Communication ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Weather Events

Climate change communication research in Ireland has only recently emerged as a distinct field of inquiry. Research to date reveals the marginalization of climate change in the mainstream media, which is further amplified by its segregation from closely related topics of major public concern in Ireland such as extreme weather events, flooding, energy resources, or economic recovery. Content analyses of media coverage from the late 1990s until today show the coexistence of different narratives, with ecological modernization emerging as an increasingly dominant discourse that is supported by powerful actors in Irish society. In contrast, more radical and alternative perspectives on the subject of climate change, including those associated with class-centered and growth-sceptic views of society and economic development, remain largely absent. Efforts to date by key public figures, environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs), and environmentalists to promote a more nuanced and citizen-centered climate change debate have concentrated on both traditional and nontraditional news outlets in an attempt to reach diverse audiences. Conventional media such as the national broadcaster RTÉ or the broadsheet newspaper The Irish Times nevertheless continue to fundamentally shape public debate in Ireland, making their future involvement in nuanced and balanced climate change debates central to any effort to shift thinking, policy, and action.

scholarly journals Is it climate change? Coverage by online news sites of the 2019 European summer heatwaves in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK

2021 ◽  
Vol 169 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Painter ◽  
Joshua Ettinger ◽  
Marie-Noëlle Doutreix ◽  
Nadine Strauß ◽  
Anke Wonneberger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Extreme Event ◽  
Online News ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
News Websites ◽  
The Uk

AbstractIn 2019, several countries across Western Europe experienced record-breaking temperatures and heatwaves which, in some cases, reached temperatures of over 40 °C for three to four consecutive days during June and July. Extreme event attribution (EEA) studies show that anthropogenic climate change increased the likelihood of these events by at least three to ten times (with different results for different countries), and increased the temperature by 1.2 to 3.0 °C. The heatwaves resulted in more than 2500 deaths. Based on a content analysis of 267 articles taken from 20 of the most visited online news websites in four of the countries most affected by the heatwaves (France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK), we find strong variations between countries and media outlets in how much attention journalists pay to links between climate change and the heatwaves (the UK media the most, and politically left-leaning titles more than right-leaning ones); many different types of statements depicting the link but in general, the presence of accurate, science-based descriptions; a strong presence of EEA studies in the coverage; and more quotes from climate scientists than politicians and NGOs, with a minimal presence of climate change skeptics. These results contribute to our understanding of media coverage around extreme weather events in different countries and media outlets, and how such events might serve as opportunities for public engagement with climate change.

Elite News Coverage of Climate Change

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxwell Boykoff ◽  
Gesa Luedecke
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
News Media ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Public Sphere

During the past three decades, elite news media have become influential translators of climate change linking science, policy, and the citizenry. Historical trends in public discourse—shaped in significant part by elite media—demonstrate news media’s critical role in shaping public perception and the level of concern towards climate change. Media representations of climate change and global warming are embedded in social, cultural, political, and economic dimensions that influence individual-level processes such as everyday journalistic practices. Media have a strong influence on policy decision-making, attitudes, perspectives, intentions, and behavioral change, but those connections can be challenging to pinpoint; consequently, examinations of elite news coverage of climate change, particularly in recent decades, have sought to gain a stronger understanding of these complex and dynamic webs of interactions. In so doing, research has more effectively traced how media have taken on varied roles in the climate change debate, from watch dogs to lap dogs to guard dogs in the public sphere. Within these areas of research, psychological aspects of media influence have been relatively underemphasized. However, interdisciplinary and problem-focused research investigations of elite media coverage stand to advance considerations of public awareness, discourse, and engagement. Elite news media critically contribute to public discourse and policy priorities through their “mediating” and interpretative influences. Therefore, a review of examinations of these dynamics illuminate the bridging role of elite news coverage of climate change between formal science and policy, and everyday citizens in the public sphere.

scholarly journals Extreme Weather Events and Mental Health: Tackling the Psychosocial Challenge

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyotsana Shukla
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Public Mental Health ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
The Public ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
The Social ◽  
Public Health Challenge

Climate change is an emerging challenge to the mental health of entire humanity. Several studies, in recent times, have brought to light the adverse public mental health outcomes of extreme weather events for the suffering communities. The general public and the policy making bodies need to gain awareness about these impacts. Through such awareness, communities and their governments can institutionalize mechanisms to provide psychological support to the populations affected by climate change, before it becomes a massive public health challenge and starts affecting the social and vocational lives of people. There is an urgent need for addressing these impacts. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the deleterious effects of climate change related extreme weather events on mental health, the worldwide response of several communities to such events, and preparedness of the public and government to deal with these adverse mental health impacts. Policy imperatives to prevent and mitigate these impacts have been suggested. It is hoped that the psychologists, governments, and communities will act earnestly to prevent the impending harm to human mental health due to climate change.

scholarly journals Are we Already in a Climate Crisis?

2019 ◽  
pp. 25-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuok Ho Daniel Tang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Tipping Points ◽  
Current State ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
The Media ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Climate Crisis

Global warming, melting of the permafrost, glaciers and sea ice, rising sea level as well as ocean warming and acidification have resulted in degradation of ecosystems and increased occurrences of extreme weather events which threaten the social and economic systems. The media and scholarly articles have interpreted these dire consequences of climate change as a climate crisis intimidating the survival of human and other inhabitants on Earth. This mini review aims to examine the concept of climate crisis and establish whether the current state of climate change fits the definition of climate crisis. There is generally a lack of consensus on what a climate crisis is and a plausible notion presents it as a state of climate change beyond the tipping points. This brings tipping points into determining whether we are in a climate crisis and this review finds that the only tipping point surpassed with high probability is that for melting permafrost, glaciers and sea ice. It is particularly challenging to locate the tipping points in a complex Earth system with high geographical, ecological and environmental variability. This review concludes that we are yet to be in a climate crisis but synergistic impacts of environmental degradation could usher in a climate crisis faster than we think. Keywords: Climate change; Crisis; Blobal warming; Melting; Ocean; Rainforest

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