Global news coverage of climate change falls for fourth straight year

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🗞️ Driving the news: Global media coverage of climate change declined for the fourth consecutive year in 2025, falling 14% from 2024 and 38% from its 2021 peak, according to an analysis by the Media and Climate Change Observatory at the University of Colorado

🔭 The context: Researchers attribute the drop to newsroom layoffs, consolidation across media companies, and intense competition for attention from other major political and economic stories
• Climate reporting cuts in the U.S., including layoffs at major outlets, have further reduced the volume of coverage globally

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Reduced media coverage risks weakening public awareness and political urgency around climate change at a time when global emissions continue to rise and temperatures approach dangerous thresholds
• Scientists warn that declining attention could slow policy action needed to prevent climate tipping points such as Amazon rainforest dieback or disruptions to Atlantic Ocean circulation

⏭️ What’s next: Researchers warn the trend could worsen if financial pressures continue to shrink climate journalism
• Experts say expanding independent climate reporting and public-interest media will be crucial to maintaining visibility of climate risks and solutions

💬 One quote: “When the media fail to cover these pressing climate issues abundantly and accurately, people may not recognize how climate change shapes their daily lives.” — Max Boykoff, University of Colorado

📈 One stat: Global climate news coverage is down 38% since 2021, even as fossil-fuel emissions reached record highs in each of the past four years

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