Print coverage of climate wanes, while online coverage is on rise

This graphic depicts a significant drop in Canadian news coverage of climate change since 2007.

According to Andrew Weaver, a leading Canadian climate researcher, the numbers aren't any better in the United States. He explains that the release of the 4th Assessment report of the IPCC and Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth spawned a great deal of public engagements in Canada and the U.S. in 2007. But since then, coverage has steadily diminished due, in part, to aggressive efforts to discredit the science.

Weaver is one of the experts cited in this recent article by Toronto Star feature writer Antonia Zerbisias. Zerbisias points out that while traditional media's interest in climate change is on the decline, the Internet is arguably what has kept the issue on the radar. She bases her assessment on Maxwell Boycoff's latest book, Who Speaks for the Climate? Making sense of media reporting on climate change. Boycoff makes the case, among other things, that online news coverage is steadily on the rise.

This YouTube video features a seminar Boycoff gave on the book at Oxford in July of 2011.

Goodbye Kyoto

Environment Minister Peter Kent returned from Durban Monday and immediately announced Canada's plan to formally withdraw from the Kyoto accord.

Kent blamed an 'incompetent Liberal government' for signing the accord. He claimed the decision would save the government 'an estimated 14 billion in penalties', suggesting there was no choice given Canada's economic situation. Critics responded arguing Kyoto contains no mechanisms that would oblige the government to make such payments. Others stressed the act adds further insult to injury when it comes to Canada's international reputation. On twitter hashtags #climate, #Canada, #Kyoto and #Durban lit up with reactions to the announcement.

Reports on Kent's announcement in the Toronto Star and the Globe & Mail produced a late spike in coverage of COP17. The surge contrasted with material from Durban that was comparatively sparse.

Update
Kyoto withdrawal provokes outrage with Green Party Leader Elizabeth May accusing the Harper government of breaking the law.

More than nothing

Fifteen lines about climate. That much media space was given to the topic by Moskovsky Komsomolets, the most popular Russian daily, on 12 Dec. following the end of COP17. And that was the only climate story in the newspaper during the period of three weeks. It came as little surprise, as the country’s news agenda has been flooded by coverage of parliamentary elections and subsequent civil protests against numerous falsifications. It is hard to believe, though, that at any other moment the climate-based mainstream coverage could be more significant in contemporary Russia. It is still the world’s coldest country heavily dependent on gas-and-oil exports and socially passive to environmental issues.

A news piece from Moskovsky Komsomolets and the full page

Kumi Naidoo says Mind Your Lanugage!

At the People’s Space at University Kwazulu-Natal on Tuesday Kumi Naidoo, international director of Greenpeace, talked to a small but lucky audience.  In response to a question about the communicating climate change, he said that there are too many policy wonks in climate debate. He went on to make three points that are not new but well worth re-articulating in the context of COP17.

Climate change is difficult to point to in a concrete and powerful way. It is a constant challenge to find visible evidence that would speak in itself.  When we are talking about human rights issues you can show the scars of the victims. But capturing a complex and abstract thing like climate change is more difficult. Not impossible, but difficult.

"There are too many policy wonks in the climate discussion," Naidoo said. This is so also on the side those who want to see policies changed. They too tend to speak most often to speak among themselves. They speak in a language that does not resonate with people’s experience.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the the polluting industries have also polluted many democracies. There is a disproportional amount of corporate money poured into misinformation.  

Tackling the theme of the Durban Peoples Space, Naidoo said that while he appreciated the attempt to frame climate and environmental politics in a social way, more work on alternative and more effective vocaburies is needed. 

"We need to link climate to issues such as peace or security. That is the language that national politicians and business leaders understand. These are the issues they think about -- constantly." 

Boulder Conference

Conference Call for Papers

The International Conference on

Culture, Politics, and Climate Change

September 13-15, 2012

Boulder, Colorado USA

Deadline for abstracts: January 10, 2012

This cross-disciplinary conference will explore intersections between culture, politics, and science in order to enhance our understanding of public policy addressing climate change. The conference will interrogate the many obstacles and opportunities confronting U.S. climate policymakers and scientists. Presenters will be asked to broadly consider how climate change is communicated and how these processes intersect with ongoing cultural and political issues. While we will focus on climate change, authors are encouraged to draw lessons that can be applied to a variety of environmental contexts. Comparative papers and panels that explore similarities and differences between culture, politics, and climate policy in the U.S. and other countries are encouraged.

Discussions about climate change, policy, and science arise in a variety of cultural settings. Questions of how and whether to address climate change on a national and global scale are significant parts of political and cultural discourse. How policy is made, the role of state and non-state actors, the communication of science and values, and how meaning is derived from our shared culture are all questions that directly influence policy outcomes. In the context of U.S. national elections and ongoing international climate negotiations, these considerations are especially relevant. This conference will address these questions in the context of the 2012 elections, the COP-18 climate talks, and other cultural developments.

Keynote speakers will include:

Raymond Bradley, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Mike Hulme, University of East Anglia, UK

Papers and panels on climate change may address, but should not be limited to questions about:

●  Communication of science         ●  Media and environmental policy

●  Social movements/activism       ●  Political communication of climate change

●  Mediated representation                        ●  Non-state actors in climate politics and communication

●  Journalism studies                   ●  Visual culture

●  Consumer culture studies          ●  Spiritualities of globalization

●  Religions and the environment   ●  Documentary/feature film

●  Environmental ethics                ●  Philosophy of science

Culture, Politics, and Climate Change is a conference of the Center for Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder. For more information, contact:

Deserai A. Crow, Associate Director, Center for Environmental Journalism

www.climateculturepolitics.org    

This conference is co-sponsored by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Colorado Boulder, Advertising a2b, the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), and the CU Environmental Center.

Mudslides in Durban

While politicians are disagreeing inside COP17, people are experiencing the reality of climate crisis in Durban. Here's a story on the horrible mudslides that wrecked scores of homes a few days ago here. (posted on behalf of Elisabeth Eide)

Hello from Durban!

Reporter riding along on top of a police vehicle at the Global Day of Action March

We're Here in Durban for COP 17, gathering information about how the event is being covered and how groups here communicate their message to the world. This is no small feat given that when I say "media" we mean mainstream and alternative, on- and off-line. And when I say "we," I mean we the members of the MediaClimate Network, coming from 18 countries.


Tomorrow we'll be at the counter gathering, aka The People's Space, at the University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal, Shepstone 16, 2pm/14:00 to have a discussion about the role of the media in social movements. If you happen to be here in Durban, please come join us!