9/28/23, 4:17 PM Study finds that media's climate crisis coverage sparks fear and favours avoidance - Science

;s climate crisis coverage sparks fear and favours avoidance - Science News

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Researchers said that most media coverage of the climate crisis only focuses on long-term projections or threats like glacier melting or
polar bears in danger, etc, and that "this type of narrative does not activate the mechanisms known from research on psychology that
might engage pro-environmental behaviours in readers" The Average IQ in India is 81. Check
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A study has revealed that the media's coverage of climate research is, to a large
extent, carried out in a way that doesn't provoke action. It claims that the media
coverage doesn't inspire the pro-environmental behaviours needed to address the
problem. The study has been published in the Global Environmental Change
scientific journal. For it, researchers analysed around 50,000 scientific
publications on climate change for the year 2020 and examined which ones made
it into the mainstream media.
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https://www.wionews.com/science/study-finds-that-medias-climate-crisis-coverage-sparks-fear-and-favours-avoidance-585451 1/3
9/28/23, 4:17 PM Study finds that media's climate crisis coverage sparks fear and favours avoidance - Science News

They found that the media tends to pick research within the natural science field.
There was also an evident focus on large-scale climate-based projections that
won't happen for many years, reports AFP.

Researchers warned that this approach could cause a "possible distancing

reaction on the part of the public."

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They said that most media coverage of the climate crisis only focuses on long-
term projections or threats like glacier melting or polar bears in danger, etc.

The study by a group of researchers at the University of Lausanne (UNIL)

specialising in geosciences and psychology claimed that "this type of narrative
does not activate the mechanisms known from research on psychology that might
engage pro-environmental behaviours in readers."

"On the contrary, the media's selective choice of certain elements of climate
change research could backfire, provoking denial and avoidance."

Co-author Marie-Elodie Perga, a professor at the UNIL Institute of Earth Surface

Dynamics, suggested that media should strive to "show that climate change has
direct consequences on our lifestyles, our immediate environment or our
finances".

Another study co-author, Fabrizio Butera, a UNIL psychology professor

warned that such coverage can be harmful and that "individuals exposed to these
facts, not feeling directly concerned by them, will tend towards a peripheral,
superficial and distracted treatment of the information."

"If the goal of mediating research is to have a societal impact, then it seems that
we are pushing all the buttons that don't work," said Perga.

Also read | Earth Day: 10 movies that will inspire you to take action on climate
change

Researchers have suggested that fear created by large-scale threats, such as

climate change, can lead the public to ignore the issue or seek out less worrying
information.

They suggested that in order to inspire action, the media should present
environmental issues in a "solution-oriented way" and strive to demonstrate how
climate change has direct consequences on our lifestyles, our immediate
environment, or our finances.

The researchers argued that fear can lead to behavioural change, but only if the
problem presented is accompanied by solutions. Research on human behaviour
has shown that people are more likely to take action when they believe there is a
way to mitigate the problem. Selective and purely descriptive articles that only
highlight the negative aspects of climate change can be counterproductive and
may result in people ignoring the problem altogether. Thus, they said it is essential
to emphasise potential solutions and inspire a sense of empowerment to address
the issue, rather than solely focusing on the negative impacts of climate change.

(With inputs from agencies)

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