If Exxon Mobil ran Boston media, would we notice any difference in coverage of climate crisis-worsened extreme weather? So far, Boston media outlets are once again failing to connect the dots from this week’s forecast record-breaking heat to our global carbon pollution-fueled fever.
When it comes to long-term coverage on how global warming is hurting our region, that’s not at all true – environmental reporters for outlets like the Boston Globe and WBUR do excellent work covering developments in global climate science. But when it comes to the climate crisis breaking heat records, local print and broadcast meteorologists and daily news reporters consistently fail to connect the dots to climate science.
Boston media ignored global warming’s influence during February 2018’s record winter warmth, and then again during August 2018’s record-breaking heat wave.
And this morning, it’s happened again. In fact, some outlets are failing twice! Both the Boston Globe and WHDH-TV ignored global warming in their news story (Globe, WHDH) AND in their weather blog (Globe, WHDH).
The rest of the coverage, all totally silent on climate:
- Boston Herald
- WBUR
- WCVB-TV (ABC 5)
- WBZ-TV (CBS 4)
- WFXT-TV (Fox 25)
- Providence Journal
- Worcester Telegram
If you see or hear any articles or coverage that DO mention global warming’s influence, please post them in comments.
Connecting the dots from record heat waves to global warming isn’t hard! It’s about as simple and direct as climate harms get. Here are some of the many national outlets that got it right:
It remains to be seen how many records fall due to this heat wave being up against the insane 1911 Northeast heat wave. That Wikipedia entry is a good read if you want to know just how awful heat waves were before air conditioning (and before ceiling fans and swimming pools became affordable/widespread).
No mention of climate change in the weather reports on NECN (NBC-10) or WHDH.
It is disappointing. If these on-air personalities are able to nag us about staying hydrated and checking tire pressures, I think it’s not asking too much to expect them to remind us that extreme heat events like this are a predicted consequence of anthropogenic climate change.
I for one don’t expect an in-depth analysis of the whys and wherefores in a five-minute weather report designed to give you the information you need to plan the next few hours or days.
I encourage everyone to watch how many different ways & graphics they come up with to say “it’s hot” over the course of a 3 minute forecast & decide if 3 minutes is a cramped time frame or if they are desperate to find ways to stretch that long
No in-depth analysis is required. It takes no longer to say “Extreme heat like this is a predicted consequence of global warming” than it does to say “Be sure to keep yourself out of the sun and well-hydrated”.
Similarly, the idle (and totally scripted) chit-chat leading into a weather segment could certainly include an exchange like:
Anchor: Is a heat wave like this caused by global warming?
Meteorologist: We don’t know, but we do know that heat waves like this were predicted in the national and international reports.