By Jackline Mwende
The media plays a crucial role in shaping public understanding, attitudes, perceptions, and responses to climate change.
It also influences how people engage with climate issues, the urgency they feel, and the actions they take.
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Media also influences how the urgency of climate change is perceived, the solutions available, and the responsibility of governments, businesses, and individuals.
While climate change can occur naturally due to factors like volcanic eruptions and solar cycles, human activities like the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas)—have significantly accelerated it by increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
The causes of climate change are diverse and include but not limited to; greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) that trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to global warming.
The effects caused by climate change include rising temperatures that cause global temperatures to increase by over 1°C since pre-industrial times.
They include extreme weather whereby there are more frequent and intense hurricanes, heat waves, wildfires, and floods, as well as melting ice caps and rising sea levels which leads to coastal erosion, flooding, and habitat loss.
Also, ocean acidification occurs whereby carbon dioxide absorption makes oceans more acidic, threatening marine life.
Media plays a significant role in creating climate change awareness through informing the public via news outlets, documentaries, and social media which provide essential information about climate science, impacts, and solutions.
Secondly, the media frames the narrative about climate change and creates awareness through highlighting climate events.
This is done through coverage of extreme weather events, wildfires, and rising temperatures which often serves as a wake-up call for audiences.
How media reports on climate change play a key role in creating positive impacts in diverse ways like; by focusing on solutions, not just problems – through highlighting renewable energy projects, climate policies, and innovative technologies can inspire action.
Media should continually hold governments and corporations accountable through investigative journalism which exposes environmental misconduct, policy failures, and corporate green washing.
Media makes science accessible by using clear languages, visuals, and storytelling instead of technical jargon to help people understand complex climate issues.
It also amplifies voices of experts and affected communities, while countering misinformation about climate change by fact-checking and debunking myths about the phenomenon. This leads to people being well informed and having correct facts about climate change.
Further, the media encourages civic engagement by promoting policies, climate movements, and sustainable choices which motivate collective action.
Climate change is reported through different media platforms like the traditional media (TV, Newspapers, Radio) which are still a major source of climate news, but coverage varies depending on political and corporate influence.
“Social media is a powerful tool for spreading climate change awareness, mobilizing protests for example for environment conservation but also is a hot spot for misinformation.”
-Jackline Mwende
Documentaries and films through movies, documentaries significantly shape public awareness on climate change.
Interactive media and Artificial Intelligence (AI) help in climate simulations, data visualizations, and AI-driven reports which offer immersive ways to understand and engage with climate issues.
This year’s World Radio Day which was marked last week was themed ‘Radio and Climate Change’, and showed the significant role of media in climate change reporting.
Media has the power to influence whether the public sees climate change as an urgent crisis or a distant problem.
Through news reporting, documentaries, and social media, media has the power to inform, inspire, and mobilize people toward solutions.
While challenges like misinformation, false balance, sensationalism, and inadequate coverage of climate change stories exist, responsible journalism and engaging storytelling can drive meaningful action.
To enhance its impact, the media must prioritize fact-based reporting, amplify the voices of experts and affected communities, and highlight solutions rather than just problems.
By doing so, it can help bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and public awareness, ultimately driving meaningful action against climate change.
-The writer is a Communications and Public Relations professional based in Nairobi. (mjackline3325@gmail.com).
