Climate change is back in the news, with media coverage in 2014 “fully recovered—for now—from its pre-recession dip,” The Daily Climate reported earlier this month.
“Politics dominated the haul, with 44% of all stories having a predominately political theme,” Fischer writes. Based on Daily Climate archives, “coverage grew for a second straight year, approaching its 2009 high and rebounding nearly 70% above its 2012 low.”
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Fischer attributed the increase in reporting to senior political interest in climate policy, the evolution of the climate story to include previously obscure topics like fracking, and heightened interest on the part of individual publications and reporters, led by The Guardian with at least 1,338 published stories.
“It’s hard to say if these trends will hold into 2015, or whether increased coverage means society is any closer to curbing our growing greenhouse gas emissions,” he notes. “But if 2014 is any indication, more people are now paying attention.”
