Global news coverage of climate change has fallen 38 percent since its 2021 peak, according to data from the University of Colorado Boulder's Media and Climate Change Observatory. This decline, accelerating amid political chaos and other crises, has real-world effects on public awareness and policy action. Experts attribute the shift to competing news priorities and pressures under the Trump administration.
The decline in climate coverage began during the COVID-19 pandemic and has intensified recently. Scientists note that Earth is now hotter than at any point in the last 125,000 years, yet media attention has waned. In the United States, major broadcast networks reduced climate reporting by 35 percent last year compared to the previous year, per a Media Matters report.
Allison Fisher, director of the climate and energy program at a nonprofit, explained the challenge: “The competition, the ‘flood the zone’ strategy from the administration, is making it very difficult for anything that’s not super urgent in this moment.” Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, highlighted media's role: “Like, literally, billions of people know about climate change only because the media has reported it.”
Coverage trends show stark drops. The New York Times published 646 articles mentioning climate change or global warming in October 2021, but only 221 in January of this year, a 66 percent decline. Public exposure has also decreased: In 2022, 35 percent of Americans heard about global warming in the media weekly, down to 17 percent by December, according to Yale data.
The trend reversed temporarily around 2019, driven by youth activism inspired by Greta Thunberg, the Green New Deal, and initiatives like Covering Climate Now, founded that year. Coverage rebounded post-COVID with policies under President Joe Biden, including the 2022 comprehensive climate law, later repealed under President Donald Trump.
In 2025, global coverage fell another 14 percent. Following Trump's inauguration and his “drill, baby, drill” pledge, a “climate hushing” emerged: Businesses quieted climate pledges, Democrats avoided the term, and the administration cut funding to NPR and PBS while threatening network licenses. Fisher noted media owners' fears: “You have corporate media owners who are increasingly fearful of running afoul of the Trump administration that characterizes climate change as a ‘hoax’ and climate action as a ‘scam.’”
Network changes include CBS's merger with Paramount Global and Skydance Media, leading to layoffs of its climate team under new editor Bari Weiss. A recent CBS segment claimed polar bears are thriving in the Norwegian Arctic, with anchor Tony Dokoupil remarking, “Experts say the bears are still in trouble long term, but hey, the experts have been wrong before.” The Washington Post cut most of its climate staff last month, and NBC reporter Chase Cain resigned, citing exhaustion.
Max Boykoff, an environmental studies professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, suggested editors may perceive “climate fatigue” among the public. Despite this, Leiserowitz said worry about climate change persists, ranking 24th out of 25 voter priorities mainly due to rising concerns elsewhere. Surveys show 74 percent of Americans and 80 to 89 percent globally favor stronger government action. Mark Hertsgaard of Covering Climate Now argued outlets like The Guardian and France Télévisions have boosted audiences through climate-focused reporting, calling it “a business opportunity, not just a journalistic duty.”
