This five part series of articles reports on the latest scientific findings, including the just released UN report, regarding climate change. While the five part series goes into considerable detail about scientific findings, it is interesting to contrast this with mainstream TV media reports. In this series the author provides findings such as this:
The World Bank and PriceWaterhouseCoopers have recently published reports which complement a wide range of scientific research which concludes that the world is presently heading for 4ºC or more of warming this century, and as soon as 2060. Reuters correspondent Michael Rose (2012) quotes IEA Chief Economist, Fatih Birol as saying that emission trends are “perfectly in line with a temperature increase of 6°C, which would have devastating consequences for the planet”.Let us now look at what amount of air time and the quality of reporting on the latest UN report by the leading TV networks which shape the opinions of most Americans.
Anderson says there is a widespread view amongst scientists that “a 4°C future is incompatible with an organised global community, is likely to be beyond ‘adaptation’, is devastating to the majority of eco-systems and has a high probability of not being stable”.
CBS TV provides this 2:25m report in which the program segment focuses on the temporary halt of air temperature increases since 1998. Scott Pelley frames the report with this very skeptical introduction:
Anyone expecting it [the UN report] to show steadily rising air temps would be in for a surprise.CBS reporter Mark Phillips then prefaces his report with this cynical statement:
Another inconvenient truth has emerged on the way to the apocalypse. The UN report on climate change is expected to blame man-made greenhouse gases more that ever for global warming. But there's a problem: global atmosphere hasn't been warming lately. .... Since 1998 atmosphere temperatures have not gone up. ....He then introduces a scientist who explains that the extra heat has gone into the ocean, and ocean temperatures have been steadily rising. Apparently all is well because the ocean is not a part of the globe (sarcasm).
Then the CBS reporter, in an introduction to another person identified as "head of a climate change think-tank", refers back to the temporary halt in the rise of global air temperatures by saying that climate change skeptics are now given "more ammunition" to doubt global warming. CBS then allows the scientist about a total of four seconds to respond to the reporters question: "does this [the findings] remove the urgency [to reduce carbon emissions]? Yes, he replies, and goes on to state that the current goals of carbon reduction are unrealistic, and the world should now be focusing on building more flood barriers!
It seems reasonable to believe that this "expert" made his statement about unrealistic goals because of the existing track record of various countries since the Kyoto Accords which promised efforts to reduce carbon emissions and failed to deliver. This is not surprising given the fact that capitalism requires growth. What is not surprising is that nearly everyone ignores the 800 pound gorilla in the room--the capitalist system. In other words, there is no alternative to the capitalist system--so get used to it and learn to cope with the consequences.
NBC's 1:01m report provides more accurate, but even briefer coverage:
I am unable to determine if Fox News broadcast any report, but their website does provide this article which emphasized that scientists were unable to explain the lull in the rise of air temperatures ("surface temperatures") since 1998, and inserted other comments that suggested doubts about global warming.
Update: I saw really good coverage lasting close 2:24 minutes on ABC's evening news broadcast.
Generally speaking, US mainstream TV media directors, if they report any information at all, continue to manage information about global warming to mass audiences by downplaying its effects and questioning its validity.
