Media coverage of climate change research does not inspire action, say scientists

The analysis showed that that most of the research selected by the media was biased to the natural sciences. It overly focused on large-scale climate projections that will occur in the future, and a narrow range of threats such as polar bears, drought and melting glaciers. The paper shows that this type of narrative does not activate the mechanisms known from research on psychology that might engage pro-environmental behaviors in readers.

The study speaks of a possible distancing reaction on the part of the public, resulting from this globalizing approach. "The individuals exposed to these facts, not feeling directly concerned by them, will tend towards a peripheral, superficial and distracted treatment of the information. Only a central, deep and attentive consideration will allow the public to transform what they know into mechanisms of action and commitment," explains Fabrizio Butera, professor at the Institute of Psychology of the UNIL, and co-author of the study.