In what can only be responded to with a resounding "duh," news analyses have found mainstream media frequently report on severe weather changes without referring to global warming as the context or cause, even as a question.
A study found extreme weather events in 2013 spurred 450 broadcast news segments, only 16 of which even mentioned climate change. National news outlets have fallen on the job as well, as The New York Times recently shuttered its environmental desk, reducing the number of reporters exclusively chasing down climate change stories.
Unlike many journalists, ordinary people often recognize the threat of our warming planet. More than 400,000 protested in the People's Climate March in New York City alone, while simultaneous protests erupted across the globe, calling for government, corporate and media leaders to address the problem.
"There is a huge mismatch between the magnitude of the challenge and the response we heard here today," Graca Machel, the widow of former South African President Nelson Mandela, told a United Nations conference. "The scale is much more than we have achieved."
