Public Resource
Connecting the dots on climate change
Climate Central and Nielsen
There is power in local media to reach audiences and drive awareness on climate change during extreme weather events. Nielsen collaborated with Climate Central, a policy-neutral non-profit climate science organization, to assess the presence of accurate and informative climate reporting in local media to engage communities affected by extreme weather events. According to the American Meteorological Society, local weather broadcasting is extremely effective in raising awareness about climate change. Climate Central collaborated with Nielsen to analyze local TV newscasts for climate change content and measure the audience reach associated with those broadcasts. Despite increasing public concern about the link between climate change and extreme weather, only 28% of people in the U.S. say they hear about global warming in the media at least once a week. This suggests that media, including local media, frequently misses opportunities to increase public understanding and awareness of extreme weather and climate change.