2021counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system)2In May, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "No country is far from achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement (*1).stated... In order to achieve this goal, which was set to put the brakes on the progression of climate change,2030before the year ...2010carbon dioxide emissions compared to the year 2000.45%reductions. Each country in the world has set its own carbon dioxide emission reduction targets. However, even if the targets set by each country are achieved, it is2030before the year ...2010of carbon dioxide emissions in 2006.1%The company said that it is only to the extent that it can reduce the number of

In this context, how much attention is being paid to climate change issues by the media, which can influence the behavior of governments, businesses, and individuals? And what is the content of their coverage of climate change? In this issue.2017Year.GNVon climate change in thearticleto expand and follow climate reporting from a long-term perspective.

Smoke from a thermal power plant (Photo: Tony Webster / Flickr [CC BY-SA 2.0])

climate change issues

Today, climate change is threatening the world with a variety of problems. Here are some examples.

The first one is global warming. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (National Aeronautics and Space Administration(1) is published by thedataAccording to the 20202016It was the warmest year in recorded history, along with the year 2000. It was also the warmest year on record for2018As of 2006, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(1) "The Earth today is one degree warmer than the global average temperature at the time of the Industrial Revolution.℃ warmand(written) reportThe report is presented in the following section. Global Warming is,Loss of geographic range of organisms, ,Coral Disappearance, ,health hazardIt has a variety of effects on the environment, including

In addition, global warming also causes melting of ice sheets around the world. In recent years, the Greenland ice sheet, in particular, has been experiencing a record12,000The most of the year.rapid (e.g. progress)The amount of snowfall that replenishes the ice sheets has reached a level where it cannot keep up with the amount of ice that flows out to sea each year. Other ice sheets are melting in the Arctic, Antarctica, and other parts of the world, and these are the main causes of sea level rise.

Extreme weather is also serious: In 2020, the Bay of Bengal coastal region centered on Bangladesh will experience a recordfloodoccurred, and climate change has been blamed as one of the causes. Heavy monsoon rains in Bangladesh have inundated about one-third of the country,5.4 millionThe flooding in India also caused damage. India was also affected by similar flooding inMore than 14 millionThe total number of affected companies in both countries wasMore than 1,000were killed. In the same year, the Philippines and Vietnam were hit by three major typhoons and severaltyphoonlanded on the island. This event resulted in numerous deaths and missing persons, damaged infrastructure, destroyed homes, and even caused economic hardship for those affected. Furthermore, in 2019 and beyond, the East African region is expected to experience a massivetorrential rainThe heavy rains have caused an epidemic of infectious diseases such as cholera and a food crisis due to soil erosion in farmlands. In 2020, the heavy rains will encourage the proliferation of grasshoppers called Sabaktobi grasshoppers, which will attack farmland and cause a food crisis.food crisisThe situation in the U.S. is getting worse, not better. And the grasshopper swarms have spread to the Middle East and South Asia, causing food crises in various regions.

Flooding in the African region (Photo: Theresa Carpenter / Flickr [CC BY-SA 2.0])

Climate change is also closely linked to inequality and poverty. One thing to note here is what is called "climate apartheid."conceptClimate apartheid is a phenomenon in which high-income countries that cause climate change are able to mitigate the damage to some extent through their economic power, while low-income countries are unable to take action due to their lack of economic capacity. Climate apartheid refers to the fact that high-income countries are able to mitigate the causes of climate change to some extent through their economic power, while low-income countries are unable to take measures due to their lack of economic capacity, resulting in greater damage from climate change and a widening gap with high-income countries. Examples of this are the floods in Bangladesh and India and the torrential rains in the East African region mentioned above. In fact, Bangladesh emits only 1% of the world's greenhouse gases.About 1% of the totalThe vicious cycle is that poverty makes the damage of climate change more severe, which in turn promotes even more poverty. The vicious cycle is that poverty makes the damage caused by climate change more severe, and this damage further exacerbates poverty.

Past 35Volume of media coverage during the year

So far, you can see how climate change is causing a critical situation in the world. So how much has this issue been reported in Japan? In this issue, we will look at the major newspapers3Climate change has begun to attract serious attention in the newspapers (Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, and Mainichi Shimbun).1986from (e.g. time, place, numerical quantity)2020We surveyed the number of articles mentioning climate change up to 2006, regardless of whether they were domestic or international reports, and totaled the amount of coverage by year (*2).

As can be seen from the shape of the graph above,3There is no significant difference in the trend of increase or decrease in the amount of coverage by the newspapers. Let us look at what happened in the years when the volume of news coverage increased.

1990Around the year 2000, climate change reports began to be picked up gradually,1992It increased slightly in 2006. This was the result of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Brazil (Earth Summit(see Figure 1), which had to do with the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the And the first major upsurge was1997Year. In this year, the first3The Third Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)COP3The Kyoto Protocol has been adopted in the United States (hereinafter referred to as the "Kyoto Protocol"). The Kyoto Protocol calls for "the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by2008Since the year2012years,1990Compared to the previous year, about5Reduction of %".Targetwas raised, and specific numerical reduction obligations were imposed in high-income countries. The reason for the sharp increase in the amount of reporting compared to previous years isCOP3was held in Japan. This same trend is seen inCOP10The media coverage of biodiversity on the occasion of theIncrease.The same was also seen at the time of the

Since then, though, the amount of coverage has repeatedly increased and decreased,2007Since the year2009The volume of media coverage increased dramatically through 2006. This can be attributed to the fact that during that period, the political debate over whether or not the Kyoto Protocol would be renewed, and if not, a new framework to replace it, became more active. Expectations for participation have grown for the United States, which withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol, and for China, which was not obliged to reduce its emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, and to some extent, the momentum to confront climate change issues on a global scale has increased.I showed you.It seemed. However, at a meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark2009Year.COP15failed to create a new framework at the held in Durban, South Africa.2011Year.COP17Japan, Canada, and Russia are the only countries in the2013We will not participate in the second period of the Kyoto Protocol starting in 2006.selectionThe company did the following. The greenhouse gas emissions arenumerousDespite the major event of the three countries exiting the Kyoto Protocol,2011Coverage in 2006 was down sharply, if at all, from the previous year, when it had been on the decline. And since then, coverage has again slowed, as if the heat on climate change has cooled.

Speech at COP25 (Photo: La Moncloa - Gobierno de España / Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0])

2015Paris, France in 2006.COP21The Paris Agreement, which was concluded at the Paris Conference, was an agreement that all ratifying countries pledged to take action against global warming, unlike the Kyoto Protocol, which imposed reduction obligations only on high-income countries. The Paris Agreement concluded there was an agreement that, unlike the Kyoto Protocol, which imposed reduction obligations only on high-income countries, all countries that ratified it pledged to take measures to combat global warming. Subsequently2017In 2006, former U.S. President Donald Trump drew attention when he announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.2015years and ...2017These may be the reasons for the slight increase in the amount of media coverage in 2012. The Paris Agreement attracted a great deal of attention worldwide as an international agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol. However, the graph shows a large2The adoption of the Kyoto Protocol, which is a mountain of two1997year, which was the start of the target period.2008Compared to the amount of media coverage in 2006, the absolute number of reports is small, indicating the lack of attention to the Paris Agreement in the Japanese press.

Past 2Volume of media coverage during the year

Followed by the most recent2Let's take a closer look at the trends in coverage by focusing on a single year. This time, we will focus on articles in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper on climate change and other topics, regardless of whether they are domestic or international,2019years and ...2020Year.2Examine and analyze the amount of media coverage by month per year (*3).

For articles on climate change, see2In the year106There are articles, averaging monthly4.4Articles and less.35As can be read from the annual graph,2019The year is here.10The amount of coverage has increased the most in the past year. What is the cause of this increase in the first place? A comparison of the amount of media coverage per month reveals the following12The moon.16articles and many, but it is12held in Madrid, Spain in May.COP25The article about the13This is due to the relatively large number of articles. In addition, there are many articles covering the words and deeds of politicians and activists. Prime examples are Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan's Minister of the Environment, and Greta Thunberg, a Swedish high school student activist. In fact, Koizumi has attracted attention for his diplomatic debut at the UN Climate Action Summit, and articles about him2019Year.1In the year3There was an article. Mr. Toonberg is a member of the2019counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system)9His speech at the UN Summit for Action in May was especially important to the world.attentionBut the article about her was2019Year.1In the year6There were articles on climate change. Given the large scale of climate change itself, which makes it difficult to capture as an event, and its progressive nature, which makes it difficult to treat as news, it is undeniable that it is easier to report on the issue by focusing on governments and people in the media. Even so, there has been very little coverage of the issues and impacts of climate change.

On the other hand.2020In 2006, the amount of media coverage has decreased significantly. This is due, of course, to the media's coverage of new coronavirus-related reports in the wake of the outbreak of the new coronavirus.GNVThe past of thearticleAs pointed out in detail in the following section, the health hazards caused by rising temperatures and the spread of infectious diseases caused by extreme weather events are closely related. In other words, climate change and infectious disease pandemics are not unrelated. However, in recent years, the amount of media coverage of the ongoing problem of climate change has been drastically reduced.2020Year.1In the year12It appears as if they are regaining a little bit of coverage through the month of March,2021The monthly press volume for the year was1Month.1Article,2Month.3Article,3Month.4articles and decreasing.

The Asahi Shimbun is a member of the international movement "Climate Reporting Now" (Covering Climate Now) partner institutions. Partner institutions should commit to increasing their climate change coverage, and the Asahi Shimbun is actively focusing on environmental issuesreporterThe company has a group of people. In addition to sending out information on social networking sites, we also have a website thatspecial feature (e.g. in a magazine)The survey results show little evidence of an increase in coverage of climate change. However, the results of this survey show little evidence of an increase in media coverage of climate change. The amount of media coverage does not seem to be doing its job, despite the need to warn people and demand that governments and businesses take rapid action.

Climate Change and International Reporting

The analysis will then focus only on the international press under the same conditions. As already mentioned2Press coverage of climate change during the year has been106There were articles. These were domestic reports42Articles and International Press Coverage64The articles could be categorized into. Further out of the international press,2019Held in Madrid, Spain in 2006.COP25and2021postponed to 2006 and will be held in Glasgow, England.COP26The one concerning the15.5articles (*4), more than half of all international coverage is on climate change measures, including those35.5article (*4).

What can be inferred from this analysis is largely2There are two.1The second is that the media still report when the government acts. The annualCOPThe amount of media coverage on climate change increases especially during the month of the conference due to the holding of the "World Summit on Climate Change" (see Figure 1). However, the content is limited to the aforementioned actions of politicians and activists, or the fact that an international conference was held, with little coverage of the climate change issue itself or its escalating impacts. The reports that do mention the causes and effects of climate change in the relevant international press articles are,2In the year7There were only articles. The current media seems to be waiting for the government to take the lead, rather than looking at the problem for itself and sounding the alarm through its reporting.

2Second, the majority of the countries reported on are high-income countries. Specifically, the U.S. is the most relevant article.15article, Spain is the relevant article.9article, the United Kingdom is related to the7There were articles. On the other hand, there is almost no coverage of low-income countries that have suffered greatly from climate change. This is a long way from solving the "climate apartheid" problem.

People for Climate Change Policy (Photo: Friends of the Earth International/Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0])

Media Expectations

Japan.2019At the United Nations Climate Action Summit in 2006, it was determined that there were no specific global warming measures or goals, and the opportunity to speak out wasNot given.In addition, the Climate Action Network (CANcalledNGOThe Fossil Prize, awarded ironically by the organization to countries that are insufficiently committed to addressing climate changeCOP25The Japanese government during the2He has received the award twice.2020counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system)10May, the 1st203Policy Statement of the 3rd Extraordinary Session of the DietspeechIn the "Japan's first ever "Japan's first ever "Japan's first ever "Japan's first ever "Japan's first ever "Japan's first ever2050By the year 2020, overall greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced to zero, i.e.2050The company declared that it aims to achieve a carbon-neutral, decarbonized society in 2012, but its commitment to addressing climate change issues is one of the most important in the world.insufficientIt can be said.

How does the Japanese media view this apparent crisis? The media has a responsibility to report on the problem itself, thereby raising the public's awareness of the problem and calling for measures to be taken by the government and corporations.watchdogThe role of journalism should be to provide a "voice" to the public. However, it is difficult to say that the media is currently fulfilling this role. Recently, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been gaining attention and has become more visible in the press and society, as evidenced by the fact that attention to climate change, which is also included in that goal, has not increased as far as we can see in the press. If this trend continues, it is unlikely that the amount of media coverage will increase in the future. We look forward to the future of the media.

note 1Paris Agreement (1985)is,2015In 1949, the first21The Imperial Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21)It is an international agreement concluded in2020The increase in global average temperatures since 1949 compared to pre-industrial times.2°CKeep it low enough than1.5The goal is to "pursue efforts to limit the °C

In researching the article, I used the Asahi Shimbun's online database "MonzoIIThe online databases "Mainichi Shimbun" and "Yomidas," the online database of the Mainichi Shimbun and the Yomiuri Shimbun, respectively, were used.1986counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system)1Month～2020counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system)12Every day during the month of May/morning sun/Morning and evening editions of the Yomiuri Shimbun(full page (e.g. newspaper))Of the articles published in theCOPCount the number of articles for all articles that contain the words "climate change" or "global warming" in the headline or body.

In researching the article, I used the Asahi Shimbun's online database "MonzoIIThe "Mere Old Man" used the "Mere Old Man".2019counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system)1Month～2020counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system)12of the articles that appeared in the morning and evening editions of the Asahi Shimbun during the month of March.COPCount the number of articles for all articles with the words "climate change" or "global warming" in the headline.

note (supplementary information) symbol4To count each article equally,1In one article.2If you are dealing with two themes, each0.5Counting as an article.

Writer:Mayuko Hanafusa

Graphic:Mayuko Hanafusa

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