2015counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system)12In May, the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in Paris, France (COP21) and binding international treaties,Paris Agreement (1985)was adopted. The goal set forth in this agreement was to "reduce the increase in global average temperatures from pre-industrial levels to2Keep the temperature sufficiently lower than -20°C,1.5The "pursuit of efforts to limit the temperature of the world's population to a level of 3.5 degrees Celsius. The agreement was considered groundbreaking as the first treaty to be binding on all members of the UN.
approximately10Today, two years later, climate change is the most serious problem affecting the world.1It continues to be one.Copernicus Climate Change Services(at sentence-end, falling tone) indicates a confident conclusionannouncementAccording to,2024The year 2000 was the year of the global average temperature compared to the pre-industrial revolution.1.5This was the first year in which the temperature exceeded -3.5°C (-4.5°F). While some of this is due to the El Niño phenomenon and other factors, the primary factor is believed to be human economic activity. In addition2015Since the year10For the year,1850Top average temperatures since 200610The year is 2012.
Note that the Paris Convention target is determined from longer-term average temperatures, so this record does not immediately mean that the target will be missed, but UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described the situation as "aclimate changeHe expresses a sense of crisis by describing it as "the most important thing in the world.
Thus, how is the Japanese press covering the issue of climate change, a problem that affects the entire world but for which there is still no clear path to improvement?GNVhas analyzed climate coverage in Japan over time and has also pointed out some of its problems. In this article, we will review this analysis and take a fresh look at climate change and the attention it has received.
A demonstration in Melbourne, Australia in 2019 (Photo:John Englart / Flickr [CC BY-SA 2.0])
Table of Contents
Problems Caused by Climate Change
First, let us consider again what kind of problem climate change is. Climate change is, of course, not a problem that goes beyond mere changes in the living environment.
To begin with, climate change is the result of human activities that have caused the average global temperature to rise by about 1°C (at this time) since the Industrial Revolution.risingThis is due to the fact that the climate is becoming more and more extreme. This has resulted in extreme heat, extreme weather, rising sea levels, and frequent forest fires, threatening the livelihoods of many people. Living without air conditioning becomes more difficult in extremely hot weather, increasing health problems such as heat stroke and related illnesses.
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In addition, frequent floods and droughts caused by extremely heavy rains and lack of rainfall will make food supplies unstable, exacerbating hunger. And if coastal and low-lying areas are inundated by rising sea levels, many people will be forced to flee their homes.
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Due to rising sea levels, desertification, and extreme weather conditions caused by climate change, by 2050 as many as 150 to 200 million peopleclimate refugeeoccurs, theforecastThe United Nations (UN) has stated that 120 million people will be living in poverty by 2030 as a result of climate apartheid. In addition, the advancement of climate apartheid will lead to 120 million people falling into poverty by 2030, according to the UN's(written) reportis also being presented.
."Climate change is creating a new "apartheidSeptember 19, 2019
Mozambique city after a huge cyclone hit in 2019.(in Japanese history)Climate Centre / Flickr [CC BY-NC 2.0])
In addition, climate change-inducedwater shortagecan be a source of conflict.
However, the cause of water stress is not only the increase in population and economic activity, but also climate change. Rising temperatures, decreasing precipitation, and worsening desertification have led to what has been called the world's largest drought in recorded history. In the future, drier regions of the earth will become drier and wetter regions will experience more precipitation.PredictedOf the 17 countries with very high water stress according to the WRI [World Resources Institute] index, 12 are in the Middle East and North Africa. This region is home to approximately 7.5% of the world's population, but is responsible for the world's freshwaterOnly 1.4%.In this region, where armed conflicts are concentrated, water shortages are reportedly a problem, causing conflict and friction.
."Water Conflicts Around the World: Unreported FactsNovember 26, 2020."
The impact of climate change on the economy is also serious.
According to the report, climate change is already having a serious impact on human society and the natural environment, and actions taken over the next decade will greatly determine the scale of future damage. In addition, the economic impacts of climate change will vary widely by region, especially in regions dependent on agriculture and tourism and in countries with weak infrastructure. In these regions, the decline in harvests and tourism revenues due to rising temperatures and extreme weather events will be a serious problem.
."Climate Change, Severely Hurting the EconomyMar. 18, 2025.
Further,2024Due to the extreme weather conditions that occurred in2.4billion people were severely affected in their schooling.estimationThe problem is already having serious repercussions for all areas of the planet. This extreme weather is also believed to be influenced by climate change, a problem that is already having serious repercussions in all areas of the globe.
Long-term analysis of climate coverage
GNVHa,1985Major newspapers since 20063We have analyzed articles that mention climate change in the newspapers (Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, and Yomiuri Shimbun). Specifically, we have examined articles that mention climate change, global warming, and COP, regardless of whether they are domestic or international reports, and compiled them into graphs. The data reveal several trends in the amount of coverage of climate change.
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Let us begin by looking at increases and decreases in the amount of media coverage. It is known that one major trigger for an increase in media coverage is an international conference on climate change.
The first major upsurge came in 1997. In that year, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted at the Third Conference of the Parties (COP3) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Kyoto Protocol called for "a reduction of greenhouse gases by approximately 5% between 2008 and 2012 compared to 1990 levels.TargetThe COP3 was held in Japan, and the high-income countries were obliged to reduce their emissions by specific numerical values. The reason for the sharp increase in media coverage compared to previous years can be attributed to the fact that COP3 was held in Japan.
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Since then, the amount of media coverage has fluctuated, but from 2007 to 2009, there was a dramatic increase in the amount of media coverage. This can be attributed to the fact that during that period, political debate over whether or not the Kyoto Protocol would be renewed, and if not, a new framework to replace it, became more active.
."Climate Change Approaching Humanity: What is the State of the Press?April 22, 2021."
Also,2021The increase in the amount of media coverage in 2006 was analyzed as being related to factors other than international conferences.
In 2020, a new coronavirus pandemic.attentionThe amount of media coverage has decreased a bit, partly due to the influence of the gathering of the "Mere Old Man," but in 2021, the amount of media coverage has increased so rapidly that it is now on par with that of 1997. This increase is thought to be largely due to the fact that COP26 in 2020 was postponed to 2021 after two years due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus, as well as the administration of Joe Biden, which was inaugurated in the United States in that year.
."The Threat of Climate Change: What is Post-Corona Reporting?"2023counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system)09month28day (of the month)
On the other hand, even when there are important international conferences, the amount of media coverage does not necessarily seem to increase.
The Paris Agreement attracted a great deal of attention around the world 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.
."Climate Change Approaching Humanity: What is the State of the Press?April 22, 2021."
Note that attention to climate change may also increase outside of international conferences. For example, after a major natural disaster occurs in a high-income country, attention may be drawn to it in relation to political developments in that country.
A campaign against climate change held in Germany(Photo:Stefan Müller / Wikimedia Commons [CC BY 2.0])
In July 2021, there will be a major earthquake in Western Europe and other parts of the world due in part to extreme weather events from climate change.floodand 220 people died in Germany. The floods triggered a great deal of interest in climate change issues throughout Europe, including Germany, and climate change activists in many parts of the country are preparing for the German federal general elections.meetingHe urged the political parties to fully address the issue of climate change in the
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Climate change coverage in Japan increased at a time when there was growing interest in environmental issues in Europe and the U.S., and it is believed to have been heavily influenced by the West.
."The Threat of Climate Change: What is Post-Corona Reporting?September 28, 2023."
Here, we would also like to examine the reasons for the lack of increase in the amount of media coverage. Despite the fact that climate change is getting worse, as mentioned above, there has been no increase in the amount of media coverage of this issue. In particular2022The level has been low since 2006.
The amount of coverage on the Russian-Ukrainian war after 2022 and the Israeli-Palestinian war after 2023.jump (e.g. in prices)The U.S. presidential election in 2024 also occupied much of the media attention. The number of articles mentioning climate change has stagnated, perhaps due to the lack of ambitious decisions in the international arena. Even though the 1.5 degree Celsius target of the Paris Agreement has been exceeded, the amount of coverage is still low and is below the amount of coverage in 1997, and is also lower than in 2021.
."The Reality of Over 1.5°C: Global Climate Change Issues and Measures and the Japanese Press"2025counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system)02month13day (of the month)
Thus, international coverage of climate change in Japan often focuses attention in the context of international conferences and politics. However, even when these triggers are present, they do not always seem to attract a great deal of attention. There is also a tendency for attention to shift to more obvious events, such as conflicts, and for climate issues to receive relatively less attention.
Climate Press Coverage
From here, we will go into the actual content of climate coverage. First, we'll take a look at the reporting approach that led us to focus on the international conference.question (e.g. on a test)There is a In this regard,GNVand2018Since the year2020Year.3The survey, conducted over a one-year period, revealed the following
Of the climate coverage, 55.9 articles were about conferences, 52.1 were about measures, 27.2 were about impacts, and 21.4 were about activities. A major feature of the report was the large number of articles on international conferences. Among them, the majority of articles were related to the COP, and many of them referred to climate change countermeasures. In addition, there were many articles on measures and numerical targets for the world as a whole, and few articles focused on specific measures taken by individual countries. Activities were dominated by articles on demonstration activities influenced by Toonberg, with many articles focusing on Toonberg as an individual rather than reporting on demonstrations or other organized large-scale movements.
."From what perspective is climate change being reported?November 4, 2021."
Greta will address the European Parliament in 2019 (Photo:European Parliament / Flickr [CC BY 2.0])
Thus, it seems that climate coverage tends to focus on prominent figures at meetings and conferences rather than on the issue of climate change and the actual harm it does. The following are some observations on this point.
There 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.
."Climate Change Approaching Humanity: What is the State of the Press?April 22, 2021."
It has also been noted that when reference is made to the content of international conferences, there is a bias in perspective.
Japan's coverage of climate change has been solely from a Japanese perspective. In addition, the amount of coverage on international frameworks and events is highly skewed, and there are not many references to specific decisions. In reporting on monetary targets, there is a tendency to emphasize the position of "support" and "investment" rather than "compensation" to low-income countries. Also, with regard to the COP, while the words problem and failure are mentioned, there are few specific or detailed references to them, or they may be expressed in an indirect way. In addition, climate coverage generally focuses on institutional actors such as governments and corporations, while less on the damage to citizens and the role of citizens.
."The Reality of Over 1.5°C: Global Climate Change Issues and Measures and the Japanese PressFeb. 13, 2025."
Certainly it is important to pay attention to international conferences, and it is also meaningful to report on what activists are saying and doing. However, this is only one way of looking at the big problem of climate change. The essence of the problem lies in the damage caused by climate change, the actions of companies and consumers that are creating the causes of climate change, and the concrete measures that need to be taken.
Areas covered by climate coverage
Regional bias in reporting on climate change is also evident. High-income countries such as North America and Europe tend to be more focused, while coverage of low-income countries tends to be less.2019Since the year2020The analysis in 2006 also shows this to be the case.
(Preliminaries) Even though the countries reported, the majority of them are high-income countries. Specifically, there were 15 articles related to the United States, 9 to Spain, and 7 to the United Kingdom. On the other hand, there is almost no coverage of low-income countries that have suffered greatly from climate change.
."Climate Change Approaching Humanity: What is the State of the Press?April 22, 2021."
On this point,2018Since the year2020A similar analysis by the Mainichi Newspaper covering the yearresultThe trend is not limited to climate change, but is also a trend in the international press as a whole. This trend is not limited to climate change, but also applies to the international press as a whole.
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One of the reasons for the lack of coverage of low-income countries, both in climate reporting and in international reporting in general, is that low-income countries are usually not prioritized in international reporting.low (position)This is due to the fact that And because of the low priority given to news reporting, news organizations are located in low-income countries.overseas branch officeare fewer in number and receive less coverage. As a result, the amount of coverage is concentrated in high-income countries.
."From what perspective is climate change being reported?November 4, 2021."
What is the problem with this kind of reporting? For one thing.climate apartheidmay be mentioned. This term refers to a phenomenon in which climate change causes a certain separation between high-income and low-income people, resulting in the occurrence and widening of disparities.
Half of the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change are caused by the world's richest 10% humansThey've been discharged.The poorest of the poor (3.5 billion of the total population) are responsible for less than 101 TP3T, while the rest of the population (3.5 billion of the total population) is responsible for only 101 TP3T. Ironically, however, it is the latter poor who will suffer 751 TP3T of the harm caused by climate change. In other words, those who caused climate change will win and those who are not responsible will suffer.
."Climate change is creating a new "apartheidSeptember 19, 2019
Reporting that does not focus on low-income countries not only leads to an underestimation of climate change, but also encourages disparity, resulting in more people being placed in difficult situations.
Climate Change and Disaster Reporting
Let us then consider disasters closely related to climate change.2023past for the Yomiuri Shimbun's international coverage in 2006.GNVanalysis revealed that earthquakes and fires dominate disaster reporting.
The data show that in 2023, earthquakes and fires will account for the majority of disaster coverage in the Yomiuri Shimbun's international coverage, with only a few percent of the rest of the country's coverage. Windstorms and droughts such as floods and storms receive little coverage, despite the large number of people affected and casualties.
This is a pastGNV ArticlesThe reason for this is that earthquakes are "familiar" in Japan, as mentioned in Section 2.1. About 20% of earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.0 or greater occur in Japan.occurrenceJapan is known as an "earthquake-prone country" because of the large number of earthquakes that have occurred in the country. Because this is a disaster of great interest in Japan, the amount of coverage in the international press is likely to be high.
."How is flooding around the world reported?"2024counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system)10month17day (of the month)
The fire was also reported in this year's8The one about the fire in Hawaii in May was85This can be seen as a trend peculiar to this year, as it accounted for about 10% of the total. As can be seen, there is a bias in the types of disasters reported in Japan's international disaster reporting. In additionaffected populationWhen we look at the2023While earthquakes certainly accounted for the largest number of deaths in 2006, floods accounted for the largest number of people affected.1No. 2, the drought.2The second place is in the first place, which is a big difference from the scale of the news coverage. Regarding flood coverageGNVnoted the following
Climate change will increase precipitation and more severefloodis being caused. The press has focused the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on the issue of climate change.reportHowever, it may be necessary to report more from the viewpoint of what kind of disasters are actually occurring in the world, how many people are affected, and why such disasters have come to occur.
."How is flooding around the world reported?"2024counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system)10month17day (of the month)
Also about drought,2022In East Africa in the year 2000, the past40The drought, said to be the worst in a year, occurred. However, articles mentioning this disaster in the context of climate change11.5%The number of respondents remained at
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The most common subject of articles mentioning this issue was Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with a total of 13.5 articles (*4). While the number of articles with either Russia or Ukraine as the subject alone is large, the number increases even more when the issue is mentioned in articles on other topics, with 75% of all articles mentioning the conflict among those that mentioned the crisis in Africa.
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A total of six articles (*4) were mentioned in the article on climate change.
."World's Worst Drought in East Africa Not Reported" 2022counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system)11month17day (of the month)
Furthermore, both the causes and consequences of fires are thought to be related to climate change. This is because extreme drought and rising temperatures can cause forest fires, and the release of greenhouse gases from fires can accelerate climate change. However, there has been little coverage of thepointing outThe company has been
The first thing that can be said from the numbers is that the amount of coverage of the fires in the six regions written about in 2019 in the Yomiuri Shimbun was extremely small. There were 14 articles on the fires in Brazil, and the fires in Australia increased to 14 articles combined through January 22, 2020, as attention has increased in 2020, especially on social networking sites and the Internet. However, there were three articles on fires in Indonesia, two articles on fires in California, and none on fires in central Africa and the Arctic.
."The World is Burning: Is the Reporting Accurate?February 6, 2020."
This analysis also shows that the 2019Fire at Notre Dame Cathedralalso analyzed. Although this fire was much smaller in scale, it received 79 articles in the press, about 5.6 times more than in Brazil. From this, it can be seen that the importance of the disaster in the news coverage is determined by something other than the scale of the disaster or the damage.
Going to the Press to Face Climate Change
Coverage of climate change has been uneven in terms of volume, content, and geographic coverage, with limited disaster-related references. Certainly, climate change is a long-term issue, and its large scale makes it difficult to view it as a single event.natureThere are Also, the difficulty of linking climate change and specific extreme weather events by scientific evidencepointing outThe company has been
However, if proper reporting on this issue is not done, what awaits us is precisely the reality of what we call "climate collapse. Here, a certain reporting stance has been proposed as an effective way to avoid this worst-case scenario. It is called "Solutions JournalismIt's a way of reporting. This is a way of reporting that goes beyond taking a critical look at the problem and advocating for solutions beyond that, so that people can take better action. While it is important to report on the crisis, the approach of evaluating and reporting on countermeasures, solutions, and even remedies is considered extremely effective in addressing climate change.
The problem of climate change is becoming more serious day by day, and further strengthening of the response is required. Each member of society, including governments, companies, NPOs, and individuals, must confront the major common problem of climate change. With time limited against the looming threat, action is needed from all actors in society. The media can help bring about that action. If the content of response measures can be evaluated after providing detailed information based on evidence, it is conceivable that this will lead to concrete behavioral reforms by members of society. The media will be called upon to report more consciously on solution journalism, the role of presenting specific countermeasures and their effects to the recipients of information, along with the evidence for them.
."Climate Change and Solutions Journalism"2020counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system)04month23day (of the month)
Young people standing up against climate change. Four million people from around the world mobilized before the Climate Action Summit.(Photo:Tommi Boom / Flickr [CC BY-SA 2.0]
We hope that the Japanese media will rethink the nature of climate change, correct its bias on various fronts, and become better informed for the future.
Writer: Seita Morimoto
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