Journalism for the Climate and Biodiversity Crises

In the context of current environmental harms, communication on climate and environment, as a field of research and in practice, bear an acute urgency. The intersection between media and environment is therefore a crucial site for contemporary research examination. This chapter addresses that nexus, focusing on the role of journalism in conveying biodiversity loss and climate change as issues of concern. How journalists select and problematise environmental harms is crucial for public understanding of environmental issues and social and policy responses to them. This chapter, therefore, explores the ways news industry trends, journalistic practices and media production processes shape media coverage of the environment. It likewise examines the role journalism plays in educating—and sometimes misinforming—the public about anthropogenic climate change and biodiversity loss. The chapter concludes with recommendations for both journalism practice and for media organisations to enable better environmental journalism.