Welcome to Locally Sourced, a biweekly Covering Climate Now newsletter for journalists working to localize the climate story. Share this newsletter with colleagues and journalism students interested in localizing the climate story. Vea la versión de “Fuentes Locales” en español.
Story Spark: Public Support for Government Climate Action
Study after study has shown that the vast majority of the world’s population, 80-89%, not only care about climate change, but want their governments to “do more” to address it. Despite this fact, members of this “climate majority” have no idea that they’re part of over 140 million Americans who are very concerned about this issue and want to take action.
Understanding who these people are, what they’re doing — or not — to address climate change, what action exactly they want government to take, and why government action doesn’t align with the overwhelming public interest in stopping climate change are all rich territory for reporting. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication publishes public opinion data by congressional district to help you understand what your audience thinks about climate change.
Stories We Like
- In the wake of widespread demonstrations in early April, Grist explores how protests sway public opinion towards climate causes and may encourage more people to vote.
- Capital & Main highlights how a small Pennsylvania community won a fight against fracking in their backyards, even as similar efforts failed to pass through the state’s government.
- While nearly 90% of young people in Japan believe it’s important to respond to climate change, apathy abounds with a lack of “willingness to engage in political or activist-related climate actions,” The Japan Times reports.
- The Daily Maverick examines how access to cell phones and internet data is driving climate action and engagement in Africa.
- The best way to move beyond the despair stemming from anti-climate decisions from the Trump administration? “Take action,” Yale Climate Connections reports.
- CBS News dives into the disconnect between congressional climate (in)action and the two-thirds of Americans who believe Congress should do more to address climate change.
Tips to Participate in the 89 Percent Project
Last week, Covering Climate Now kicked off its 89 Percent Project, a year-long collaborative effort to shine a light on the fact that the vast majority of people in the world care about climate change and want their governments to do something about it. We’re encouraging journalists and outlets everywhere to continue reporting on this silent majority. To help you do so, we’ve compiled 89 Percent coverage by your colleagues. To get started, consider digging into what your audiences think and want done about climate change. Are policymakers in your community reflecting the views of this climate majority, and if not, why? And what are residents in your coverage area doing — or not — to address the climate emergency?
Helpful Links
Resources
- Use the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication’s interactive tool to get a customized factsheet of climate change opinions for your area.
- Explore how American public opinions have changed over the years on issues related to climate change, as compiled by Resources for the Future.
- Examine The Nature Conservancy’s recent poll results that illustrate how there is broad public support to invest in natural climate solutions.
Before We Go…
The next Locally Sourced will highlight shoreline loss. Have you reported about how increased erosion and rising sea levels have changed our coastlines and the work being done to mitigate further losses? Send them to us at local[at]coveringclimatenow[dot]org. We’d love to consider them for the next edition of Locally Sourced and our media trainings and social platforms.
The Climate Station is a free-of-cost training program from CCNow that equips local TV station newsrooms in the US, including journalists, producers, and meteorologists, to cover climate news more effectively. For inquiries, please email Elena González at elena[at]coveringclimatenow[dot]org. Or apply here.
Want more story ideas? Check out the Locally Sourced archive for more topics to explore, including resilient agriculture, emergency alerts, climate anxiety, and more.
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