In 2024, Covering Climate Now alerted hundreds of journalists in Japan to a singularly important innovation in climate news coverage: the evening news program of France’s public broadcaster, France Télévisions, replacing its traditional weather report with a weather and climate report.
In a presentation organized by Japanese partner Media Is Hope to journalists gathered in Tokyo, CCNow executive director Mark Hertsgaard and France Télévisions journalist Audrey Cerdan explained how integrating climate science visually and narratively into France Télévisions’ weathercast not only provided the audience of its flagship news program with a more accurate understanding of the world; it also grew the size of that audience.
Journalists who attended said it inspired them to make climate change a regular part of their reporting and to emulate the example of France Télévisions. “Mr. Hertsgaard’s lecture was very informative and helpful,” one participant wrote. “It encouraged me to continue working harder on climate change reporting.” A second participant wrote, “The example of French Télévisions was especially impactful to see. I think it is quite hard work to prepare simulation videos of how extreme weather is connected to climate change, but I was very impressed, and we would like to try it.”
Two weeks later, 44 of Japan’s top TV meteorologists held a press conference and released a statement pledging to make the climate connection in their extreme weather reporting. “[We] will become a bridge to communicating the climate crisis,” said the statement, whose signatories represented some of Japan’s most influential TV stations and networks.
The TV meteorologists’ statement received abundant coverage from the rest of the Japanese media. “So far, we have more than 20 news articles, 4 videos on YouTube, and it was also reported on many TV news programs,” Media Is Hope told us.