Extreme weather, Biden administration climate legislation, climate impacts, and electric transportation were the major drivers of climate coverage in 2022.
Extreme weather
Billions of people around the world in 2022 suffered through intense and climate change-fueled extreme weather events. During the summer, extreme heat affected large swaths of the U.S., western Europe, and China. Several U.S. states were hit with record-breaking triple digit temperature highs, while July saw the hottest nights in U.S. history. The United Kingdom had its hottest day ever recorded on July 19, while an ongoing heat wave in China ended up being “the most severe ever recorded in the world.”
The severe heat also exacerbated drought conditions. Europe experienced its worst drought in 500 years, while parts of the Mississippi River and other rivers in the Northeast U.S. went dry. In addition to these U.S. droughts, the megadrought in the western U.S., which is the worst in 1,200 years, is affecting the water supplies of tens of millions of people. Meanwhile, the Horn of Africa is undergoing what NASA calls “the longest and most severe drought on record, threatening millions of people with starvation.”
In addition to droughts, flooding also wreaked havoc in the U.S. and Pakistan. The United States saw five separate 1-in-1,000-year flood events in less than a month, while Pakistan experienced significant rainfall that led to horrific flooding and a humanitarian disaster, leaving 33 million people displaced and nearly a third of the country submerged. Back in the U.S., Hurricane Ian battered Florida, rapidly intensifying to a Category 5 storm and dumping record rain in parts of Florida. Additionally, the U.S. once again had an above average wildfire season, with data through early September showing it to be the most active wildfire season in a decade.
Scientists say the fingerprints of climate change are all over worsening heat, drought, precipitation, hurricanes, and wildfires, and that these events will continue to worsen unless the world moves to rapidly reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.
In recent years, corporate broadcast TV networks have been slowly improving when it comes to linking climate change to extreme weather events. In 2021, extreme weather made up a large portion of broadcast TV’s climate coverage, accounting for 35% of combined morning news and nightly news segments. 2022 was no different, as extreme weather coverage made up 41% of total morning and evening news climate segments. Most of this coverage, however, came during the traditional extreme weather season of the summer months. Outside of these months, these networks still generally failed to make the connection between climate change and extreme weather.
Nightly news shows aired 100 segments that featured discussion of extreme weather events in 2022, making up just over half of the 196 nightly news climate segments. 66 of these segments aired during the summer (June 21 to September 21), with 35 in July alone. ABC’s World News Tonight aired 37 extreme weather segments, which constituted 57% of its 65 overall climate segments; CBS Evening News aired 32 extreme weather segments, which constituted 46% of its 69 overall segments; and NBC Nightly News aired 31 extreme weather segments, which constituted 50% of its 62 overall segments.
The majority of extreme weather climate segments focused on events occurring within the U.S. The ongoing western drought was mentioned in 19 segments throughout the year. General extreme heat and wildfires were mentioned in 16 segments each; flooding in 12 segments; and hurricanes in 11 segments. In addition to U.S.-focused segments, the European heat wave and wildfires that occurred during the summer were mentioned in 11 segments. The megadrought in the Horn of Africa was mentioned in 6 segments, and flooding in Sudan in 1 segment. Finally, the extreme heat in China was mentioned in 1 segment.
U.S. heat waves in July were the single most discussed specific event, at 8 times. The European July heat wave was mentioned 6 times, as was Hurricane Ian. Western U.S. drought mentions were more varied — the drought’s effects on the Colorado River were mentioned 7 times; its effects on Lake Mead (located in the states of Arizona and Nevada), and California as a whole, 3 times each; and the Great Salt Lake (located in Utah) twice.
Morning news shows aired 117 segments that featured discussion of extreme weather events in 2022, making up 36% of their overall segments (322). 65 of these segments came during the summer, with 39 in July alone. CBS morning shows (Mornings and Saturday Morning) aired 48 extreme weather segments, which constituted 43% of its 112 overall climate segments; NBC’s Today aired 36 extreme weather segments, which constituted 36% of its 100 overall segments; and ABC’s Good Morning America aired 33 extreme weather segments, which constituted 30% of its 110 overall segments.
Like the nightly news shows, the majority of the coverage in the morning shows focused on U.S. extreme weather events. The U.S. megadrought was mentioned in 23 segments; both wildfires and extreme heat in 17 segments; and both floods and hurricanes in 11 segments. The extreme heat and wildfires in Europe were mentioned in 14 segments. Unlike the nightly news shows, there were 12 mentions not tied to a specific region but that instead addressed how climate change is generally worsening extreme weather events.
July heat waves in the U.S. were mentioned in 14 segments. The July heat waves in Europe, the western U.S. drought’s effects on Lake Mead, and Hurricane Ian were mentioned in 9 segments. Morning news shows also discussed more areas hit by flooding. While the nightly news shows mentioned only the Death Valley and Kentucky flooding, morning news shows also linked climate change to the Dallas flooding, the St. Louis flooding, and general Mid-Atlantic flooding.
Sunday morning political shows aired 8 segments that featured discussion of extreme weather events segments in 2022. This number is smaller than in 2021, when extreme weather was featured in 13 segments on Sunday morning shows. Extreme weather events in the U.S. were mentioned in 6 segments in 2022, with one mention of Europe’s summer wildfires and heat. The July 24 edition of Meet the Press, which featured an interview with Al Gore, was the longest segment in 2022 that referenced extreme weather.
While the uptick in linking the climate crisis to extreme weather reporting was a promising sign in 2022, these climate links still made up only a small portion of ABC’s, CBS’, and NBC’s total extreme weather reporting. Two Media Matters studies from July illustrate this point. Morning and nightly news shows on these networks aired 16 segments on the Washburn Fire from July 9 to July 11, and only 6 of them (38%) mentioned climate change. Later, these same shows aired 27 segments on extreme heat from July 16 to 18; only 10 of them (37%) mentioned climate change. These figures were even worse when it came to hurricane coverage. News shows on these networks aired a whopping 178 combined segments over four hours on Hurricane Ian (and to a smaller degree, Hurricane Fiona) between September 24 to 28. Only 7 of them (4%) mentioned climate change.
These networks also missed key opportunities to connect climate change to other devastating extreme weather events in 2022. A punishing and record-breaking heat wave struck India and Pakistan in March and April, with India reporting its hottest month since records began. If broadcast networks reported on this event, none of those segments mentioned climate change. This also holds true for reporting on Nigeria’s October floods, which were the worst in a decade and displaced over a million people. Given the size and scale of China’s summer heat wave, it's disappointing to see that climate change was mentioned only once (on the August 18 edition of NBC Nightly News) in the reporting on the event.
As the Indian subcontinent’s extreme heat and Nigerian flooding examples show, climate change does not just influence extreme weather events in the summer months — it is a year-round phenomenon. Networks need to do a better job of making this connection.
Biden climate actions: The Inflation Reduction Act
While numerous climate actions undertaken by the Biden administration received some attention from corporate broadcast TV networks in 2022, the one that was reported on the most was the legislative framework that ended up becoming the Inflation Reduction Act.
On August 16, the president signed the legislation into law. Among things like tax reform and lowering prescription drug prices, the package allocates roughly $369 billion toward clean energy and climate change efforts, making it the largest federal investment in the fight against climate change in U.S. history. All told, it aims to reduce 2030 greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. by 40% (relative to 2005 levels). Some of the key provisions include expanding access to clean energy, providing funding for low-income families for home energy efficiency upgrades, tax credits for electric vehicles, and money for sustainable agricultural practices and nuclear power.
The bill’s passage came as a massive surprise to observers, as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) pulled his support for the earlier iteration of the bill, the Build Back Better Act, in late 2021. Negotiations began again in the summer of 2022, with secret negotiations occurring between Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on July 18. And in less than a month, the bill passed both chambers of Congress and was signed into law.
Approximately 35 segments across morning news, nightly news, and Sunday morning political shows mentioned the Inflation Reduction Act. These segments all aired after July 27. A further 24 segments mentioned the Build Back Better Act (or Biden climate legislation more broadly), which all aired before July 27. Together, these made up nearly 68% of all segments that discussed the Biden administration’s climate actions (87), and 11% of all climate segments in 2022.
Nightly news shows mentioned the Inflation Reduction Act in 12 segments and mentioned the previous iteration of the bill (before July 27) in 6 segments. This made up roughly 9% of their overall climate coverage in 2022. ABC’s World News Tonight mentioned the climate legislation 8 times, airing 6 specific segments on the IRA. CBS Evening News mentioned it 5 times, airing 4 specific segments on the IRA. NBC Nightly News also mentioned it 5 times, airing only 2 specific segments on the IRA. The longest nightly news segment on the IRA was nearly 4 minutes on the August 8 edition of World News Tonight.
Morning news shows mentioned the Inflation Reduction Act in 17 segments and the previous iteration of the bill in 7 segments. This made up 7% of their overall climate segments. CBS morning shows mentioned the climate legislation in 11 segments, with 7 specifically on the IRA. ABC’s Good Morning America mentioned it in 10 segments, with 8 specifically on the IRA. NBC aired only 3 segments, with 2 on the IRA. NBC’s Today did, however, air the longest morning news segment on the IRA, which lasted just over 3 minutes on the July 28 edition.
Sunday morning political shows mentioned the IRA in 6 segments and the previous iteration of the bill in 11 segments. This constituted 47% of their overall climate segments. 6 segments came on July 17, just before negotiations on the plan that would become the IRA restarted. ABC’s This Week mentioned the climate legislation in 6 segments, with only one on the IRA. Fox News Sunday mentioned it 5 times, with 3 specific segments on the IRA. CBS’ Face the Nation mentioned it 4 times, with only 2 segments on the IRA. NBC’s Meet the Press mentioned it 3 times, with just one segment on the IRA. The longest segment on any Biden climate legislation occurred on the April 17 edition of This Week, where Build Back Better was discussed.
Corporate broadcast TV networks did not devote nearly enough time to discussing the climate provisions of the IRA
The 35 IRA segments that discussed any of the climate provisions of the bill at length were a drop in the bucket compared to the overall amount of discussion around the IRA. A Media Matters review of Nexis transcripts from July 27 to December 31 found well over 100 segments devoted to discussing the legislation. Many of these segments made a reference to the historic climate provisions only in passing, glossing over them and other notable aspects of the legislation like corporate tax increases and health care reform. Discussions of the IRA were generally framed around how Manchin came to support it, whether Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) would support it, and what pushback against the bill was coming from congressional Republicans.
Rarely was there extensive discussion of the significance of the climate provisions in the IRA. The legislation could have been put into context with the failed history of climate legislation in the U.S., with Biden’s ambitious plans for climate action, with the urgency of the climate crisis, or with how the climate provisions of the bill could possibly lead to stronger action on climate change abroad. Additionally, the only notable guest with a relevant climate background who discussed the IRA climate provisions in any detail was EPA Administrator Michael Regan on the November 11 edition of NBC Nightly News. Most segments featured network correspondents talking about the IRA, with interspersed clips of senators sharing their thoughts on the legislation.
As the biggest climate investment in U.S. history, and as a landmark legislative package with massive implications for the development of a cleaner energy economy, the climate provisions of the IRA deserved far more attention than they received from corporate broadcast TV news.
Other Biden climate actions
Along with the IRA and Build Back Better, two other Biden administration climate actions in 2022 received a considerable number of mentions. Biden’s July 20 speech in Massachusetts where he called climate change a “clear and present danger” and initiated several actions to tackle it received 9 mentions across all programs. Many of these mentions occurred in segments on the brutal heat wave that hit the U.S. in July. There were also 6 general references to the Biden administration’s general goal of a 50% emissions reduction by 2030. Additionally, his Earth Day executive order protecting old-growth forests received 3 mentions.
Climate impacts
It’s clear that climate change is amplifying extreme weather events like heat waves, wildfires, drought, and floods. These events lead to cascading impacts on human health, critical resources and infrastructure, and the natural world — many of the things that we take for granted.
For example, the megadrought in the western United States is leading to water shortages, threatening access to clean drinking water for millions of people. Drastic steps were taken on this front in August, when the federal government issued water cuts in several states. Worsening heat waves are straining the electrical grid, leading to more power shortages. In general, the U.S. power grid is unprepared for the impacts of climate change.
Drought and extreme heat also affect agricultural production all around the world, as drier weather leads to more failed harvests. Drought and extreme heat also make it easier for wildfires to spread and affect forests and trees, which can help absorb carbon dioxide. All of these extreme weather events have an associated economic fallout as well, with business often taking a hit and entire communities requiring varying degrees of reconstruction.
Outside of the aforementioned climate impacts on certain extreme weather events, broadcast TV networks did a decent job of mentioning various other climate impacts to their viewers. Climate change’s impacts were on water, the power grid, public health, agriculture, sea level rise, and the economy were mentioned in 32% of all climate segments in 2022 — 178 out of 554 segments.
Nightly news shows mentioned climate change’s impacts on water 19 times; impacts on power and the electric grid 16 times; impacts on agriculture 15 times; impacts on public health 13 times; and the economic impacts of climate change 10 times. Additionally, general ocean impacts were mentioned 9 times, while sea-level rise and impacts on trees and forests were mentioned 8 times.
Morning news shows mentioned the economic impacts of climate change 20 times; its impacts on agriculture, public health, and water 19 times each; and its impacts on the grid 8 times. Impacts on mammals, birds, and bugs were mentioned 21 times; impacts on warming ocean waters 20 times; and impacts on sea level rise 11 times.
Climate impacts aside from extreme heat, drought, and flooding did not make up a huge portion of Sunday morning political shows. General worsening climate impacts were mentioned 4 times, while economic impacts and impacts on water, public health, and the power grid were mentioned 1 time.
Climate solutions: electric transportation
Corporate broadcast TV networks are doing a better job of reporting on climate solutions in their general climate change coverage. For example, while only 19% of their climate reporting on nightly news and Sunday morning political shows in 2017 and 2018 mentioned solutions, this number jumped to 34% in 2021.
While Media Matters will release its final 2022 climate solutions reporting figures in a separate study, the overall tally of solutions coverage will look similar to that of 2021. In reviewing coverage of climate solutions in 2022, one solution stood out: electric transportation.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the transportation sector is the largest single source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, generating roughly 27% of emissions in 2020. The rapid electrification of the U.S. vehicle fleet could lead to a large decline in these emissions. At the federal level, the IRA allows for certain individuals and businesses to qualify for a tax credit of up to $7,500 when buying an electric vehicle. The Biden administration is also sending $1 billion to school districts in order to help accelerate the adoption of electric school buses. At the state level, California passed legislation in August banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Other states are beginning to follow suit, including Oregon and Washington. Finally, major car companies are planning to bolster their electric fleets in the coming years, with Ford and General Motors hoping to have 40-50% of their total vehicle sales come from EVs by 2030.
Electric transportation as a climate solution was mentioned in 49 segments across morning news, nightly news, and Sunday morning political shows in 2022. Nightly news shows specifically mentioned electric transportation in 19 out of their 195 total climate segments in 2022, making up 10% of those shows’ overall climate segments. CBS mentioned electric transportation in 7 of its segments, while ABC and NBC mentioned it 6 times each.
Several notable segments stand out, including an interview with GM CEO Mary Barra on GM’s electric plans on the January 29 edition of CBS Weekend News, and a discussion combating some myths around the idea that electric vehicles are only for elites on the April 23 edition of NBC Nightly News.
Morning news shows mentioned electric transportation in 26 of their 322 total climate segments, making up 8% of their overall climate segments. CBS and ABC each mentioned electric transportation in 9 segments, while NBC mentioned it in 8 segments. 3 ABC segments mentioning transportation-based solutions occurred during the week leading up to Earth Day, with ABC’s chief meteorologist Ginger Zee taking an EV road trip across multiple states to bring attention to EVs.
Sunday morning political shows, meanwhile, mentioned electric transportation in 4 segments. 3 of these came on Face the Nation.
Most of these segments were about electric vehicles or charging infrastructure. There were a few exceptions, however, including the April 15 edition of NBC’s Today, which highlighted developments in electric airplanes.
COP27 and the war in Ukraine should have been key drivers of climate coverage, but weren’t
In November 2021, COP26 in Glasgow was a key driver of broadcast TV climate coverage. This made sense, as it was one of the most significant global climate conferences to date. Nightly news shows mentioned it in 24 segments, which was 13% of their overall climate coverage. Morning news shows mentioned it in 40 segments, making up 11% of their overall coverage.
COP27 took place in November 2022 in Egypt and was a similarly high-profile, high-stakes climate summit. It even ended with a commitment to create a historic fund that compensates poorer nations for the disproportionate climate effects they experience. Despite the importance of this event, nightly news and morning news shows covered the event much less compared to 2021. Nightly news shows covered COP27 in just 6 of their 195 climate segments in 2022 (3%), while morning news shows covered it in just 8 of their 322 segments (2%).
Another major story that has huge ramifications for climate change is the war in Ukraine. The Russian invasion in February 2022 set off a global energy crisis, sending gas and oil prices rocketing. It also led to “a gold rush for new fossil fuel infrastructure” at a time when scientists say that the world needs to dramatically cut its usage of fossil fuels in order to stave off the worst effects of climate change. However, despite the initial scramble for fossil fuels at the outset of the war, the war has also incentivized many countries to accelerate their investment in clean energy. Energy policy expert Jason Bordoff recently reiterated these points, stating that the war is “probably going to have a negative impact on emissions in the near term, but a positive impact in the longer term.”
While there were many opportunities for corporate broadcast TV networks to discuss the war in Ukraine in a climate context, they unfortunately largely stayed silent on the issue: only 20 of the 554 total climate segments (4%) mentioned the war in a climate context. 13 of these 20 segments came on Sunday morning political shows. 5 came on CBS morning shows, while two came on NBC Nightly News. Perhaps the best segment came on the March 26 edition of CBS Saturday Morning, where they explicitly mentioned the war’s role in potentially expediting the world’s shift to clean energy.
