• The volume of climate change coverage on corporate broadcast morning and nightly news and Sunday morning political programs decreased 25% from 2022 to 2023, from nearly 23 hours to a little more than 17 hours (1,032 minutes) across 435 segments.

• Climate change coverage on corporate broadcast TV news comprised less than 1% of corporate broadcast coverage aired in 2023.

• Only 12% of climate segments on corporate broadcast news, or 52 out of 435, mentioned “fossil fuels.” This is a slight increase from 2022, when “fossil fuels” were mentioned in only 8% of climate segments. 

• For the third year in a row, CBS far outpaced its competitors in the amount of coverage it dedicated to the climate, airing 42% of all climate coverage. ABC aired the least amount of coverage of the three networks. NBC had the largest decrease in coverage from the previous year, dropping coverage in 2023 by 31% from 2022.

• Climate coverage on ABC’s, CBS’, and NBC's nightly news programs decreased 36% from 2022.
  • PBS’ NewsHour once again outperformed the corporate networks in nightly news climate coverage, airing 122 climate segments in 2023 — only slightly fewer than the combined 133 segments aired by ABC, CBS, and NBC’s nightly news programs. NewsHour, however, is not included in the full data set, as it is publicly funded and the format of the program is different from that of its corporate network counterparts.

• Climate coverage on ABC’s, CBS’, and NBC's morning news programs decreased by 23% compared to 2022.

• For at least the seventh year in a row, white men dominated the demographics of guests featured in climate segments. 52% of guests on morning news, evening news, and Sunday morning political programs — 214 out of 411 guests — were white men. Women were underrepresented in climate coverage, making up 36% of guests. Only 10% of guests — 40 in total — were women of color.

• Global extreme weather was once again the biggest driver of climate coverage. Discussion of extreme weather events aired during 37% of coverage, or 160 out of 435 segments.
  • June through September saw the most severe extreme weather events and accounted for just over 54% of total coverage. July had the most climate coverage of any month, with 20% of climate segments airing during the hottest July on record.
  • Corporate broadcast networks mentioned various climate impacts outside of extreme weather, including how the warming climate affects agriculture, wildlife, the economy, public health, infrastructure, water, and mortality. These impacts, among others, were mentioned in 29% of segments, or 126 out of 435.

• Solutions or actions that may be taken in response to climate change were mentioned in 22% of climate segments aired on ABC, CBS, NBC, or Fox Broadcasting Co., ending a trend of improvement in coverage of climate solutions. Climate solutions were mentioned in 29% of segments in 2020, 31% of segments in 2021, and reached a zenith of 35% in 2022.

• Discussion of climate justice — which focuses on the disproportionate effects of climate change on socially marginalized communities and the need for equitable solutions in addressing global warming — was mostly lacking from TV news climate coverage in 2023, appearing in only 5% of coverage. This was a slight improvement from 2022, when it appeared in only 3%.

In 2023, corporate broadcast TV news covered climate change for 1,032 minutes. This marked a considerable decrease from the 1,374 minutes aired in 2022 and the 1,316 minutes aired in 2021.

2023 marked a departure from corporate broadcast networks’ recent positive trajectory in climate coverage, signaling a return to pre-2021 patterns of inconsistent reporting. Following a period of progressive improvement, which reached record levels in 2021 and 2022, last year saw a notable reduction in climate reporting. Unfortunately, this downward shift coincided with intensifying global climate challenges.

2023 climate coverage overview

• CBS, while maintaining its lead for the third year in a row, saw its climate coverage decrease from 2022’s total of 524 minutes to 430 minutes across 147 segments in 2023, representing an 18% decrease in coverage volume. This was the smallest decrease among corporate broadcast networks.

• NBC aired 312 minutes of climate coverage across 140 segments, representing a decrease of 31% from the 455 minutes it aired in 2022. This was the largest decrease among the broadcast networks.

• ABC aired 284 minutes of climate coverage across 145 segments, representing a decrease of 24% from the 376 minutes it aired in 2022.

Acknowledging the number of significant news events in 2023, it is still important for broadcast news to prioritize climate change in their coverage. Remarkably, coverage dropped from 2 hours in September to just 17 minutes in October, the lowest coverage of any month. This reduction occurred ahead of COP28, which is the United Nations’ annual climate summit, during which the Biden administration announced key climate initiatives, including new regulations to curb methane emissions.

Morning news programs reduced coverage by 23% from 2022

In 2023, ABC’s, CBS’, and NBC's morning news programs aired a collective 673 minutes of climate coverage across 276 segments, representing a 23% decrease from the 871 minutes of climate coverage aired in 2022. Morning coverage in 2023 peaked in April, with 2 hours of coverage. This is consistent with previous years, when morning programs have typically increased their climate and environmental coverage in observation of Earth Day. (The month of April is often characterized as Earth Month by the networks.)

• CBS led for the third year in a row, airing 289 minutes of climate coverage across 93 segments during its morning news programs, representing a 19% decrease compared to the 356 minutes it aired in 2022.

• NBC aired 201 minutes of climate coverage across 87 segments during its morning news programs, representing a decrease of 28% from the 278 minutes of coverage it aired in 2022.

• ABC aired 183 minutes of climate coverage across 96 segments during its morning news program, representing a decrease of 23% from the 237 minutes the network aired in 2022. 

For the first time, our study includes CBS News Sunday Morning, which airs for 90 minutes on Sundays, allowing for a more direct comparison of weekend morning news programs across networks. CBS Mornings airs Monday through Friday, and CBS Saturday Morning on Saturday, each for two hours. 

NBC’s Today show airs for three hours on weekdays, two hours on Saturday, and one hour on Sunday. ABC’s Good Morning America airs for two hours Monday through Saturday and one hour on Sunday.

This inclusion offers a clearer perspective on how weekend morning programs contribute to climate coverage. Sunday morning political shows were assessed separately and not included within our categorization of morning news programs.

Nightly news programs reduced coverage by 36% from 2022

In 2023, ABC’s, CBS’, and NBC’s nightly news programs aired 259 minutes of climate coverage across 133 segments in 2023, representing a 36% decrease from the 404 minutes of coverage in 2022.

Notably, NBC Nightly News emerged as the leader in climate coverage among broadcast nightly news programs this year, marking a change from the last six years in which CBS Evening News led.

• NBC led evening news coverage with 109 minutes across 52 segments dedicated to the climate, representing a 26% decrease from the 147 minutes it aired in 2022. NBC had the smallest decrease among broadcast nightly news programs.

• CBS aired 76 minutes of climate coverage across 40 segments, representing a 49% decrease from the 148 minutes it aired in 2022. CBS had the largest decrease among broadcast nightly news programs.

• ABC aired 74 minutes of climate coverage across 41 segments, representing a 31% decrease from the 108 minutes it aired in 2022.

• In comparison, PBS NewsHour aired 122 segments in 2023 — down from the 147 segments it aired in 2022 and the 151 segments it aired in 2021. NewsHour has traditionally outperformed its corporate broadcast counterparts in both the quantity and quality of its climate coverage, and 2023 was no different.

In 2023, ABC's This Week, CBS' Face the Nation, NBC’s Meet the Press, and Fox News Sunday aired a combined 102 minutes of climate coverage across 26 segments. CBS’ Face the Nation was the only Sunday morning political show to increase its coverage from 2022. NBC's Meet the Press aired only one climate segment in 2023, a stark departure from previous years.

Face the Nation’s improvement was driven, in part, by CBS News' senior national and environmental correspondent Ben Tracy. Tracy was the lead correspondent for a nearly 10-minute January 1 segment discussing the impacts of climate change on extreme weather, as well as opportunities and challenges stemming from the Biden administration’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. Tracy also closed out the year, appearing on the December 31 episode of Face the Nation for a 5-minute discussion about the possibility for more extreme weather events in 2024 due to climate change, the challenges in transitioning to electric vehicles and building a sufficient charging infrastructure, and the potential impacts of the 2024 presidential election on future climate policies.

The September 3 episode of ABC’s This Week was the only Sunday morning political program to rebut the climate denial espoused by Republican presidential candidates during the first Republican primary debate on August 24. ABC News chief meteorologist and chief climate correspondent Ginger Zee led a 6-minute segment focused on how climate change was discussed during the first Republican primary debate, highlighting the party's denial and skepticism in the face of the scientific consensus on human-induced climate change.

• CBS' Face the Nation aired 66 minutes of climate coverage across 14 segments on its Sunday morning political program, representing an increase of 230% from the 20 minutes it aired in 2022.

• ABC's This Week aired 28 minutes of climate coverage across 8 segments, representing a 7% decrease in coverage from the 30 minutes it aired in 2022.

• Fox Broadcasting Co.’s Fox News Sunday aired 6 minutes of climate coverage across 3 segments, representing a 67% decrease in coverage from the 18 minutes it aired in 2022.

• NBC’s Meet the Press aired 2 minutes of climate coverage across 1 segment, representing a 93% decrease from the 30 minutes it aired in 2022.

Climate coverage across the corporate broadcast networks in 2023 again followed distinct patterns, with July again emerging as a peak period for climate reporting. Much of the reporting focused on extreme weather events, including record heat waves, flooding in the Northeast, and historic wildfires in Canada, highlighting their devastating impacts across various regions.

• In July, corporate broadcast networks aired 203 minutes of climate coverage, accounting for 20% of the year's total.

• Morning news programs aired 81 minutes of coverage in July, while nightly news programs aired 73 minutes, and Sunday morning political programs aired 49 minutes.
  • CBS aired 73 minutes of climate coverage in July, its peak month.
  • ABC aired 69 minutes of climate coverage in July, its peak month. 
  • NBC aired 58 minutes of climate coverage in July. The network’s peak month, however, was April, with 60 minutes of coverage.

Outside of July, climate coverage across ABC, CBS, and NBC was inconsistent throughout 2023, mirroring patterns observed in previous years. After reaching its zenith in July, and with elevated coverage throughout the other peak extreme weather months, coverage declined precipitously in subsequent months. The months of June through September account for 54% of the networks’ climate coverage for the year. October, November, and December saw a significant reduction in climate segments across all platforms, highlighting a seasonal pattern in which attention to climate issues intensified with the increased frequency of extreme weather events but diminished as the year closed. The fluctuation was evident in Sunday morning political programs as well, which mirrored the broader trends in broadcast news coverage.

In 2023, the guests featured in climate segments on corporate broadcast news once again skewed predominantly white and male, continuing a long-running trend that leaves climate discourse lacking in the diversity of perspectives represented. These guests either appeared live on set to discuss climate change or were part of prerecorded video reports by network correspondents.

• Of 411 total guests, 263 were men (64%) and 148 were women (36%). 322 guests were white (78%), and 89 were people of color (22%), including 17 Black, 35 Hispanic, and 4 Indigenous guests. This trend was consistent across all three corporate broadcast networks and PBS.

• PBS NewsHour featured 140 named guests in 2023, of whom 91 were men (65%) and 49 were women (35%). 98 guests were white (70%) and 42 were people of color (30%), including 9 Black, 3 Hispanic, and 3 Indigenous guests. 

Climate change disproportionately harms socially marginalized communities across the U.S. and worldwide, and their voices must be incorporated into climate coverage. Even though the United States is becoming increasingly racially and ethnically diverse, broadcast TV climate segments in 2023 predominantly featured non-Hispanic white men. This recurring trend demonstrates a critical gap in representation, which has continually failed to reflect the broad spectrum of perspectives and experiences required to speak to the multifaceted challenges of climate change.

Appearances by those most impacted by climate change fell in 2023

Beginning in 2021, Media Matters began characterizing frontline community members, impacted community members, and first responders as those most impacted by climate change. That year, 107 out of 534 guests were characterized as those most impacted by climate change. That number rose to 201 out of 657 appearances in 2022. 

• 89 guest appearances across nightly, morning, and Sunday morning political news programs in 2023 were coded as members of a frontline community, impacted community, or first responder.

• 65 guest appearances were made by people identified as impacted community members, which Media Matters defined as those who have been impacted by a single climate event or for whom ongoing climate impacts have affected their livelihood or caused destruction to their home, local infrastructure, and local economy. 

• 16 appearances were made by those categorized as frontline community members, which Media Matters defined as those who live in communities situated in proximity to fossil fuel infrastructure or who are uniquely affected by the climate’s ongoing impacts on their health, livelihood, or local economy. 

• 8 were made by those categorized as first responders, which Media Matters defined generally as law enforcement, medical and emergency personnel, or firefighters who responded to help survivors in the aftermath of an extreme weather event or, in the case of firefighters, who are on the frontlines of combating climate change-fueled events.

More climate scientists and experts appeared in 2023, while the number of climate advocates, activists, and politicians fell

The composition of guests featured in climate segments on corporate broadcast news in 2023 saw a notable shift, with an increase in the representation of climate scientists and other experts in their particular field. 

• Experts with climate-related knowledge, including doctors, researchers, and public health professionals, made up 24% of featured guests (100 out of 411) in 2023, compared to 9% (56 out of 657) in 2022.

• Climate scientists made up 10% of featured guests (41 out of 411) in 2023, compared to 4% (27 out of 657) in 2022.
  • 25 climate scientists featured were men (61%) and 16 were women (39%). 
  • 39 featured climate scientists were white (95%). 

• Morning news programs hosted 22 climate scientists, nightly news programs hosted 16, and Sunday morning political programs hosted 3.

• CBS hosted 22 climate scientists. 
  • Notable appearances included Kate Marvel, senior scientist at Project Drawdown, who appeared on the November 14 episode of CBS Evening News to discuss the findings from the Fifth National Climate Assessment, and Michael Mann, a professor in the department of earth and environmental science at the University of Pennsylvania who appeared on the September 16 episode of CBS Saturday Morning to emphasize the unsustainability of fossil fuel consumption and advocate for using historical climate data to inform solutions to mitigate global warming.

• NBC hosted 14 climate scientists. 
  • Notable appearances included, Katherine Calvin, chief scientist and senior climate adviser at NASA, who appeared on the January 12 episode of NBC Nightly News.

• ABC hosted 5 climate scientists.
  • Notable appearances included Brad Udall, senior water and climate research scientist at Colorado State University, who appeared on the April 18 episode of Good Morning America to discuss how the Colorado River's record low flows, caused by reduced precipitation and increased temperatures, signal the permanent aridification of the American West. 

However, 2023 also saw significant decreases in the representation of other guests.

• Only 22 climate advocates and activists were featured this year, down from 83 in 2022.

• Appearances by politicians also decreased significantly in 2023, with a total of 6 politicians being hosted, split evenly between 3 left-leaning and 3 right-leaning, compared to a total of 30 predominantly left-leaning politicians in 2022.

Extreme weather

2023 was Earth’s hottest year on record. Hundreds of millions across the globe were affected by extreme heat, and each month from June through December shattered the previous record for that month. July ultimately became the hottest month ever recorded. Exacerbated by El Niño conditions, 2023 provided even more clear and compelling evidence that global warming, driven primarily by fossil fuel emissions, is reaching dangerous tipping points.

These conditions contributed to widespread, record-breaking extreme weather events, including extreme heat, flooding, and wildfires, both nationally and globally​. The United States faced a historic number of climate disasters, including severe storms, significant flooding, a catastrophic winter storm in the northeastern United States, an ongoing drought and heat wave across central and southern states, a devastating wildfire in Maui, and Hurricane Idalia in Florida. Collectively, these events resulted in at least $92 billion in damages and claimed the lives of at least 492 individuals. 

Globally, 2023 was marked by devastating wildfires in Canada and Greece, significant flooding in New Zealand, and a heat wave that gripped much of Europe during the summer. Asia was besieged by Cyclone Mocha and Typhoon Mawar, which was one of the strongest tropical cyclones in decades. Additionally, catastrophic floods in China, the hottest July on record, and heat-related fatalities in South Korea, demonstrated the widespread and diverse impacts of climate-driven extreme weather.

Coverage highlights 

• In 2023, extreme weather was mentioned in 37% of all climate segments (160 out of 435), a decrease from 2022, when extreme weather was mentioned in 41% of all broadcast climate segments (225 out of 554).
  • The top 4 extreme weather events that were discussed in climate coverage were the July heat wave (35 segments), the Canadian wildfire smoke event (19 segments), the California atmospheric river (12 segments), and the August heat wave (9 segments).

• Coverage of extreme weather was highest in July, when it was mentioned in 54 segments, or 34% of 2023’s total segments about extreme weather.

• 35 specific extreme weather events, including 7 named storms, were mentioned across corporate broadcast climate coverage in 2023.

• Morning news programs mentioned extreme weather in 88 segments. 
  • The July heat wave was mentioned in 24 segments on morning news programs, the Canadian wildfire smoke event was mentioned in 11 segments, and the California atmospheric river was mentioned in 6 segments.

• Nightly news programs mentioned extreme weather in 57 segments.
  • The Canadian wildfire smoke was mentioned in 7 segments on nightly news programs, the California atmospheric river was mentioned in 5 segments, and the July heat wave was mentioned in 3 segments.

• Sunday morning political programs mentioned extreme weather in 15 segments.
  • The July heat wave was mentioned in 8 segments on Sunday morning political programs, and both the California atmospheric river and the Canadian wildfire smoke event were mentioned in 1 segment each.

Despite this coverage, climate change was only mentioned in a small percent of extreme weather coverage in 2023. For example, only 2% of segments about Hurricane Idalia linked the storm to global warming, while only 4% of segments about Hurricane Hilary mentioned climate. Just 4% of segments about the Lahaina, Hawaii, wildfire discussed climate change, while only 10% of segments about catastrophic flooding across the Northeast connected that event to climate change. Regarding the record-shattering heat wave that scorched Texas in June, only 5% of segments mentioned climate change.

Given the high visibility of extreme weather events, corporate broadcast networks must commit to a more comprehensive approach to covering them. This includes consistently linking extreme weather events to climate change in order to clarify the causal relationship between them, providing more extensive coverage of global extreme weather events, and covering extreme weather as a year-round phenomenon.

Emerging trends in extreme weather coverage

Reporting on global warming trends 

In 2023, the world grappled with its hottest year on record, a stark testament to the escalating impacts of climate change. Throughout the year, a series of unprecedented heat-related records were shattered, including the hottest single day, the hottest month, and record ocean temperatures. These events were not isolated incidents but part of a relentless pattern of global warming, marking the year as a turning point into a new era of climate reality.

Coverage highlights

• Broadcast TV news networks dedicated a significant portion of their climate coverage to these trends, with 102 out of 435 segments (23%) mentioning concerning climate trends such as the increased frequency of record-breaking extreme weather events. 
  • Morning news programs mentioned climate trends in 62 segments. 
  • Nightly news programs mentioned climate trends in 29 segments.
  • Sunday morning political programs mentioned climate trends in 11 segments. 
    • Notably, ABC’s This Week mentioned climate trends in 6 of its 8 climate segments.

• The specific climate trends that received the most mentions were primarily focused on record-breaking temperatures. 
  • Record-breaking heat was mentioned in 27 segments, the occurrence of the hottest month was mentioned in 18 segments, and the hottest year on record was mentioned in 11 segments.
  • Other notable trends discussed included record ocean temperatures, which were mentioned in 10 segments, and the hottest day on record, which was mentioned in 7 segments.

Incorporation of climate attribution studies in extreme weather coverage

Climate attribution studies, which identify the influence of human-induced climate change on specific extreme weather events, are crucial for understanding the link between human activities and global warming. As the science of climate attribution has improved, the gradual integration of climate attribution studies into corporate broadcast networks' climate coverage marks a significant improvement in climate journalism. For example, in July media outlets reported on an analysis showing that the July heat wave that blanketed part of the U.S., Mexico, and Europe would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change. Some broadcast news programs also incorporated this analysis into their coverage. 

Even before the July heat wave, Texas had experienced prolonged extreme heat which, as ABC’s Ginger Zee noted on the June 23 episode of Good Morning America was made worse by climate change: “Climate Central, a group that looks at how human-induced climate change impacts things like heat waves, says that the one, at least through the weekend, would be five times more likely for heat like that because of climate change.” 

Given the critical insights that climate attribution studies provided into the impacts of human-induced climate change, there is a pressing need to expand their use in corporate broadcast network climate coverage in 2024.

• In 2023, corporate broadcast networks mentioned climate attribution studies in 10 segments.
  • ABC mentioned these studies in 5 segments, CBS in 3 segments, and NBC in 2 segments.

Climate impacts

The effects of climate change have had significant impacts on human health, infrastructure, the economy, and the natural environment. Although the climate impacts of extreme weather such as heat waves, wildfires, and hurricanes receive much coverage every year, global warming’s impacts on the economy and communities threatened by sea-level rise are also widespread. One example is the retrenchment of the insurance market, with some insurers no longer providing coverage to high-risk areas in states such as California, Florida, and Louisiana, while homeowners face skyrocketing insurance rates in other areas. 

• Corporate broadcast networks mentioned various climate impacts outside of extreme weather — such as those affecting animals, the economy, public health, sea-level rise, water, and fatalities — in 29% of all climate segments, or 126 out of 435 segments.

Emerging trends in climate impacts coverage

More coverage is focusing on the public health impacts and fatalities associated with climate change

Climate impacts, particularly from extreme weather events, took a toll on public health and well-being in 2023, contributing to public health emergencies and humanitarian crises in places like South Sudan and even causing fatalities across the globe. 

Coverage highlights

• The impacts from climate change on public health received 63 mentions, while climate change-related deaths received 15 mentions. Climate change as a contributor to humanitarian crises received 5 mentions. 

• Extreme weather events that took place during the summer months, including record heat waves, deadly wildfires, and the effects of smoke from the Canadian wildfires, promoted discussion of climate-related deaths and the ways the crisis affects our health. 
  • For example, during the Canadian wildfire smoke event in early June that created dangerous air quality conditions for large swaths of the East Coast, coverage centered around the resulting dangerous air quality. The June 8 episode of CBS Mornings featured a senior scientist with the National Resources Defense Council who detailed the public health risks from wildfire smoke. 
  • The August 8 episode of ABC’s Good Morning America aired a segment about heat-related deaths, noting that “heat is the number one weather killer,” ahead of tornados, hurricanes, and floods.

• In June, the first cases of Malaria in the U.S. in 20 years were detected, prompting several networks to connect the outbreak to climate change, including ABC’s Good Morning America on June 28, when a doctor interviewed for the segment explicitly drew the connection. 

• Of the 5 segments that discussed how climate change-fueled droughts and storms are contributing to humanitarian crises, ABC aired 3, all focused on how hunger and political conflict in South Sudan had been exacerbated by droughts and flooding 
  • For example, during the April 20 episode of ABC’s World News Tonight, anchor David Muir noted how the network’s reporting on this crisis had helped drive aid to those impacted.

Solutions

In addition to raising awareness about the climate crisis and its causes, it is equally important that networks inform viewers about potential solutions to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change and the various ways that communities, sectors of the economy, and governments are adapting to a world warmed by fossil fuel pollution.

Coverage highlights

• 2023 saw climate solutions mentioned in only 22% of segments, or 95 out of 435 segments. 
  • This breaks the trend of improvement in coverage of climate solutions; solutions were mentioned in 29% of segments in 2020, 31% of segments in 2021, and reached a zenith of 35% in 2022. 

• CBS continued to lead its competitors in climate solutions coverage, mentioning solutions in 49 segments, followed by NBC with 28, ABC with 17, and Fox News Sunday with 1.

• Morning news programs mentioned solutions in 67 climate segments. CBS led with mentions in 37 segments, followed by NBC with 19 and ABC with 11. 

• Nightly news programs mentioned solutions in 23 climate segments. CBS led with mentions in 10 segments, followed by NBC with 9 and ABC with 4. 

• Sunday morning political programs mentioned solutions in 5 segments. ABC’s This Week and CBS’ Face the Nation mentioned climate solutions in 2 segments each. Fox Broadcasting Co.’s Fox News Sunday mentioned solutions in 1 segment.

Emerging trends in climate solutions coverage

More solutions coverage is focusing on the role of adaptation to our warming climate

Adaptation strategies to global warming were an increased focus of corporate broadcast news' solutions coverage, reflecting a shift towards addressing the lived reality of climate change. This trend highlights the growing importance of discussing proactive measures and resilience-building strategies to cope with the effects of our rapidly evolving climate.

Coverage highlights 

• In 2023, corporate broadcast news shifted away from coverage of electric vehicles. Electric transportation as a climate solution was mentioned in only 3 segments in 2023, compared to 49 segments across morning news, nightly news, and Sunday morning political programs in 2022. 

• Renewable technologies such as solar and wind energy were mentioned in 22 segments.

• The largest share of solutions coverage focused not on mitigation of climate change but adaptation to it — mentioned in 29 segments — showing that coverage has started to more regularly include discussion of how we are already living in a world affected by a changed climate. 
  • These mentions ranged from discussion of climate change-resistant crops and tree planting campaigns intended to mitigate heat in urban areas to weather modification.

Biden administration climate actions

Compared to 2022, coverage of the Biden administration's climate actions saw a significant decline in 2023, despite ongoing efforts to combat climate change. In 2023, corporate broadcast networks mentioned the Biden administration’s climate actions in 29 segments, compared to 87 segments in 2022. 

This reduction in corporate broadcast news attention occurred during a critical period for climate policy implementation, particularly of the Inflation Reduction Act, which continued to drive positive outcomes in the clean energy market, and new regulations announced during COP28 to curb methane emissions. Despite these significant actions, corporate broadcast networks’ focus on the administration's climate initiatives was limited.

Coverage highlights

• In 2023, corporate broadcast networks only mentioned the Biden administration’s climate actions in 7% of segments, or 29 out of 435. The Inflation Reduction Act was mentioned in only 6 segments, and methane standards were mentioned in just 2.
  • CBS led the networks in discussion of the Biden administration’s climate actions with 15 segments.

Regarding the Inflation Reduction Act, the March 9 episode of CBS Evening News included a segment about smart glass, an innovative technology designed to reduce energy consumption in buildings, with a focus on how the Inflation Reduction Act makes the technology more accessible through tax credits. The December 2 episode of NBC’s Today aired a segment about the Biden administration’s announcement at COP28 of stricter methane regulations for the oil and gas industry and Vice President Kamala Harris’ pledge of financial support to help developing countries adapt to the effects of climate change.

COP28

From November 30 through December 13, representatives from nearly 200 countries met in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for COP28, the United Nations’ annual climate summit, to negotiate goals and agree on steps aimed at mitigating human-induced climate change. Amid controversy surrounding the outsized role that oil and gas companies played at the summit, last year’s conference sought to address numerous important issues, including the creation of a “climate damage fund to help countries that have already suffered irreparable damage from climate change impacts” and plans to transition away from fossil fuels.

Given the conference’s significance in shaping global climate policies, comprehensive national TV news coverage on the yearly summit is crucial for fostering public awareness and guiding policy discourse. But coverage of the conference in 2023, as in 2022, was again very limited. Mentions of the United Nations’ annual global climate negotiations in climate coverage decreased from 11% in 2021 to just 2% of climate coverage in 2022. Coverage of COP rose slightly to 3% in 2023.

Coverage highlights

• In 2023, corporate broadcast networks mentioned COP28 in 14 segments out of 435, accounting for 3% of climate coverage.
  • CBS mentioned COP28 in 8 segments, leading in coverage. 
  • NBC mentioned COP28 in 4 segments. 
  • ABC mentioned COP28 in 2 segments.

Climate justice

Climate justice focuses on the disproportionate effects of climate change on socially marginalized communities and the need for equitable solutions in addressing global warming. It is imperative for corporate broadcast networks to cover climate justice in order to highlight these disparities and advocate for inclusive climate policies. 

Despite the issue’s importance, however, coverage of climate justice was largely absent from corporate broadcast network segments again in 2023. This omission represents yet another missed opportunity to engage audiences on the critical intersections of climate change, social equity, and policy at a time when the discourse around equitable climate action is more relevant than ever.

Coverage highlights

• In 2023, corporate broadcast networks mentioned climate justice in 5% of climate segments, or 21 out of 435. This is a slight improvement from 2022, when Media Matters began including a review of segments for discussion on climate justice and found that only 3% of coverage included a justice framework.

• ABC mentioned climate justice in 9 segments.
  • The April 17 episode of Good Morning America segment showcased climate justice in a segment about the relocation of residents of Isle De Jean Charles — who are predominantly Indigenous peoples — to New Isle after they were displaced by climate-induced sea level rise.

• NBC mentioned climate justice in 7 segments.
  • The August 23 episode of Today included a segment focused on the summer’s extreme heat that also addressed climate justice concerns by exploring efforts to ensure air conditioning access for vulnerable populations.

• CBS mentioned climate justice in 5 segments.
  • The August 6 episode of CBS News Sunday Morning featured a segment about how extreme heat waves exacerbate the urban heat island effect, emphasizing how this phenomenon disproportionately impacts poorer urban areas with inadequate greenery and shade.

Fossil fuel accountability

In 2023, there was a notable increase in corporate broadcast networks mentioning fossil fuels in the context of climate change. Some of this increase can be attributed to the networks’ coverage of COP28, which included mentions of fossil fuels in reporting on both the goal to phase out fossil fuels and on the controversy surrounding the influence of fossil fuel interests on the conference. Coverage of COP28 yielded 12 mentions.

Informing the public about the fossil fuel industry’s role in contributing to global warming helps drive accountability. In addition, reporting on how fossil fuels drive climate change is essential for informed discussions about how to reduce emissions and transition to clean energy sources.

Coverage highlights

• In 2023, corporate broadcast networks mentioned “fossil fuels” in the context of climate change in 12% of climate segments, or 52 out of 435. This is a slight increase from 2022, when “fossil fuels” were mentioned in only 8% of climate segments, or 42 of 554.

• CBS led on fossil fuel accountability in climate coverage, mentioning fossil fuels in 25 segments.
  • In a segment on the December 2 episode of CBS Saturday Morning, the COP28 climate summit served as a backdrop for delving into the severe dangers posed by methane emissions. The segment highlighted how methane fuels the climate crisis and emphasizes the significance of a pledge by major oil and gas companies to significantly reduce methane emissions by the decade's end.

• ABC mentioned fossil fuels in 14 segments.

• NBC mentioned fossil fuels in 13 segments.

Media Matters searched transcripts in the Nexis and SnapStream databases for ABC’s Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and This Week; CBS’ Mornings, Saturday Morning, Sunday Morning, CBS Evening News, Weekend News, and Face the Nation; NBC’s Today, Sunday Today, NBC Nightly News, and Meet the Press; Fox Broadcasting Co.’s Fox News Sunday; and PBS’ NewsHour for any of the terms and any derivations of the terms “climate,” “global warming,” “global heating,” “global temperatures,” “warmer planet,” “warming planet,” “planet warms,” “warmer globe,” “warming globe,” “globe warms,” “rising temperatures,” “hotter temperatures,” “green new deal,” “emissions,” “greenhouse gases,” or “net zero” from January 1 through December 31, 2023.

We included any segment when climate change was the stated topic of discussion, as well as news rundowns that included a substantial mention of climate change, which we defined as a paragraph or more of a news transcript or a block of uninterrupted speech by a host, anchor, or correspondent. We also included weather reports, which we defined as instances when climate change was mentioned in an extreme weather report by a meteorologist in front of a green screen. We also included instances of a guest mentioning climate change in a network correspondent segment if the context of the segment was clearly about a climate, energy, or environmental issue.

When counting guest appearances, we included network employees — including paid contributors and analysts — if they appeared as part of a roundtable discussion on a Sunday morning political show. We did not include teasers if they were for segments that aired later during the same program. This review does not include “person on the street” interviews, in which an unnamed person in a transcript spoke briefly as a guest; however, in previous iterations of this study, we did include “person on the street” interviewees as guests.

We timed identified segments using the Snapstream or Kinetiq video databases, or YouTube if a network posted the segment to that website.

We rounded all times to the nearest minute and all percentages to the nearest whole number. To determine the total program time, we averaged running time without commercials for a sample of each program.

Correction 4/12/24: The study has been updated to correct an overcount due to a coding error of CBS segments focused on climate solutions. This adjustment lowers the specific “solutions” count by 1 but does not affect the overall findings regarding coverage trends.