The 21st Century climate challenge

Caution has to be exercised in interpretingopinion survey evidence. Publicopinion is not static and it may be changing.There is some positive news. Some 90 percentof Americans who have heard of global warmingthink that the country should reduce itsgreenhouse gas emissions, regardless of whatother countries do. 100 Even so, if “all politicsis local”, then current public risk assessmentsare unlikely to provide a powerful politicalimpetus. Climate change is still perceivedoverwhelmingly as a moderate and distantrisk that will primarily impact people andplaces far away in space and time. 101Evidence that European opinion is farahead of American opinion is not corroboratedby opinion survey evidence. More than eightin every ten European Union citizens areaware that the way they consume and produceenergy has a negative impact on climate. 102Yet only half say that they are “to some degreeconcerned”—a far higher share express concernabout the need for Europe to have greaterdiversity in energy supply.In some European countries, public attitudesare marked by an extraordinary degree ofpessimism. For example, in France, Germanyand the United Kingdom the share of peopleagreeing with the statement that “we will stopclimate change” ranges from 5 to 11 percent.Alarmingly, four in every ten people in Germanythought that it was not even worth trying to doanything, most of them on the grounds thatnothing can be done. 103 All of this suggestsa strong case for a greater emphasis on publiceducation and campaigning.The evidence from opinion surveys isworrying at several levels. It raises questionsfirst of all about the understanding of peoplein rich nations about the consequences oftheir actions. If the public had a clearerunderstanding of the consequences of theiractions for future generations, and forvulnerable people in developing countries, theimperative to act might be expected to registerfar more strongly. The fact that so manypeople see climate change as an intractableproblem is another barrier to action becauseit creates a sense of powerlessness.The role of the mediaThe media have a critical role to play ininforming and changing public opinion. Apartfrom their role in scrutinizing governmentactions and holding policymakers to account,the media are the main source of informationfor the general public on climate change science.Given the immense importance of the issues atstake for people and planet, this is a role thatcarries great responsibilities.The development of new technologies andglobalized networks has enhanced the powerof the media across the world. No governmentin a democracy can ignore the media. Butpower and responsibility have not always gonetogether. Speaking in 1998, Carl Bernsteinsaid: “The reality is that the media are probablythe most powerful of all our institutions todayand they, or rather we [journalists], too oftenare squandering our power and ignoring ourobligations.” 104 That observation has a powerfulresonance for the debate on climate change.There are very large variations in the waythat the media within and across countries haveresponded to climate change. Many journalistsand many media organs have performed anextraordinary service in keeping public debatesalive and deepening knowledge. However,the flip side has to be acknowledged. Untilrecently, the principle of ‘editorial balance’ hasbeen applied in ways that have served to holdback informed debate. One study in the UnitedStates 105 found that the balance norm resultedin over half of articles in the country’s mostprestigious newspapers between 1990 and 2002giving equal weight to the findings of the IPCCand of the climate science community, and theviews of climate sceptics—many of them fundedby vested interest groups. Continued confusionin public opinion is one consequence. 106Editorial balance is a laudable and essentialobjective in any free press. But balance betweenwhat? If there is a strong and overwhelming‘majority’ view among the world’s top scientistsdealing with climate change, citizens have aright to expect to be informed about that view.Of course, they also have a right to be informedabout minority views that do not reflect a scientificconsensus. However, informed judgementThe media have a criticalrole to play in informing andchanging public opinion1The 21 st Century climate challengeHUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2007/2008 67