climate change planet

Climate change ... always a bridesmaid

The "Story of the Century" and its status in the news.

By 2050, many of climate change's worst projected impacts could be fully upon us—or fully upon our descendants.


The question is, will a half-century of sustained manmade upheaval ever dominate the top of the news?

I'm skeptical.

Worldwide, COVID-19 has had a lock on Top Story for a year now. In the U.S., two horrid mass shootings, one with strongly racist overtones, prompted a flurry of headlines, and a week of outrage, feigned or otherwise, about arming or disarming the populace.

Reporting on such stories is of course vital. But the press follows the public's attention span. In his long-awaited first press conference on March 25, President Biden fielded 10 questions from the White House Press corps. It was almost a no-brainer that climate change wouldn't make the cut. But wait a minute – neither did coronavirus. The shiny objets du jour included immigration, the filibuster, Afghanistan, China, and, of course, whether President Biden will run for a second term in 2024.

The liberal press watchdog group Media Matters for America issues annual tallies of press coverage of climate-related issues. They found 2020 was the sparsest year for climate coverage on U.S. commercial cable news since 2016. Granted, the presidential election and the COVID-19 pandemic sucked the oxygen out of newsrooms. But the record Atlantic hurricane season, and multiple other extreme weather items, failed to blow any back in.

Plastic problems

plastic nurdles pollution

Plastic nurdles, the primary feedstock of plastic manufacturing. (Credit: Mark Dixo/flickr)

Climate's not the only perpetual bridesmaid.

The oil and gas industry is keen to remain Big Oil and Big Gas for a long time. They're taking out a one-word insurance policy: Plastics. Miles downstream from Pittsburgh on the Ohio River, a multi-billion dollar Shell Polymers plant will take the output of fracking and convert it to a million tons annually of "nurdles" -- the very stuff of life of plastics manufacturing. In Louisiana's "Cancer Alley" of more than 150 refineries and petrochemical plants, Formosa Plastics is running into stiff opposition from local environmental justice campaigners, and President Biden tagged the Formosa project as a poster child for environmental justice. They're arguing against a $9.4 billion construction project and the permanent factory jobs it would bring.

The moral of this part of the story: The plastics industry has for years been building a long-term environmental menace that could rival climate change; it too has little potential for the kinds of headlines that motivate politicians into action.

I haven't done a scholarly count on this, but I suspect that on TV and in social media during the last week of February, the kidnapping of Koji and Gustav received more national coverage than the staggering impacts of climate change or plastics. But our long national nightmare wrapped up its Top French Bulldog Story run on the first day of March, when K. and G. were returned to Lady Gaga. (Do you remember where you were when you hard the news?)

Plastics and the climate crisis aren't going away. When it comes to covering the fate of our planet, news organizations owe us all a little more.

Peter Dykstra is our weekend editor and columnist. Contact Peter at pdykstra@ehn.org or @pdykstra.

His views do not necessarily represent those of Environmental Health News, The Daily Climate, or publisher, Environmental Health Sciences.

Banner photo credit: Markus Spiske/Unsplash

penn state weather monitor flooding climate
Photo by Wes Warren on Unsplash

Penn State expanding weather network, offering data that could help areas prepare for floods

Penn State is expanding a tool to give the public access to weather information across the state. Data from the project could help communities prepare for severe storms and flooding, which are expected to increase in Pennsylvania as the climate changes.

Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.

Unheralded environmentalist: Jimmy Carter’s green legacy

With the former president now in hospice care, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Kai Bird looks back on Jimmy Carter’s environmental record in the White House — from his sweeping protection of Alaska’s wild lands to his efforts to push the nation toward renewable energy.

Melting Antarctic ice predicted to cause rapid slowdown of deep ocean current by 2050

Melting ice around Antarctica will cause a rapid slowdown of a major global deep ocean current by 2050 that could alter the world’s climate for centuries and accelerate sea level rise, according to scientists behind new research.

Sajed Kamal, fracking climate
Photo by Brad Weaver on Unsplash

Sajed Kamal: M.A.D. or collective survival?

Aggressively pursued behind the façade of energy independence from foreign sources and domestic job creation, short-term, highly profitable fracking has accelerated the path to long-term economic, environmental and public health catastrophe.

antarctic sea climate warming ice
Photo by Dennis Rochel on Unsplash

Western Antarctic sea loses 3 trillion tons of ice in 25 years, study finds

The Amundsen Sea in western Antarctica has been hit particularly hard by the catastrophic effects of climate change, losing over three trillion tons of ice in just 25 years. This region stands out as one of the areas most severely affected by extreme weather conditions.

Nuclear dispute hangs over EU renewable energy talks

The European Union enters the final stage of tense talks over how to treat hydrogen produced using nuclear power on Wednesday, in an effort to end a dispute that threatens to thwart a deal on more ambitious renewable energy goals.
green industrial strategy climate uk
Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash

UK’s green industrial strategy delayed until autumn, Chancellor says

Climate and energy analysts said the UK risks losing the global race to develop green industries if it does not announce policies now.
From our Newsroom
Partha Dasgupta economics of nature

An economist's 'answer to everything.' Hint: It takes nature

Economist Partha Dasgupta takes issue with our failure to account for the cost of Earth's destruction

oil and gas wells pollution

What happens if the largest owner of oil and gas wells in the US goes bankrupt?

Diversified Energy’s liabilities exceed its assets, according to a new report, sparking concerns about whether taxpayers will wind up paying to plug its 70,000 wells.

Paul Ehrlich

Paul Ehrlich: A journey through science and politics

In his new book, the famous scientist reflects on an unparalleled career on our fascinating, ever-changing planet.

oil and gas california environmental justice

Will California’s new oil and gas laws protect people from toxic pollution?

California will soon have the largest oil drilling setbacks in the U.S. Experts say other states can learn from this move.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.