Documentarian urges journalists to report more on climate-change solutions aimed at overhaul of world economy

A recent United Nations report warned that the world must take decisive action to cut carbon emissions in the next few years to avoid catastrophic environmental changes. Emissions aren't the only thing that needs to change, independent journalist and documentarian John D. Sutter writes for NiemanReports at Harvard University's Nieman Lab. Sutter says journalists must change how they report the issue.

In the past decade, news organizations have gotten much better at presenting climate change as fact and reporting on how bad things have gotten. "All of that is helpful and should be applauded," Sutter writes. "There’s no point in talking about climate crisis solutions if the public doesn’t understand the massive scale of the disaster we face. We journalists remain terrible, however, at digging into the myriad ways in which 'It’s us.' And we seem even less ready to remind people 'There’s hope.'"

In 2019, major broadcast networks' nightly news and Sunday shows' climate-change reporting mentioned solutions 37 percent of the time. In 2020, that fell to 29%, according to a MediaMatters report. "There are plenty of organizations trying to change this and inject a 'solutions mindset' into climate reporting," Sutter writes. "The Society of Environmental Journalists has published a helpful list of climate-change solution resources. Harvard’s Belfer Center and the Solutions Journalism Network have hosted discussions. And The Guardian and The Washington Post, among others, announced solutions-focused coverage. I’ve hosted two seasons of a climate-solutions podcast for Foreign Policy."

any journalists focus on how individuals can change their behavior to curb emissions, like eating less meat. Though that's valid, "It’s hardly fair to dump this crisis on the shoulders of individual people when large corporations and governments are profiting from it," Sutter writes. "Solutions to the climate crisis must be measured by how far and how fast they take the world toward net-zero emissions. That will require an overhaul of the world’s economy."

Some journalists still hesitate to tackle climate-change stories because the issue is seen as unsettled, but, Sutter writes, there is no serious question among experts that climate change is real, and that it will likely bring catastrophic changes.

"Covering the climate crisis is an all-hands-on-deck affair. We need all approaches — all angles, from all beats. My hope is that our coverage of the world’s biggest long-term threat will include more investigative reporting, more solutions, and more context," Sutter writes. "Some carbon emissions stay in the atmosphere and ocean systems for approximately 1,000 years. The actions we take today matter for at least that long. That fact must motivate us to do better."