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A 2015 National Survey of Broadcast Meteorologists about Climate Change

Apr 17, 2015 | All Categories, Climate Matters, Reports

A 2015 National Survey of Broadcast Meteorologists about Climate Change – Below are results from a national survey of TV weathercasters we conducted in partnership with the American Meteorological Society, Climate Central, NASA, NOAA, and Yale University.  The purpose of the survey was to assess weathercasters’ views on climate change and their interests and activities in reporting on the local impacts of climate change.

A National Survey of Broadcast Meteorologists About Climate Change

Key findings included:

  • More than 9 in 10 TV weathercasters have concluded that climate change is happening.
  • Of TV weathercasters who have concluded that climate change is happening, nearly 9 in 10 think human activity is at least partly responsible over the past 50 years, although they underestimate the extent of the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change.
  • Most TV weathercasters think that climate change has influenced the weather and other conditions in their area over the past 50 years, and even more think climate change will influence the weather in their area over the next 50 years. Specifically:
    • More than two thirds think that climate change has had an impact on the weather in their area over the past 50 years, and more than three quarters think that climate change will influence weather in their area over the next 50 years.
    • Nearly one third think that climate change has had an impact on transportation in their local area over the last 50 years, and almost half think climate change will disrupt transportation in their area over the next 50 years.
    • Almost half think climate change has had harmful impacts on agriculture in their area over the last 50 years, and over half think climate change will have harmful impacts on agriculture in their local area over the next 50 years..
    • About one quarter think that climate change has harmed the health of people in their area over the last 50 years, but some see decreased levels of harm to health; nearly half think people’s health will be harmed over the next 50 years.
  • Fewer than 1 in 10 TV weathercasters are highly optimistic about the prospects for limiting additional climate change over the next 50 years, even if mitigation actions are taken, and only about 2 in 10 are highly optimistic about the prospects for avoiding harmful impacts of climate change in the United States, if adaptation measures are taken.
  • Nearly 7 in 10 TV weathercasters think it is appropriate for them to report the science of climate change to their audience, at least in some venues.
  • More than 90% of TV weathercasters think that their audience is at least somewhat interested in learning about the local impacts of climate change, although only 2 in 10 see their audience as highly interested.
  • Many TV weathercasters have used one or more channels over the past year to inform their viewers about the local impacts of climate change.

This survey was conducted as part of a National Science Foundation-funded effort to expand Climate Matters, a comprehensive climate change resource for TV weathercasters.  Weathercasters who participate in the Climate Matters program receive a wide range of material and resources to help them communicate the science and local impacts of climate change. Over 200 weathercasters currently participate in the Climate Matters program. Examples of how they use Climate Matters materials on-air can be found on the Climate Matters Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/climate.matters/videos.