Berlin – The latest report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a wake-up call: Our climate has completely lost its balance. Experts are warning of a new record-breaking heatwave that will cost not only millions of euros but also human lives. The fact is: The climate crisis is real. It is here, it is affecting us, and yet less and less is being written and said about it.
Since 2021, newsrooms worldwide have reduced their coverage of climate issues by 38 percent, reports the “Media and Climate Change Observatory” at the University of Colorado, which analyzes global climate coverage in nearly 60 different countries. The renowned Reuters Institute at the University of Oxford discontinued its “Oxford Climate Journalism Network” in 2025.
While financial reasons are cited in the UK, in the US it is primarily due to the political influence of the Trump administration, which largely denies the climate crisis and has little sympathy for reporting on it.
Climate issues are uncomfortable—but why?
Perhaps because, on the one hand, the problem is very complex, but the solution always lies in changing one’s own lifestyle. The Berlin-based project Klimafakten.de has attempted to answer the question of how to talk about the climate correctly and effectively in a specially written handbook and podcast.
So how do we talk about the climate “the right way”?
Among other things, the article points out that it is better to “sound as positive as possible rather than admonishing”. Klimafakten.de notes that those who communicate climate protection through accusations and blame will achieve very little.
The way we deal with the fear of change also plays a major role in successful climate communication. “For most people, the changes (necessary for an appropriate response to climate change) are easier to bear if they feel like subjects rather than objects. It must become clear to them that they themselves can help shape the future through active action”, states Klimafakten.de.
It is also important to note that facts alone are not enough for effective climate communication. The authors point out that it is equally important to appeal to the audience’s emotions. “Emotions are often underestimated in communication, and that can be disastrous, because anyone who reduces the climate crisis to a massive, virtually inevitable catastrophe and spreads panic must expect to face rejection.”
Offering solutions, not spreading panic—a difficult task, given the latest climate reports.