Climate change's role in German media growing constantly
Clean Energy Wire
The role of global warming and climate action in German media has grown constantly over the last year, putting it on the agenda of an increasing number of citizens, the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW Köln) has found. While about one in four Germans in 2015 said they did not regularly receive information on climate topics, this number fell to only one in nine people five years later, with most people using television or the TV station's media libraries to inform themselves, the IW Köln found. However, the role of social media is growing fast, it added. The major role played by student climate action protest movement Friday's for Future in public life as well as the US government's momentous decision to pull the country out of the Paris Climate Agreement hugely boosted people's interest in climate change, the research institute says.
Climate action has steadily moved up on the list of concerns for German citizens and according to a recent survey remains a priority for most people in Germany even as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic are challenging the country on many levels. According to energy industry association BDEW, about 80 percent of citizens say they would be ready to change their behaviour and consumption habits to save resources and protect the climate.
