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Climate change is happening. But 36% of the world's still disputes the realities of its origins and impacts. When the is clear but public understanding lags, more lives and livelihoods are put at risk.

The media can act as a between climate solutions and public understanding. A global by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism found that the remain the primary source of climate change information, with 31% of people getting it from television and 24% from websites and social media platforms.

Despite all of this, the mainstream media around the world is not to shoulder the responsibility of preparing the public for the of climate change and environmental degradation. Research that climate change coverage spikes around UN climate summits (Cops) and events like World Water Day, but drops off in between.

That means the stories being told about the environment get the most attention during and consistently less coverage throughout the rest of the year.

I study how the media on climate change in authoritarian countries like Iran and across the Middle East and north Africa, a region where indices surpass 55°C and severe persist.

As part of my Ph.D. research, I found that international media reporting of the climate-vulnerable nations is sporadic, with coverage often increasing around political and environmental events.

Reporting on environmental issues in countries facing conflict, war and political tensions is challenging, as the topic often on the media's list of priorities.

When it comes to Iran, most of the news is focused on its nuclear development program, problems with the west and violations of human rights. The fact that thousands of Iranians die each year from thirst, and heat waves rarely makes it into international media, and when it does, it's usually tied to a like protests or sanctions.

For the past few years, I have been researching and writing for news outlets about the Iranian government's failure to towards mitigating climate change. While discussing the issue with climate scientists, I learned that Iran is among the top ten countries globally to carbon emissions.

I also learned that, along with Yemen and Libya, Iran is the only country the Paris agreement, a treaty that aims to keep global temperatures to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial times.

However, when I analyzed the media coverage, there was not nearly enough mention of this throughout the year. Most articles were in November, around the time the UN usually holds its annual climate summits, like the UN climate summit, Cop29, hosted by Azerbaijan last year.

This is a trend I've realized through my research and . When the media only covers environmental issues in countries like Iran during political upheavals or climate summits, the world remains largely unaware of these ongoing challenges the rest of the time.

Here's the problem: just in the past few months, millions of Iranians across the country have been suffering through crippling , drought and , issues that have been exacerbated by climate change.

My Ph.D. research into how the media covers the environment in authoritarian regimes is supported by . I found that articles about water and climate issues in Iran and the Middle East tend to peak around environmental protests and UN climate change summits.

My study Iran received the highest amount of environmental coverage during the 2021 protests in the southwestern province of Khuzestan the lack of water and drought.

The bigger picture

When journalists, editors and media outlets delay reporting on the impact of climate change in countries like Iran, we miss the full scale of the damage. As a result, there's less pressure on authorities to change policies or prepare the public for the growing like forced migration, hunger, and .

If these countries are more vulnerable to climate change and their governments are to solve the problem, this urgency must be reflected in the media.

This can be achieved if news organizations publish more stories that explore the of environmental problems and include insights from experts who can offer solutions.

If even can help save a lake, river or from drying up, that's a pretty powerful effect.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.