Page 215 - Carbon Capitalism and Communication Confronting Climate Crisis

18 CONCLUSION: ONE MONTH IN THE LIFE OF THE PLANET … 211

exemplary in its precision and clarity” (House of Commons 2017: 3), but
noted that the statutory obligation to observe due impartiality and provide
balance between alternative views can create the impression that the con-
tending positions command equal weight” (ibid.: 14). As they point out
however, “the print and other media” are under no obligation to be bal-
anced and “often have an agenda with inadequate place for opposing
evidence” (ibid.: 3). An earlier inquiry into the coverage of climate change
had found that this partisanship generated coverage that was inaccurate,
‘inherently biased’, and driven by a desire to overstate claims made by
individuals, with no scientific training, who denied the evidence on climate
crisis (ibid.: 13).
This refusal to accept the evidential weight behind the overwhelming
scientific consensus on the causes of climate crisis has been accompanied by
persistent attacks on attempts to interrogate the claims underpinning
advocacy of continued reliance on fossil fuels. In late 2016, the ABC
broadcast investigations into the Carmichael mine project including an
analysis of the Adani conglomerate drawing attention to the Indian
authorities’ continuing investigations into alleged money laundering and
tax fraud by Adani subsidiaries. A few days later, the Minister for
Resources, Matt Canavan, interviewed on an ABC morning radio show,
declared that he had “been very disappointed in the ABC’s coverage”
adding that “your reports have been nothing but fake news” (Landers
2016). In February 2017, the national government disregarded the short
list for new members of the ABC’s governing board drawn up by the
independent nominating panel, and appointed Vanessa Guthrie, the first
female chair of the Minerals Council, one of the most influential groups
lobbying on behalf of the mining and resources industries.
Government antagonism to public service media has also intensified in
the United States since Donald Trump’s election as President. An analysis
of the coverage of climate change on the main broadcast television net-
works, published in March 2017, showed a sharp decline. In 2015, the year
that saw the warmest year on record and the signing of the Paris climate
agreement, the three established networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) and Fox
broadcast just under two and half hours of coverage (147 minutes)
between them. In 2016, the year of the presidential election, that total had
dropped to 40 minutes. The sole exception was the public service channel
PBS, which carried 46 segments on climate change, ten more than the total