An examination of coverage across nine major UK national newspapers revealed significant gaps in reporting on the connection between extreme heat events and climate change. During the last week of June, when temperatures exceeded 37C—a record for that time of year—nearly 2,500 articles appeared in these publications, but approximately three-quarters contained no reference to global heating or climate-related issues. References to net zero policies were even rarer, appearing in fewer than one in twenty heatwave stories.
The analysis, conducted by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, reviewed output from print and online editions of nine newspapers from June 22 to June 28. The Financial Times demonstrated the strongest coverage, with nearly two-thirds of its heatwave stories connecting the extreme weather to climate issues. The Guardian followed with roughly half of its heat-related articles making this link. Other outlets showed lower percentages, ranging from approximately 39% for the Independent down to 6% for the Sun. The Mirror achieved about 9% while the Express and Mail each included climate references in roughly one in eight and one in five stories respectively.
The June heatwave represented the second significant heat event of the year, following an episode in May when temperatures reached 35C. Research released from Imperial College London indicated that approximately 2,700 heat-related deaths occurred in May and June, with roughly 1,100 attributable to additional warming caused by human-driven climate change. Scientists emphasized that human activities, particularly fossil fuel combustion, intensified the extreme conditions, and attribution research confirmed such severe weather would not have occurred without human influence on the climate system.
Climate scientists have called for improved media communication regarding these connections. A professor from the University of Reading stressed the importance of making the British public aware through media coverage that greenhouse gas emissions have intensified heatwave severity. Representatives from the ECIU emphasized that understanding the relationship between extreme heat symptoms, climate change as the underlying cause, and net zero solutions as the remedy remains critical for public awareness and understanding.
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