Climate crisis in focus: How the media will shape the election campaign!

Climate crisis in focus: How the media will shape the election campaign!

On April 1, 2025, the 2025 Science Year was opened in Berlin under the title “Future Energy”. Cem Özdemir, the Federal Minister for Education and Research, welcomed around 280 guests to the opening event, which took place in Berlin's Futurium. Among the guests was Jun.-Prof. Dr. Daniel Nölleke from the Institute for Communication and Media Research at the German Sport University Cologne, who made a significant contribution to the discussion as an expert in science communication and science journalism.

In the “Visions and Challenges” discussion, Nölleke emphasized the challenges that climate journalism must overcome in the face of the acute climate crisis. He particularly mentioned the role of social media in science communication. His research project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry, examines which scientific experts are taken into account in journalism about fossil fuels and climate change. The analysis of these dynamics also includes the strategies researchers use to respond to media inquiries.

Challenges in the election campaign

The upcoming federal election in 2025 presents media and journalists with new challenges. An open letter emphasizes that the election campaign will be abrupt and intense, characterized by strong polarization and personalization. A central question remains how the climate crisis will be dealt with in the election campaign. The year 2024 was the hottest year on record, underscoring the need for decisive action to achieve climate neutrality.

Some parties have already announced that they will focus on an “anti-climate protection campaign” instead of a constructive climate protection plan. Given these circumstances, a special responsibility lies with the media. Journalists are required to cover climate issues more intensively in their formats such as interviews or podcasts. It is also important to quickly refute false claims and avoid sensationalist journalism.

Changing media landscape

Since the “Friday’s For Future” demonstrations in 2019, media coverage of the climate crisis has changed. German media have recognized a gap in their reporting and are increasingly offering new formats, such as the “Climate Friday” newsletter from the Süddeutsche Zeitung or podcasts that deal intensively with the topic.

• „Klimazentrale“ vom SWR
• „Mission Energiewende“ auf detektor.fm
• „1,5 Grad – der Klimapodcast“ mit Luisa Neubauer auf Spotify
• Online-Magazin „Klimareporter“

Despite this progress, journalist Lorenz Matzat criticizes that the reporting often does not reflect the urgency of the issue. In a new newsletter called “Klimajournismus.de” he expresses his concerns and calls for more agile and empathetic reporting. He compares current ideas about climate change to hypothetical threats and calls on journalists to more consistently address the inevitable realities of climate change.

In summary, it is of great importance that climate journalism takes the necessary place in current political discourse. This is the only way voters can make informed decisions and the challenges of the climate crisis can be adequately addressed. A recording of the opening event of the Science Year is available in the BMBF media library, where anyone interested can gain further insights into the topics discussed and the importance of science communication.

Overall, we are at a turning point where journalistic responsibility and scientific expertise must play a crucial role in tackling the climate crisis. Only through committed and fact-based reporting can climate change be seriously addressed and addressed in the context of capital.

For more information read the articles from German Sports University Cologne, Climatejournalism.de and Deutschlandfunk.