A National Survey of Broadcast Meteorologists About Climate Change

A 2015 survey of US broadcast meteorologists reveals that over 90% believe climate change is occurring, with nearly 90% of those attributing it at least partly to human activity. While most believe climate change has influenced or will influence local weather, agriculture, and transportation, optimism regarding the ability to limit further change or avoid harmful impacts remains low. Additionally, nearly 70% of weathercasters believe it is appropriate to report climate science, and over 90% believe their audiences are at least somewhat interested in local climate impacts.

• Over 90% of TV weathercasters believe climate change is occurring, and among those, nearly 90% attribute it at least partially to human activity over the last 50 years, though they underestimate the level of scientific consensus on this cause.
• A majority of TV weathercasters believe climate change has affected or will affect local conditions over 50-year periods, specifically regarding weather, transportation, agriculture, and health: over two-thirds believe it has impacted local weather and over three-quarters believe it will do so in the future; nearly one-third believe it has impacted local transportation and almost half believe it will disrupt it; almost half believe it has harmed local agriculture and over half believe it will do so; and about one-quarter believe it has harmed local health with nearly half expecting future harm.
• Optimism regarding the future is low, with fewer than 10% highly optimistic about limiting additional climate change over the next 50 years despite mitigation, and only about 20% highly optimistic about avoiding harmful impacts in the United States through adaptation.
• Regarding professional role and audience engagement, nearly 70% of TV weathercasters consider it appropriate to report climate science, and over 90% believe their audience has at least some interest in local climate impacts, though only 20% view that interest as high.

APA

Team, M. 4. (2015). A National Survey of Broadcast Meteorologists About Climate Change. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/a-national-survey-of-broadcast-meteorologists-about-climate-change-2/

Chicago

Team, Mason 4C. A National Survey of Broadcast Meteorologists About Climate Change. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2015. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/a-national-survey-of-broadcast-meteorologists-about-climate-change-2/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Team |first1=Mason 4C |title=A National Survey of Broadcast Meteorologists About Climate Change |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=18 April 2015 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/a-national-survey-of-broadcast-meteorologists-about-climate-change-2/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{team2015national, author = {Team, Mason 4C}, title = {{A National Survey of Broadcast Meteorologists About Climate Change}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2015}, month = apr, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/a-national-survey-of-broadcast-meteorologists-about-climate-change-2/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }