Memorandum for journalists covering extreme weather in summer 2010 and links to climate change

The document argues that media outlets have a duty to connect the dots between a warming climate and the devastating weather events of 2010, such as heatwaves in Russia and flooding in Pakistan. It asserts that climate change will increase the frequency of severe weather, decrease crop yields, and worsen air quality, providing a list of scientific and journalistic resources to support this coverage.

• The summer of 2010 was characterized by devastating global extreme weather events, including prolonged heat in Russia, flooding in Pakistan, a significant ice break from Greenland into the North Atlantic, and record temperatures and flooding in the United States (specifically Tennessee and Iowa), alongside a drought in the US West that lowered Lake Mead's water levels to their lowest since 1956.
• There is an unambiguous link between a warming climate and extreme weather, and the document argues that the media has a responsibility to report on these connections more thoroughly.
• Beyond the general global warming trend, climate change is expected to lead to more severe and unpredictable weather—including hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, flashfloods, and thunderstorms—while also negatively impacting the food supply through decreased crop yields and deteriorating air quality.

APA

Berning, N. (2010). Memorandum for journalists covering extreme weather in summer 2010 and links to climate change. Friends of the Earth. https://foe.org/news/2010-08-memorandum-for-journalists-covering-extreme-weather/

Chicago

Berning, Nick. Memorandum for journalists covering extreme weather in summer 2010 and links to climate change. Friends of the Earth, 2010. https://foe.org/news/2010-08-memorandum-for-journalists-covering-extreme-weather/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Berning |first1=Nick |title=Memorandum for journalists covering extreme weather in summer 2010 and links to climate change |publisher=Friends of the Earth |date=13 August 2010 |url=https://foe.org/news/2010-08-memorandum-for-journalists-covering-extreme-weather/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{berning2010memorandum, author = {Berning, Nick}, title = {{Memorandum for journalists covering extreme weather in summer 2010 and links to climate change}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth}, year = {2010}, month = aug, url = {https://foe.org/news/2010-08-memorandum-for-journalists-covering-extreme-weather/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }