Honestly, I never would have thought that there’s a connection here, but according to researchers, there is. A recent study by the University of my hometown Leipzig, led by communications scientist Dr. Uwe Krüger, took a closer look at the media’s approach to the major issue of our time: man-made climate change, and came to remarkable results.
The scientists chose five of the six channels with the biggest market share in 2022. Overall, they gathered, aggregated, and analyzed approximately 10,000 advertising spots on German television, of which approximately 70% (69.7%) were classified as “not harmful to the climate.” However, around 30.3% of the spots advertised goods or services harmful to the climate. Unsurprisingly, these spots promoted chocolate, cars, traveling, and beauty products.
Even worse, the study also points out that advertising strategies often aim to disguise the harmfulness of the product to the climate or even portray it as the opposite. For example, long-distance travel is associated with nature conservation, fuel-intensive hybrid SUVs are advertised with wild animals and natural landscapes, and the consumption of coffee capsules is presented as a substitute for failed climate policy.
As I mentioned earlier, this data pertains to German television. If you’re not familiar with the German media landscape, you must know that public and private broadcasts are subject to strict legal guidelines. After World War II, where the media played an important role, an initiative known as the “Interstate Media Treaty” (Medienstaatsvertrag, formerly Rundfunkstaatsvertrag) was launched and has been updated ever since.
The scientists further point out that section 8(4) states that advertising must not promote behavior that “endangers health or safety or, to a large extent, the protection of the environment.” Therefore, this type of advertising should not be permitted at all.
I highly agree with the authors of the study in calling on media policymakers to take measures to curb advertising for climate-damaging products. Considering the ongoing climate change and the binding climate targets set in Paris, this is a crucial task.
Source (German): https://www.telepolis.de/features/Werbung-Wie-Medien-den-Klimawandel-befeuern-9710528.html
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