Media Analysis: Climate Coverage Halved on German Public Broadcasters Amid Heat Records

Coverage of the climate crisis on German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF has fallen to less than one percent of total broadcast time in the first half of 2026, marking the lowest point since mid-2021. The analysis, conducted by the initiative "Klima vor acht" (Climate Before Eight), reveals a significant reduction in climate reporting, despite Europe experiencing historic heatwaves and temperature records.

According to the study's figures, climate reporting occupied 0.95 percent of ARD's and 0.82 percent of ZDF's airtime. This represents a reduction of more than half compared to 2023. "Klima vor acht" highlights that this decrease occurs while the impacts of climate change, such as the extreme heatwaves that affected Europe in June 2026, have been historically significant.

The analysis notes that ARD's "Tagesschau" news program only linked the current heat to the climate crisis on June 24, six days after the German Weather Service issued warnings about the extreme conditions. ZDF addressed the extreme weather earlier but was not consistent in its reporting. Norman Schumann, spokesperson for "Klima vor acht," urged program decision-makers to stop concealing the climate connection and to commit to reporting on it.

The initiative points out that elderly individuals, a core audience for ARD and ZDF, are disproportionately affected by the health impacts of heatwaves. When the most widely-viewed programs remain silent on the issue, the space is left open for downplaying and disinformation about the climate crisis. The June 2026 heatwave caused substantial damage to infrastructure, widespread wildfires, and overwhelmed emergency services in several German cities.