Reporting on Extreme Weather: A Constructive Guidelines

Reporting on extreme weather should go beyond headlines, showing how climate change, local factors, and social vulnerability interact. Attribution science links climate change to more frequent and intense heatwaves and other extremes. Journalists must avoid oversimplification, rely on evidence, and highlight that disasters depend on both climate and community resilience.

When talking about extreme weather, we're not just recounting a series of unfortunate events. We're navigating the intersection of climate, society, and science- a landscape that demands both precision and perspective. For science journalists, the task is to go beyond the immediate drama and help readers understand the deeper processes at work. Reporting extreme weather and climate change, a guide for journalists written and distributed by the World Weather Attribution (WWA), an initiative started in 2014 by an international group of scientists and researchers in different institutions.

Attribution Science: From Hypothesis to Evidence

In recent years, attribution science has become a crucial tool for understanding how climate change shapes the world's most dramatic weather. The evidence is now robust: human-driven climate change makes every heatwave more likely and intense. This is not a matter of opinion, but the outcome of rigorous comparative studies. Yet, as with any ecological process, the story doesn't end with heatwaves. Floods, droughts, cyclones, and wildfires are related to a warming planet, sometimes directly, sometimes through local conditions.

It's tempting to draw a straight line from disaster to climate change, or, conversely, to treat each event as isolated. Both approaches miss the mark. Our reporting should reflect the complexity of attribution: climate change alters the odds and intensity of many extremes, but local vulnerability-who and what is exposed-often determines the scale of disaster. For example, while science shows that rainfall extremes are increasing in most regions, the impact of a flood is shaped by land use, infrastructure, and social fabric. By highlighting the value of nuance in climate reporting, we can enlighten our audience and inform them about the complexity of the issue.

When a specific attribution study isn't available, we can still draw on the broader scientific consensus and previous research. The absence of a study is not the absence of a link; it's an opportunity to explain what we know, what we suspect, and what remains uncertain.

Practical Guidance 

The constructive approach proposed by the WWA means journalists should equip themselves with a reliable checklist:

• Heatwaves: The link to climate change is unequivocal: report it confidently.
• Floods: Rainfall extremes are on the rise, but context matters. Highlight local factors.
• Tropical Cyclones: The most intense storms are becoming more frequent; focus on rainfall and storm surge.
• Droughts and Wildfires: These are more frequent and severe in some regions, but always consider the interplay of climate and human activity.
• Cold Extremes: Less likely and less intense overall, though regional variations remain.

Social Vulnerability: The Human Layer

Extreme weather only becomes a disaster when it meets vulnerability. It's the journalists' role to remind readers that the same storm can have vastly different consequences depending on the resilience of communities and the inequalities they face. Moreover, climate change acts on a social landscape already characterized by disparities.

Integrity and Rigor: The Foundations of Our Craft

Credibility as science journalists rests on accuracy, transparency, and the ability to convey complexity without confusion. Journalists have to cite sources, seek expert voices, and resist the urge to oversimplify.

Reporting on extreme weather is about more than chronicling the next headline event. It's about revealing the patterns, the drivers, and the choices that shape our collective future. Journalists should approach this task with the same care and curiosity that science requires.

The WWA's Reporting extreme weather and climate change - A guide for journalists is available in English and has been traslated in several languages.