Hamburg, 9 July 2026. The proportion of airtime devoted to climate issues on public service television has fallen below one per cent for the first time – to 0.95 per cent on Das Erste and 0.82 per cent on ZDF. This is a key finding of the report on climate coverage published today by KLIMA° vor acht.
The computer-assisted analysis of the entire programme thus revealed the lowest figure since continuous measurements began in mid-2021. Compared with 2023, climate-related coverage has more than halved (2.2 per cent and 1.95 per cent respectively). Ironically, this decline coincides with the very six-month period in which the climate crisis was felt more acutely than ever before, with two record-breaking heatwaves in May and June.
Heatwaves do not lead to more climate coverage
This gap is particularly evident when it comes to the heatwaves themselves. On ‘Das Erste’, the 8.00 pm ‘Tagesschau’ news programme did not mention the link between the heat and the climate crisis until 24 June – six days after the German Weather Service’s warning period began. ZDF covered the issue earlier, but did not maintain consistency. Overall, the record-breaking heat did not lead to more ‘climate minutes’: during the record-breaking week in June, the weekly total on ARD actually fell to a low of just 52 ‘climate minutes’.
“A look at Europe shows that things can be done differently,” says Norman Schumann, spokesperson for KLIMA° vor acht and a data scientist. “In France, the UK and Spain, the heatwave was a climate story from day one. We don’t need new solutions; we need programme makers to decide to stop glossing over the climate angle.”
Heat is the deadliest weather-related phenomenon in Europe. Older people are particularly affected, and consequently those who watch public service television most frequently. According to the long-term study ‘Down2Earth’, it is the most widely used source of information for Germans on climate change and climate policy.
When the programmes with the widest reach remain silent, they leave it to others to contextualise the effects of the climate crisis – and create space for trivialisation and disinformation. KLIMA° vor acht is therefore calling for what a historic heatwave deserves: a reliable, daily analysis of the climate crisis at prime time.
About KLIMA° vor acht
The non-profit organisation KLIMA° vor acht e.V. campaigns for better reporting by the German media that reflects the gravity of the climate crisis, and has been continuously monitoring the programmes of Das Erste and ZDF since 2021. The organisation is based in Hamburg and is funded exclusively by donations. This report is the first edition of what will be a biannual data overview on climate coverage.
Link to download the report: https://klimavoracht.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/KlimaMedienBericht_1_Halbjahr_2026.pdf
Link to download the graphics: https://klimavoracht.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/KlimaMedienBericht_1_Halbjahr_2026_grafiken.zip
(The graphics may be used freely provided that ‘KLIMA° vor acht e.V.’ is credited)
Contact: Dr Norman Schumann – Spokesperson, Tel. +49 178 408 608 6, presse@klimavoracht.de