British media ignores the climate crisis during its coverage of the “heat wave”

An analytical study revealed that most British media reports that dealt with the record heat wave in June did not refer to the climate crisis.

Nearly 2,500 articles about the heatwave, during which temperatures exceeded 37 degrees Celsius, a record high for this time of year, were published in nine major national daily newspapers in the United Kingdom, but most of these reports did not mention global warming or climate change, according to an analysis by the Energy and Climate Information Unit, a British non-profit organization.

The number of articles linking the heatwave to government policies aimed at tackling the climate crisis was much lower.

In June, the United Kingdom witnessed the second heat wave of the year after one in May, during which temperatures reached 35 degrees Celsius, breaking the previous record for this month. The country was also hit by a third heat wave last week, and it is expected to continue for at least part of the current week.

A study published by Imperial College London on Monday revealed that about 2,700 people died due to high temperatures in the United Kingdom during the months of May and June, and that about 1,100 of them would not have died had it not been for the additional rise in temperatures resulting from the climate crisis.

Scientists have warned that human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and expanding agricultural activities, have contributed to the exacerbation of heat waves. An analytical study also concluded that these extreme weather phenomena would not have occurred in this way had it not been for human influence on the climate.

Professor of climate science at the University of Reading, Ed Hawkins, said the public needed to better understand the climate crisis through the media. He added: “When severe heat waves occur, it is important for the British public to know, through the media they follow, that greenhouse gas emissions have made these waves hotter than they would have been in their absence.”

The analysis included articles published in major British national media during the period from Monday, June 22, to Sunday, June 28, and tracked the number of articles that included the phrases “extreme heat” or “heatwave,” and also referred to “climate change” or similar terms, such as “climate” or “global warming.” It also monitored the number of articles that also referred to the term “net zero emissions.”

The Energy and Climate Information Unit used the Factiva database to analyze the print and electronic content of nine British national newspapers: The Express, the Financial Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Mail, The Mirror, The Sun, The Telegraph, and The Times.

The Financial Times had the highest percentage of linking news of heat waves to the climate, as it linked about two-thirds of its reports to the topic, with 50 reports out of 78 reports during the study period. The Guardian came in second place, after linking about half of its reports related to heat to the climate crisis, with 64 reports out of 131 reports.

The Independent newspaper was the most widely published among the media included in the study, as it published 783 reports on heat waves during the aforementioned period, of which 304 reports, or about 39%, referred to the climate. About a fifth of the more than 300 reports published by the Daily Mail newspaper also dealt with the phenomenon of global warming, while about one in every eight reports out of more than 400 reports published by the Express referred to this topic.

The Daily Mirror also published more than 300 reports on heat waves, but only 9% of them referred to the climate. The Sun newspaper came at the bottom of the ranking, publishing 69 reports on heat waves during the study period, and only 6% of them included a reference to the climate.

The analysis showed that the very large number of articles in some of these media outlets is due to the large number of blog posts, and in some cases to minor updates to reports previously published on the Internet. When excluding the most widely read blogs, the percentage of articles that included references to climate remained similar across newspapers, with the exception of The Independent, in which the percentage decreased to about 34%.

“There is no dispute that there is a link between the last three heatwaves and climate change,” said Gareth Redmond-King, head of international affairs at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. She added: “If recent heat waves are the symptom, climate change is the disease, and (net zero emissions) is the cure. In light of the public’s weak understanding of this relationship, it is necessary to link these three concepts to help improve the situation of all of us.”

On the other hand, The Guardian newspaper continues to focus on highlighting the relationship between extreme weather events and the climate crisis, and highlights in its coverage that global warming represents an urgent issue.

A spokesman for the newspaper said: Clear and accurate journalism is necessary to help the public understand the climate crisis and the required solutions. During 2026, The Guardian published hundreds of articles that referred to the “climate crisis” or “climate emergency.” In 2019, the newspaper contributed to reformulating newsroom priorities by updating its editorial guide and adopting terms such as “climate emergency” and “global warming,” and its editorial commitment is what guides its choices.

He added: “We were the first major global news organization to ban advertisements related to fossil fuels, and to withdraw investments from this sector as part of our pursuit of the goal of reaching net-zero emissions.”

The report concluded by noting that The Guardian contacted the other media outlets included in the analysis to obtain their comments.

About the Guardian

. Nearly 2,500 articles about the heatwave during which temperatures exceeded 37°C, a record for this time of year, were published in nine major national daily newspapers in the UK, but most of these reports made no mention of global warming or climate change.

. An analytical study concluded that these extreme weather phenomena would not have occurred in this way had it not been for human influence on the climate.