UK Media Largely Silent on Climate Link During June Heatwave, Analysis Finds
An analysis of nearly 2,500 articles covering June’s record-breaking heatwave across nine major UK national newspapers has revealed that approximately 72% made no reference to the climate crisis or global heating, raising questions about how the British press frames extreme weather events in an era of accelerating warming.
The study, conducted by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), examined coverage from Monday 22 June to Sunday 28 June — a period when temperatures topped 37°C, setting a new record for the month. Researchers tracked articles containing the phrases “extreme heat” or “heatwave” and assessed whether they also referenced “climate change” or related terms such as “climate” or “global warming.” They further tracked how many of those articles mentioned “net zero.”
The findings are stark: fewer than one in 20 heatwave stories referenced government policies designed to address the climate crisis. The gap between the scale of the event and the contextual reporting around it underscores what climate scientists and policy analysts describe as a missed opportunity to inform public understanding of the relationship between warming temperatures and everyday weather.
A Pattern of Heat
June’s heatwave was not an isolated event. It was the second of the year, following a May hot spell in which temperatures reached 35°C — itself a record for that month. A third heatwave struck the following week and was expected to persist into the current week at the time of reporting.
The human toll has been significant. Research published by Imperial College London found that approximately 2,700 people died from overheating in the UK during May and June. Of those, roughly 1,100 deaths were attributed to the additional heat that the climate crisis contributed to temperatures during those months. An attribution study further concluded that the extreme weather would not have been possible without human interference in the climate system — specifically the burning of fossil fuels and the intensification of agriculture.
How the Outlets Compared
The ECIU used the Factiva media database to analyze print and online output from nine UK national newspapers: the Express, the Financial Times, the Guardian, the Independent, the Mail, the Mirror, the Sun, the Telegraph, and the Times.
The Financial Times scored highest in linking extreme heat to climate change, with nearly two-thirds of its stories making the connection — 50 out of 78 articles. The Guardian followed, with roughly half of its heat-related stories referencing the climate crisis — 64 out of 131 articles.
The Independent was the most prolific publisher overall, producing 783 heatwave stories during the study period. Of those, 304 — approximately 39% — mentioned the climate. When liveblogs were excluded from the analysis, the proportion of climate-referencing pieces remained nearly unchanged across most outlets, with the exception of the Independent, whose figure dropped to approximately 34%.
The Mail published more than 300 heatwave stories, with about one-fifth referencing global heating. The Express carried over 400 heatwave stories, with roughly one in eight including a climate angle. The Mirror also published more than 300 heatwave stories, but only 9% mentioned the climate. The Sun ranked lowest, with 69 heatwave stories of which just 6% included any climate reference.
The high article counts for some outlets reflect the inclusion of blogposts and minor updates to existing online stories, according to the analysis.
Scientists Call for Better Context
Ed Hawkins, professor of climate science at the University of Reading, said the public relies on media to explain the climate crisis clearly during extreme weather events.
“When extreme heatwaves occur, it is critical that the British public are made aware in the media they consume that greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from burning fossil fuels, have made those heatwaves hotter than they would otherwise have been,” Hawkins said.
Gareth Redmond-King, head of international at the ECIU, framed the relationship between the phenomena in direct terms: “The link between all three recent periods of extreme heat and climate change is indisputable.” He added: “If recent heatwaves are the symptom, then climate change is the illness, and net zero is the medicine. When public understanding of this link is so low, it’s vital that the dots are joined between these three concepts to help make us all better.”
A Question of Editorial Priorities
A Guardian spokesperson defended the outlet’s track record, stating: “The Guardian leads the way in reporting on the link between extreme weather events and the climate crisis, with our coverage presenting global heating as an urgent, factual reality.” The spokesperson noted that in 2026 alone, the Guardian had published hundreds of articles mentioning the “climate crisis” or “climate emergency,” and pointed to its 2019 style guide update adopting terms such as “climate emergency” and “global heating” as an industry-influencing decision. The outlet also highlighted its ban on fossil-fuel advertising, divestment from fossil fuels, and B Corp certification as part of its broader institutional commitment to net-zero emissions.
The other eight publications included in the analysis were approached for comment but had not responded at the time of reporting.
The ECIU’s findings highlight a persistent disconnect in how extreme weather is communicated to the public. While attribution science has made it increasingly possible to quantify the role of climate change in specific heatwaves — and to measure their deadly consequences — the majority of coverage during one of the UK’s most intense early-summer heat events treated the phenomenon in isolation, without the scientific context that researchers say is essential for public understanding and informed policy debate.