Language in reporting climate change: A South Asian study

This study explores media landscapes to discover whether current reporting in Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Afghanistan adequately conveys climate change issues. A particular focus was language and how it impacts the quantity, quality and accessibility of reporting in each country.

In general, the study finds that across the region climate change is severely underreported both in local media and national media. This was true across English and Indigenous languages. However, there are indications in each country that reporting on climate change takes place primarily in English. This is in many ways a colonial inheritance of class, language and governmentality.

Another key finding is the link between language, literacy and print media. In all contexts, literacy rates are low, barring the Maldives. Literacy directly impacts the ability of local people to access print media publications, the complexity and the content focuses of local publications. This also explains the growing popularity of TV, social media, and the established popularity of radio as a means of communication. However, the ability of these mediums to relate complex issues like climate change while maintaining their focus on entertainment and their language challenges is yet to be seen.

Other factors examined include the lack of journalists' capacity to write about climate change issues, lack of interest from media groups, and instances of self-censorship due to strict media laws and regulations and violence against journalists.