摘要：In the mass media, sea level rise is commonly associated with the impacts of climate change
due to increasing atmospheric greenhouse gases. As this issue garners ongoing international
policy attention, segments of the scientific community have expressed unease about how
this has been covered by mass media. Therefore, this study examines how sea level rise
projections—in IPCC Assessment Reports and a sample of the scientific literature—have
been represented in seven prominent United States (US) and United Kingdom
(UK) newspapers over the past two decades. The research found that—with few
exceptions—journalists have accurately portrayed scientific research on sea level rise
projections to 2100. Moreover, while coverage has predictably increased in the past 20
years, journalists have paid particular attention to the issue in years when an IPCC report
is released or when major international negotiations take place, rather than when
direct research is completed and specific projections are published. We reason
that the combination of these factors has contributed to a perceived problem
in the sea level rise reporting by the scientific community, although systematic
empirical research shows none. In this contemporary high-stakes, high-profile and
highly politicized arena of climate science and policy interactions, such results
mark a particular bright spot in media representations of climate change. These
findings can also contribute to more measured considerations of climate impacts and
policy action at a critical juncture of international negotiations and everyday
decision-making associated with the causes and consequences of climate change.
