๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ค๐ฌ?
Most people donโt read scientific reports. They learn about climate solutions through the news. What the media choose to highlight, and what they donโt, helps shape the public and political agenda.
We analysed how LNG has been covered in Dutch media since 1991. And we took a closer look at its use as a marine fuel.
What we found:
โก๏ธ The environmental impact of LNG received remarkably little attention: ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ 14% ๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ.
โก๏ธ Of those articles, ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐ข๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ (though coverage has recently become more balanced and critical – graph 1). This is especially true for LNG as marine fuel: two-thirds of such articles contain only positive environmental narratives over the whole reporting period.
โก๏ธ Framing of LNG (in all its applications) as a โ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅโ to lower-carbon energy is still more prevalent than narratives around lock-in or the difficulty of repurposing LNG-infrastructure for renewables.
โก๏ธ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ : ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ, some with ties to the fossil fuel industry, are dominant in the debate (graph 2)
> The three most cited experts appeared in over 250 news articles: far more than experts from environmental organisations.
> Expertise on economy, trade and markets is more frequently consulted compared to climate impact, community effects or fossil lock-in risks.
> Fossil-fuel affiliations are often not disclosed.
This creates a risk of a one-dimensional public debate on LNG.
Our research underscores the crucial role journalists and news media can play in covering the climate and energy transition: fact-checking claims, amplifying independent and critical voices, and bringing both impacts and alternatives into the conversation.
๐ Research paper (pre-print), with a detailed explanation of the research method and outcomes
๐Article by Bart Crezee on Momus (in Dutch)
๐Recording of the public event with a journalist panel at Pakhuis de Zwijger (in Dutch)
๐Interview with Aaron and Lynn by Pakhuis de Zwijger (in Dutch)
Research by Aaron Pereira, Lynn Vanheule & Chris Julien.
