ABC News Talks to Climate Scientists About Extreme Winter and Climate Change

Just last week, I was bemoaning the fact that a measly two-minute report on ABC World News was the best example of mainstream climate reporting around. Well, good news! ABC News has struck again, with a smart report last Friday about this winter's extreme weather, and how it is linked to climate change. Here's the report:

Listen carefully and you'll hear something new and novel in climate reporting:

ABC news contacted ten climate scientists to ask their take, if the extreme winter like the one we’re having is the way of the future.

\n

On Climate Progress, Joe Romm has figured out "the secret of their accurate reporting":

The dividing line between good climate reporting and bad climate reporting is almost always whether the reporter talked to real climate scientists. Typically, the more a reporter talks to, the better the story. It is very hard to get the story wrong if you talk to several of the leading climate scientists in any specific subfield.

\n

And what was "their take?"

The consensus: global warming is playing a role by shifting weather patterns in unpredictable ways. Many say the forecast for the future calls for record-breaking precipitation and extreme temperatures year-round—and that means winter with more snow.

\n

Two well-rounded, level reports on climate and weather in a couple of weeks? So far this year, ABC's the clear standout for network nightly news coverage.