Relaying the message of climate change: The IPCC experts comment on media coverage of scientific consensus

In the last few years, the issue of climate change has become a universal topic and its presence in political, institutional, social and media agendas continues to increase, due to its future repercussions and its current consequences, which are already evident in many points of the globe. This article expounds on the prevailing current of thought amongst the members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in particular amongst those coming from the Mediterranean-Latin American region. In line with what Vidal Beneyto (2008) asserts, it is assumed that the countries in this region share sufficient elements (history, languages, politics, etc.) to be part of the same study area. In total, 157 environmental scientists were invited to take part in a survey which examines the following issues amongst others: 1) the existing scientific consensus about global warming and climate change; 2) the degree of agreement between the scientific and media discourses; 3) the main errors transmitted by the media to public opinion; and 4) possible strategies to transmit truthful information about climate change that will bring about the adoption of measures to mitigate its effects. Twenty-seven experts collaborated in the study. Their responses have been translated directly into English and treated anonymously.