Ignoring the cow in the room: The Australian media's underrepresentation of animal agriculture's role in climate change

Animal agriculture is responsible for approximately 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Meat consumption is the main driver of these emissions and is predicted to rise significantly as global population grows. Australia is one of the world?s largest consumers and exporters of meat globally. Reducing meat consumption and transitioning to plant-based agriculture is identified as necessary to keep global warming below 2�C. Despite this, little action has been taken to reduce animal agriculture emissions globally or in Australia. News media are an important source of information on climate change for the public and the quantity and quality of reporting on this issue significantly impacts public understanding. However, animal agriculture?s role in climate change has received little media attention in countries like the US, UK, and Australia. This study uses a mixed methods content analysis to analyse how animal agriculture?s role in climate change is represented and the scientific accuracy of statements on animal agriculture relating to climate change in six Australian media outlets between 2015 and 2021. The study found that coverage of animal agriculture?s role in climate change in Australian media increased over time but remained low. In the coverage, animal agriculture was frequently identified as a cause of emissions, while dietary changes were identified as a solution. Coverage on causes of animal agriculture emissions was relatively accurate, though reporting skewed towards causes involving agricultural practices. The accuracy of solutions to mitigate emissions was unclear and sometimes focused on actions that would have little impact on emissions reduction. My results suggest that Australian journalists do not have enough knowledge on animal agriculture?s role in climate change to effectively communicate it to the public. Increasing understanding of the issue for journalists, the public and policy makers is necessary for effective and rapid mitigation.