Still, Trump’s return to office is not the only reason for a global dip in climate news coverage. It was on a steady-if-rocky incline throughout the 21st century before peaking in 2021 around the time the Biden administration was debating its landmark climate law.

But coverage fell precipitously the next year and has continued to slide downward, according to the Media and Climate Change Observatory, which monitors mentions of the issue in five major American newspapers, seven television stations, two radio networks and two wire services.