Making Climate Pay (6th Edition): Europe

In recent years, European newsrooms have encountered mounting pressures that threaten the sustainability of public-interest journalism—especially on climate.

‍While the climate crisis accelerates, media organisations across the continent face declining advertising revenue, increasing production costs, and shifting audience behaviours. The digital transformation has brought new opportunities, but also intensified competition for attention and eroded trust in traditional institutions, at a critical time.

These challenges are compounded by the polarisation of public discourse and underinvestment in local, solutions-focused reporting. In this environment, climate journalism must work harder to earn attention, build connection, and deliver impact. ClimateXchange (cXc) has been considering solutions to this.

Using the output of the Europe cXc knowledgeXchange in April 2025, this report offers three prototype ideas for sustainable climate journalism editorial products.