The early arrival of the fire season in Australia made it a climate story from day one. The New York Times reported on September 9 that “experts and some state officials ... have been quick to identify climate change as a major cause — a contentious argument for some people here in a country that is heavily reliant on the coal industry, with a conservative government that has resisted making climate policy a priority.”

Though the fires’ first coverage by U.S. broadcast news came from ABC’s World News Tonight on September 8, connection to the climate crisis was not made until a December 22 segment by CBS Weekend News.

In fact, after World News Tonight first reported the story, more than a month passed before CBS and NBC even reported on the unfolding crisis in Australia. CBS’ first coverage came on November 11 during a segment on CBS This Morning. And NBC broke the silence on November 15 during a Today show segment on the continent’s declining koala population.

Twelve of the 59 total fire segments (20%) aired in November, and all but three were centered on the country’s koala bear population.

Twenty-two of the total fire segments (37%) aired in December, with many focusing on the debate of whether Sydney should go forward with its renowned New Year’s Eve fireworks display while massive fires consumed other parts of the country.

From this focus on the fireworks to a viral story of a woman who rescued a koala bear from fire, broadcast news has not yet seemed to grasp the gravity of this global story.

But that could be changing.

The first week of January has yielded 24 segments about the Australian fires -- more than aired in the entire month of December and nearly half of all segments since the fires began. It’s also featured more than half of the total segments linking the epic fires to the climate crisis, but broadcast coverage still has a long way to go to put the fires in context for their viewers.