CNN founder Ted Turner said in 2011 that climate change is “probably the most serious ... problem that humanity has ever faced,” adding that we need to “increase the amount of the debate” to motivate people to take action.

Unfortunately, the network he created has often failed to live up to that goal, devoting minimal time to the issue even while reporting on its consequences. A recent study by the Project for Improved Environmental Coverage found that environmental stories accounted for only 0.36% of CNN's news headlines between January 2011 and May 2012, the lowest of any major TV news network. And when CNN does mention climate change, it too often ignores the role of human emissions and treats the science as a subject for debate.

But big changes are coming to CNN this year under the leadership of Jeff Zucker, the former head of NBC Universal who was brought on as the new president of CNN Worldwide in January. Zucker is shaking up CNN's lineup and shuffling personnel in an attempt to boost ratings. He also wants to see CNN “broaden the definition of what news is” beyond “politics and war” in order to stay competitive with other cable networks.

It remains to be seen whether CNN will take this opportunity to expand its focus to include substantive stories that it has typically overlooked, such as the environment and climate change. At NBC Universal, Zucker oversaw the launch of the network's "Green Is Universal" program, which aims to bring an “environmental perspective” to NBC's news and entertainment programs as well as company operations. Announcing the initiative, he emphasized the company's “responsibility ... in driving awareness” of environmental issues.

Now Zucker has the opportunity to implement this vision at CNN. Here's how we recommend he do it: