The Observatoire des médias sur l’écologie (OME) has tracked instances of climate misinformation in the news programs of 18 French media outlets since the beginning of 2026. According to a report published exclusively by the French news outlet Vert, certain themes and times of the year are particularly prone to misleading statements. With the recent heatwaves, climate misinformation has become more frequent on French television, radio, and newspapers. Climate misinformation refers to instances where a false statement about climate change is made on air and not corrected by a journalist within two minutes. These errors are especially common during extreme weather events or when environmental issues dominate the news. The OME, which includes groups like Quota Climat, Expertises Climat, Data for Good, and Science Feedback, released its report on media coverage of environmental issues for the first half of 2026. The Observatory analyzed climate-related news from 18 audiovisual media and found 452 problematic statements in six months, a 28% increase compared to the same period in 2025. Eva Morel, general secretary of Quota Climat, attributes this rise to a growing polarization around environmental issues, exacerbated by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the recent heatwaves. She notes that some political actors are using climate issues to position themselves without fully addressing the broader environmental agenda, leading to the use of misleading or false arguments. The two weeks with the highest number of misinformation cases were May 25–31 and June 22–28, with 60 and 80 instances respectively. CNews, Europe 1, and Sud Radio were the top three media outlets for broadcasting climate misinformation, with more than one such instance per hour of climate news. During heatwaves, media coverage often downplays the frequency and intensity of extreme weather. For example, journalist Raphaël Stainville on CNews claimed that heat episodes should not be used to draw climate conclusions, a sentiment echoed by commentator Luc Ferry on LCI, who argued that extreme temperatures in Paris were not unprecedented. While the media's focus on environmental issues has slightly increased—rising from 4.9% to 5.3% of content in 2026—the coverage tends to be alarmist rather than solution-oriented. During heatwaves, the proportion of content mentioning climate change has risen, but the discussion of its causes, like fossil fuel combustion and greenhouse gas emissions, has nearly halved. Adaptation strategies are also more focused on individual actions like air conditioning and hydration, rather than systemic changes such as urban greening or thermal renovation. Eva Morel emphasizes that while discussing air conditioning is not inherently bad, it diverts attention from the need to reduce emissions and hold leaders accountable.