This research analyses how climate change is reported across three countries – Australia, Canada, and the UK – and seven newspapers. Using machine learning, it identifies key differences in how climate change is framed, based on factors such as country, political orientation, and Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings. The study focuses on identifying topical and terminological differences in newspaper articles during these climate events. The data consists of articles published in English between 1995 and 2019.
Research questions
Three main research questions are explored: first, whether there are significant topical and terminological differences in climate change reporting across countries; second, if there are similar differences based on the political orientation of the newspapers; and third, how the focus on climate change evolves over different COP meetings. The findings are expected to reveal a contrast between reporting from right- and left-leaning newspapers, as well as differences between countries, especially those on different continents.
Previous work
Previous studies have shown that news media play a crucial role in shaping public opinion and influencing political agendas regarding climate change. Research also indicates that while climate change is a global issue, media coverage is often influenced by national context, with varying degrees of urgency and perspectives. This research builds on existing work by expanding the geographical scope and applying machine learning techniques to detect differences in reporting.
Data and method
A dataset of over 43,000 articles was collected from newspapers in Australia, Canada, and the UK. The selection includes both left- and right-leaning newspapers to capture political orientation. Machine learning models were used to identify features such as word usage and topic focus. Each COP meeting was treated as a time marker, with articles from a week before and after each meeting being analysed. The study also used a combination of classification and regression models to evaluate differences.
Results
The analysis reveals that significant differences exist between countries and political orientations in how climate change is discussed. UK newspapers often use terms like “carbon emissions” and “wildlife,” while Australian coverage focuses more on “bushfires” and “drought.” In Canada, there is a notable emphasis on “oil sands” and “natural gas.” These differences reflect national priorities and vulnerabilities, with Australia being more affected by extreme weather events, while the UK focuses on broader environmental concerns.
Political orientation also plays a role. Left-leaning newspapers are more likely to use terms such as “climate crisis” and “greenhouse,” while right-leaning outlets prefer the more neutral “climate change.” This suggests that the issue is becoming increasingly politicised, with left-leaning media framing it as an urgent crisis. Quantitatively, the study found that left-leaning papers feature climate-related terminology more frequently than right-leaning ones.
Over time, reporting has shifted to reflect a greater sense of urgency. In early COP meetings, terms like “global warming” and “greenhouse effect” were prevalent. However, in more recent years, newspapers have adopted stronger language, using terms like “climate emergency” and “global heating,” especially around COP21, when the Paris Agreement was signed.
