Climate Change Discourse on Social Media in Egypt

While climate change discourse on Western platforms like Twitter often reveals signs of polarization and misinformation, discussions on Chinese social media remain less explored. Building on the theoretical framework of the green public sphere, this study aims to explore the features of the content (topics and veracity), the characteristics of engaged users (regular users and social bots), and the communication strategies adopted by engaged users in climate change discussions on Chinese social media. We employed machine learning methods to analyze 452,167 climate change-related posts generated by 311,214 users from 2010 to 2020 on Weibo, finding that climate change discourse concentrated on environmental and health impacts and action advocacy, and misinformation was not prevalent. Regarding the composition of engaged users, only a small proportion were social bots which concentrated on action advocacy and politics and governance, rather than skeptical and denialist discourses. In terms of communication strategies, we found that social bots on Weibo were more likely to forward a post or mention another user than regular users. This study expands our understanding of climate change discourse and the green public sphere on social media and provides insights into leveraging social bots in climate change communication in an AI-powered society.

There is increasing public debate about the governance of climate change and its repercussions for nature and human livelihoods. In today's digitalized communication landscape, both public and private actors involved in climate change governance use social media to provide information and to interact with stakeholders and the broader public. This Focus Article discusses two main aspects of debates about climate change and climate governance on Twitter, which previous theories suggest to shape climate governance across domestic and global levels: non‐state climate action and public opinion formation on the social media. We see significant advancement in the environmental social sciences studying these two areas. Yet, we also see the need for a better understanding of how public and private actors in the climate governance complex interact on Twitter, and how these actors shape, and are shaped by, experiences, values, and positions. This understanding will help to advance climate governance theories. This article proceeds in three steps. We first discuss previous social media research on non‐state climate action and public opinion formation related to climate change and its governance. Then we sketch avenues for future research, elaborating how Twitter data might be used to investigate how non‐state climate action and public opinion formation on social media are linked to and influence climate governance. We conclude by making the case for drawing together Twitter data and climate governance research into a more coherent research agenda.This article is categorized under: Policy and Governance > Private Governance of Climate Change Perceptions, Behavior, and Communication of Climate Change > Communication Policy and Governance > National Climate Change Policy Policy and Governance > Multilevel and Transnational Climate Change Governance

Framing responsibility in climate change discourse: Ethnocentric attribution bias, perceived causes, and policy attitudes

Action towards climate change mitigation depends on perceptions of severity. With the digital revolution, climate communication is no longer restricted only to climate experts but it has extended to general public as well. This shift raises a question whether experts and general public equally persuade people about the grave need for climate mitigation. In a dynamic social media setting, fragmented attention and contesting content suits the peripheral route of persuasion, where easily readable, and emotionally appealing prompts often captures attention compared to complicated reasoning based on science. Restricted cognitive elaboration among users with low motivation, leads to heterogenous engagement patterns ranging from critical assessment to responses driven by heuristics, causing asymmetries in climate communication. Hence this study applied Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), a type of dual-process theory, on a dataset of climate change tweets to analyse how readability of tweets and complexity of messages (central cues) interact with source credibility (peripheral cues) in shaping users’ engagement on X. Although climate change communication strategies are widely analysed empirical research integrating framing, source expertise and information processing routes in a dynamic social media setting remains restricted. Addressing this gap, the present study aims to examine variations in the readability, engagement, and cognitive framing of climate change discourses on X between experts and general public. Comparing linguistic comprehensibility, user engagement metrics, and shifts in expert communication during important climatic milestones, this study aims to comprehend how message characteristics and source expertise shape public interaction with climate content on social media.This study compares readability scores and engagement metrics (likes, replies, retweets) on an anthropogenic climate change tweets dataset (January 2022 to May 2023) containing 333,635 original tweets. The tweets were clustered into four thematic areas: scientific, anthropogenic, policy, and conspiracy narratives. We found that expert’s tweets were significantly more complicated with lower reading ease score and higher complexity score. Specifically, such observations were reported in anthropogenic, scientific, and conspiracy clusters for experts. No significant variations emerged in the policy cluster, suggesting comparable readability among experts and general public. Cluster-level analyses indicated that expert-authored tweets consistently garner greater engagement compared to tweets by general public. Across all clusters, retweets were found to be higher in the experts’ tweets. Variations in reply are significant only in scientific and policy clusters. Engagement analysis showed experts consistently outperformed the general public, with significantly more likes and retweets, particularly for scientific and policy content. Expertise strongly boosted engagement (peripheral route), while higher reading ease further amplified this effect, especially for experts. Conversely, higher complexity modestly increased engagement overall but reduced the marginal benefit of expertise for likes. Temporal analysis around major climate milestones revealed spikes in expert activity and thematic shifts, with discourse patterns influenced by cognitive biases, including authority bias, confirmation bias, and group polarisation. The results demonstrate that climate communication on social media is shaped by the interaction of source expertise, message accessibility, and cognitive biases, with implications for science communication and public engagement.

The tipping point trend in climate change communication

The climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and communication around it has evolved into a “booming industry” over recent decades (Nerlich et al., “Theory and Language” 97). Language, in particular, influences how individuals perceive and respond to environmental challenges. Specific linguistic constructions– such as temporal framing – shape perceptions of urgency, responsibility, and impact, particularly as they relate to the climate crisis (see Weinrich). Thus, this chapter explores the complex relationship between climate change communication, language, and temporal perspectives, focusing on representations of the concept of futurity in media coverage surrounding the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) and the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28). Through an analysis of English-language media outlets across diverse regions, this study seeks to uncover patterns in how language, particularly with respect to futurity, may shape public perceptions of the ongoing climate crisis. Despite its relevance, the topic of how the climate crisis is represented has only recently attracted attention within ecolinguistic research, a field traditionally centered on human-nature relationships within language (Fill and Penz). Therefore, this chapter aims to bridge that gap by examining the role of future-oriented discourse in climate communication. By investigating how temporal language is used to frame climate issues in media, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how ecological and linguistic perspectives intersect. This analysis is crucial not only for advancing climate change communication within ecolinguistics but also for enhancing public understanding of environmental issues. By examining how language frames climate discourse, this interdisciplinary approach demonstrates how strategic linguistic choices in media can encourage a more informed and proactive public response to the climate crisis.

A great deal of learning takes place outside of the standard curriculum. School-based education is often insufficient to address climate change; many schools do little to cover the topic, perhaps out of the desire to avoid political controversy. This leaves social media, mainstream news media, and informal learning environments to cover the gap. Although social media and mainstream news media can be politically polarized, science museums, zoos, and other informal learning environments draw a broad and diverse audience, and are generally trusted by people across the political spectrum. This makes them an important location for climate change education. Informal learning environments are settings outside traditional educational institutions in which information is communicated. Environments such as zoos and nature centers, which provide information about animals, ecology, and the natural environment, have several attributes that are important to their role in climate change communication. One significant feature is that they are social contexts, in which social interaction is both expected and encouraged. If the people who are encountering the message talk to each other about it, they can develop a shared understanding of, and response to, the content. The social experiences provide an opportunity to affirm shared values for nature, and understandings of the potential impacts of climate change. Another key characteristic of these environments is that they have at least a minimal entertainment function along with the education function. People are required to attend formal educational settings, at least within certain parameters, but informal settings are usually optional. That means that those who run the sites have to think about ways to encourage attendance, by providing an emotionally engaging experience. The personal experience of curiosity, awe, and connection to nature can be dramatic, as can be seen by observing visitors at a zoo exhibit. Such connections can provide a powerful basis for empathy, a precursor to concern about the impacts of climate change on animals and ecosystems. Climate literacy requires “an understanding of your influence on climate and climate’s influence on you and society” (U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), 2009, p. 4). Such an understanding can be frightening if people feel helpless. In addition to providing information about climate change, informal learning environments can do more to overcome denial. Well-constructed exhibits can promote concern through interest and engagement. But they also need to avoid a message that is too pessimistic. Beyond this, informal learning centers should take advantage of their social context. The very experience of learning about climate change in an institutional setting can empower visitors, who can feel reassured that society acknowledges the issue, cares about it, and has suggestions for effective action. After reviewing aspects of environmental learning and the ways in which it occurs in informal settings, this chapter will present some suggestions about how zoos and other science museums can more effectively capitalize on their strengths to communicate with the public about climate change.

<p>Climate change is arguably the most pressing environmental issue of our time. Human behaviour has progressively worsened climate change to the point where urgent action is required, and order to achieve climate change action, individuals need to be engaged with climate change. However, there is a clear disconnect between climate change engagement and climate change action and behaviour change. This disconnection is of particular interest in Aotearoa, where reductions in emission have faced a complex history and a multitude of setbacks. One of the key barriers to engagement is the science-action gap, wherein individuals receive information about the issue of climate change, but this information does not result in the desired behaviour change or action. Therefore, it is necessary to assess how the information is communicated and whether this can influence engagement. The effectiveness of climate change communication presents a clear barrier to engagement. In an attempt to influence engagement via climate change communication, there is a growing body of research that investigates the way climate change communication is framed. Although this area of research is growing, the research on message framing in the context of Aotearoa is lacking. This research investigated what types of message framing are effective for communicating climate change issues to the public of Te Tai Tokerau, focusing specifically on the relationship between climate change and droughts. This research examined the effectiveness of two commonly used communication tactics: outcome framing and risk framing. The results of this research indicate that the framing of a message about climate change and drought in Te Tai Tokerau did not influence people’s levels of engagement with climate change. Specifically, there was no significant difference between the effectiveness of gain framed messages and loss framed messages; nor was there a significant difference between the high risk framed messages and the low risk messages.</p>

Environmental educators face a formidable challenge when they approach climate change due to the complexity of the science and of the political and cultural contexts in which people live. There is a clear consensus among climate scientists that climate change is already occurring as a result of human activities, but high levels of climate change awareness and growing levels of concern have not translated into meaningful action. Communicating Climate Change provides environmental educators with an understanding of how their audiences engage with climate change information as well as with concrete, empirically tested communication tools they can use to enhance their climate change program. Starting with the basics of climate science and climate change public opinion, Armstrong, Krasny, and Schuldt synthesize research from environmental psychology and climate change communication, weaving in examples of environmental education applications throughout this practical book. Each chapter covers a separate topic, from how environmental psychology explains the complex ways in which people interact with climate change information to communication strategies with a focus on framing, metaphors, and messengers. This broad set of topics will aid educators in formulating program language for their classrooms at all levels. Communicating Climate Change uses fictional vignettes of climate change education programs and true stories from climate change educators working in the field to illustrate the possibilities of applying research to practice. Armstrong et al, ably demonstrate that environmental education is an important player in fostering positive climate change dialogue and subsequent climate change action.

Climate change communication is a relatively new area of research in India—a country that ranks high in vulnerability due to poverty, yet a major emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs). This article reviews climate change communication research in the country from the 1990s to the present. First, it provides a political economy framework to explore the issue of climate change communication amid environment and development debates in India. It shows that elite discourses of climate change have been shifting from externalizing the problem and solutions to a more recent co-benefits approach to address the twin challenges of climate change and economic development. Second, the article reviews research about media coverage and finds that although Indian media portrays climate change as real and human-caused and reports its severe impacts in India, it largely externalizes the problem, with slight changes in recent coverage highlighting domestic responsibility and equity. Third, reviewing studies on public awareness and understanding, it shows that while the Indian public is largely unaware of the term climate change, public opinion surveys and qualitative research indicate that Indians report experiencing changing weather conditions in their local area—an important lesson to communicating climate change in India. Finally, it explores future opportunities for climate change communication research in India.

Traditional knowledge and institutions for sustainable climate change adaptation in Ethiopia

The climate change awareness of teenagers, as the leading generation for future development affects how societies will be able to cope with climate change. Especially teenagers’ concerns about climate change and their willingness to act in a climate-friendly manner are factors climate change communication has to address. This study investigates why teenagers do not feel concerned about climate change or are not willing to act in a climate-friendly manner in order to identify strategies regarding how to strengthen these aspects in target group-oriented climate change communication formats. Using a mixed-method approach, a quantitative analysis of questionnaires answered by 760 13–16-year old teenagers was validated by a qualitative analysis of interviews with selected respondents. The findings suggest that those teenagers who are not concerned about climate change believe that climate change will happen only in the future. Furthermore, they do not recognize the interconnections or feedbacks regarding climate change between the components of the global system. The group of teenagers who are not willing to act question their own impact and ability to influence the effects of climate change. The findings are discussed, in order to identify implications for climate change communication tailored to the needs of the target group.

In Greek mythology, Cassandra was cursed with a prophetic knowledge of the future that no one would believe. The premise of this mythological prophet is also an apt description of the challenge facing scientists in communicating climate change. Central to addressing this challenge is the ability to examine, interpret and understand the individual scaffolding that underlies people's perception of climate change. Human-centered design incorporates a deep assessment of human needs in the design of systems and services, providing an alternative lens to engage in action towards climate change. Over the course of three separate design classes, attracting a diverse array of students from undergraduate to PhD to professional degrees, from engineers to humanists, we have explored the intersection of design education and climate change communication. In Design for a Habitable Planet, students conducted broad unstructured interviews to populate a matrix of beliefs and experiences around climate change, allowing them to bridge a perceived empathy gap. Their subjects included local fisherman, who are experiencing climate change but are ideologically opposed to the concept, and Alaska Native students who are experiencing climate change as part of a larger portfolio of challenges facing their communities. Leveraging theories from behavioral psychology, students then developed and prototyped an array of climate action campaigns, using an array of mediums from Snapchat filters to crowd-sourced climate haiku on beer labels. A unique outcome of the design process was a set of strategies intended to engage voices from all corners of the climate change debate and in turn inspire action. In Design of Data, students were challenged to design a data journalism piece highlighting positive action to address climate change. Students struggled with their pre-conceived negative bias around climate change, but after an examination of their own communities, what emerged were eight compelling stories daylighting positive and collective action to address global change. Ultimately, through our classroom experiments integrating design, behavioral psychology and climate change communication, students have not only learned to engage across differences, but we have developed a first glimpse of the power of design to inspire novel strategies to incite positive action to address climate change.

The risks and opportunities presented by climate change for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) have been largely overlooked by previous research. The subsequent lack of knowledge in this field makes it difficult for SMEs to engage with climate change in a meaningful, profitable, and sustainable way. Further, current research cannot explain why SMEs rarely engage with climate change. We examine critically 30 SMEs, which engage with climate change knowledges and 5 Innovation-Support-Organizations (ISOs) that communicate climate change knowledges. Over a three-year period we explore why and how these businesses approach the knowledge gap between climate change science and business practice, drawing on a variety of ethnographic research methods: (1) in-depth semi-structured and open interviews; (2) participant observations; and (3) practitioners’ workshops. The results demonstrate that business’ mitigation and adaptation strategies are lay-knowledge-dependent, derived from personal values, space, and place identity. To enhance the number of SMEs engaging with climate change, maximize the potential value of climate change for the econo- my and establish a low carbon economy, climate change communication needs to target personal values of business leaders. The message should highlight local impacts of climate change, the benefits of engagement to (the local) society and economy, and possible financial benefits for the business. Climate change communication therefore needs to go beyond thinking about potential financial benefits and scientific evidence and challenge values, cultures, and beliefs to stimulate economic, political, and social frameworks that promote values-based decision-making.

Sahel is one of the major African drylands whose experience of recurring droughts exacerbates its vulnerability to climate change. Its population is estimated to rise to over 200 million by 2050. This region has attracted attention of the global scientific communities, and for which interventions from scientists, intergovernmental institutions, and government agencies aim at reducing the impacts of climate change in the region. One of the areas that receive least attention is climate change communication in spite of its importance in reaching out to communities. It is also valuable informing other stakeholders of the relevance of indigenous knowledge in addressing climate change crises. Another justification for utilising climate change communication is informed by the huge deficit in real-time ground data, regional and local climate modelling in Africa. This chapter is proposing a framework that prioritises inclusion of local language, creative stories, indigenous climate knowledge and massive online open courses (MOOCs). The chapter further identifies the critical need for all the stakeholders in the region to embrace climate change communication as a link across the divides that have traditionally disconnected local communities, scientists, policymakers and local and global stakeholders. By using this approach, it will immensely help in supporting informed decision on what works best for people, institutions and the environment.