Digital media’s portrayal of climate change challenges during COP27 climate summit

Abstract

The study aims to investigate how digital media frame and present environmental issues and challenges of climate change in terms of four environmental and climate challenges: mitigation, adaptation, finance, and collaboration. The study also seeks to understand the extent that government bodies mobilize digital media to disseminate and promote necessary environmental challenges during COP27 climate summit in Egypt. The study uses the discourse analysis approach to define the key themes and issues that are portrayed and to understand how digital platforms reflected the conference agenda and climate change challenges. We analyzed 119 posts and news reports published on the conference website and Instagram account during November 2022. Results revealed that the platforms framed challenges of climate change during COP27 in many ways: the opportunity to find solutions, the urgency to address climate issues, and taking immediate actions in terms of transparency, adequate finance, ease of support flow, cooperation, participation, and youth involvement. Furthermore, the data indicate that the finance challenge has a strong relationship with all themes and challenges presented and discussed on the platforms. This indicates that African countries benefited from hosting COP27 by presenting their environmental concerns, the financial, and technological challenges they face in order to obtain global support.