A critical discourse analysis of resistance to climate change in China’s English-language news media

Yu, Yating; Nartey, Mark; Chen, Jieyu

Abstract

Climate change has become a global issue, but no study has examined the discursive construction of resistance to climate change as part of crisis response in the media. To fill this gap, this study employs Wodak’s discourse-historical approach to examine 82 news articles collected from China’s English-language news media. The analysis reveals three themes used in the construction of a discourse of resistance to climate change: (1) climate change as a global enemy, (2) China as a leading climate change fighter, and (3) other nations as China’s allies in the fight. These themes are articulated in the news stories using discursive strategies such as nomination, predication, argumentation, and mitigation. The article sheds light on the language state-run news media uses to project China’s image abroad and encourage international collaboration and action in the fight against climate change. It also illustrates how discourse analysis can illuminate the geopolitical and sociocultural dimensions of climate change.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 1, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Oct 30, 2023
• Publication Date: 2024
• Deposit Date: Oct 31, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: May 1, 2025
• Journal: Asian Studies Review
• Print ISSN: 1035-7823
• Electronic ISSN: 1467-8403
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 48
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 579-596
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2023.2272295
• Keywords: Sociology and Political Science, History, Cultural Studies
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11404202