Keeping young people informed and engaged: A linguistic analysis of climate change communication targeting young audiences in Flemish news

Van Praet, Wout [UCL] Huygens, Liv Bries, Anouk

This paper examines climate change communication targeting young audiences through a linguistic analysis of the Flemish news programme Karrewiet. With children and teenagers as its primary audience, Karrewiet plays a pivotal role in shaping the perspectives and attitudes of future generations towards climate action. Reports of growing climate anxiety in children and teenagers (Hickman et al. 2021) signal that young people are by no means indifferent to the risks of climate change. Instead, the challenge for climate change communication is to keep young people informed and engaged, without feeding into feelings of despair. The study adopts a hybrid approach by combining a framing study with an appraisal analysis to examine how climate-related issues and possible solutions are communicated. The framing study aims to identify the underlying constructs and narratives employed in the climate news: it explores how linguistic choices influence the understanding not just of the newsworthy problems, causes and solutions, but also of the role and agency of various participants (e.g., politicians, activists, young people) therein (Van Gorp 2007). Simultaneously, the appraisal study seeks to uncover the evaluative language used in discussing climate change and associated actions (Martin & White 2005). By scrutinizing the linguistic strategies employed in conveying positive or negative attitudes towards climate issues and remedies, the study aims to reveal potential obstacles and disincentives that hinder effective climate action among the youth. This study not only contributes to our understanding of climate change communication but also provides valuable insights for educators, media professionals, and policymakers aiming to enhance the efficacy of climate change messaging targeting young people. Young people have shown themselves to be engaged participants in the climate debate; the challenge is to foster their engagement and promote constructive attitudes, especially in the face of growing eco-anxiety. References Hickman, Caroline, Elizabeth Marks, Panu Pihkala, Susan Clayton, R. Eric Lewandowski, Elouise E. Mayall, Britt Wray, Catriona Mellor & Lise van Susteren. 2021. Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey. The Lancet Planetary Health 5(12). Elsevier, e863–e873. Martin, James R. & Peter R. R. White. 2005. The Language of Evaluation: Appraisal in English. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Van Gorp, Baldwin. 2007. Het reconstrueren van frames via inductieve inhoudsanalyse: Uitgangspunten en procedures. KWALON 12(2), 13–18.