Abstract
The rise in research, policy and news on climate change-induced migration has grown exponentially over the last two decades. Migration related to global warming is increasingly
portrayed as inevitable and used to mobilise people to act immediately against climate change.
By analysing the discourse of two Flemish news media journals (De Standaard and Het Laatste
Nieuws) and the Belgian national news agency (Belga), indexed by the GoPress database
(1985–2022), this paper aims to present how migration and climate change are linked to
each other in the media, how this differs across media outlets, and reflects on potential
outcomes of this framing. Results indicate that climate-induced migration is often portrayed
in an apocalyptic way and seen as an inevitable threat that needs to be avoided. The used
terminology and the portrayals of climate change-induced migration are not in line with the
scientific evidence on this topic
portrayed as inevitable and used to mobilise people to act immediately against climate change.
By analysing the discourse of two Flemish news media journals (De Standaard and Het Laatste
Nieuws) and the Belgian national news agency (Belga), indexed by the GoPress database
(1985–2022), this paper aims to present how migration and climate change are linked to
each other in the media, how this differs across media outlets, and reflects on potential
outcomes of this framing. Results indicate that climate-induced migration is often portrayed
in an apocalyptic way and seen as an inevitable threat that needs to be avoided. The used
terminology and the portrayals of climate change-induced migration are not in line with the
scientific evidence on this topic
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 486-498 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Environmental Sociology |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 19 Jun 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Research programs
- ESSB PA
