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How do Canadian media report climate change impacts on health? A newspaper review

Author

Listed:
  • Nia King

    (University of Guelph)

  • Katherine E. Bishop-Williams

    (University of Guelph)

  • Sabrina Beauchamp

    (University of Guelph
    McMaster University)

  • James D. Ford

    (University of Leeds)

  • Lea Berrang-Ford

    (University of Leeds)

  • Ashlee Cunsolo

    (Labrador Institute of Memorial University)

  • IHACC Research Team

    (IHACC Research Team: Cesar Carcamo (School of Public Health and Administration, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), Lima, Peru), Victoria L. Edge (Office of the Chief Science Officer, Public Health Agency of Canada, Guelph, Canada), Alejandro Llanos (School of Public Health and Administration, UPCH, Lima, Peru), Shuaib Lwasa (Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Climatic Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda), Didacus Namanya, Ugandan Ministry of Health)

  • Sherilee L. Harper

    (University of Guelph
    University of Alberta)

Abstract

Research on climate change media coverage is growing. Few studies, however, have investigated how the media portrays climate change impacts on human health. This review, therefore, presents a quantitative spatiotemporal analysis of Canadian newspaper coverage of climate change impacts on health between 2005 and 2015. Using the ProQuest® and Eureka® databases, a multiphase systematic review strategy was employed to identify relevant English and French articles from two national and six regional high-circulation newspapers. Quantitative and qualitative data were extracted from 145 articles and analyzed to characterize the range, extent, and nature of climate-health newspaper coverage in Canada and to compare these characteristics by region and over time. Coverage varied by region, with the highest proportion of climate-health coverage in Northern Territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut). Over time, there was a decreasing publication frequency trend. Almost all articles described negative climate change impacts on health, with a predominant focus on infectious and chronic noninfectious diseases; however, less than half of the articles discussed climate change solutions. These trends suggest that current media coverage might not drive widespread public support for policies and actions needed to protect against projected climate-health risks. Consequently, as climate change continues to challenge human health, increasing media emphasis on climate change impacts on human health, as well as a shift toward enabling and empowering climate change communication, in which viable mitigation and adaptation options are emphasized, could help to spur action to reduce climate change health risks.

Suggested Citation

  • Nia King & Katherine E. Bishop-Williams & Sabrina Beauchamp & James D. Ford & Lea Berrang-Ford & Ashlee Cunsolo & IHACC Research Team & Sherilee L. Harper, 2019. "How do Canadian media report climate change impacts on health? A newspaper review," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 152(3), pages 581-596, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:152:y:2019:i:3:d:10.1007_s10584-018-2311-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-018-2311-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ford, J.D. & Willox, A.C. & Chatwood, S. & Furgal, C. & Harper, S. & Mauro, I. & Pearce, T., 2014. "Adapting to the effects of climate change on inuit health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(S3), pages 9-17.
    2. Teresa Myers & Matthew Nisbet & Edward Maibach & Anthony Leiserowitz, 2012. "A public health frame arouses hopeful emotions about climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 113(3), pages 1105-1112, August.
    3. Susan L. Prescott & Alan C. Logan, 2018. "Larger Than Life: Injecting Hope into the Planetary Health Paradigm," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-27, March.
    4. Ella Belfer & James D. Ford & Michelle Maillet, 2017. "Representation of Indigenous peoples in climate change reporting," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 145(1), pages 57-70, November.
    5. Lauren Feldman & P. Sol Hart, 2018. "Is There Any Hope? How Climate Change News Imagery and Text Influence Audience Emotions and Support for Climate Mitigation Policies," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(3), pages 585-602, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Sibo Chen, 2023. "The fate of bitumen: an exploratory study of national newspaper coverage of Alberta’s bitumen industry during the COVID-19 pandemic," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-7, December.
    2. Matthew Pike & Ashlee Cunsolo & Amreen Babujee & Andrew Papadopoulos & Sherilee L. Harper, 2021. "How Did the Media Report the Mining Industry’s Initial Response to COVID-19 in Inuit Nunangat? A Newspaper Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-26, October.

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