Call for paper - n. 71/2026
Climate change communication has been called “the communication challenge of our century” (Priest
2016). Scientific evidence on the anthropogenic causes of the phenomenon and the implications for
the habitability of the planet for living species has saturated scientific journals and institutional reports
without generating to date,ì sustained public concern or policy action to address what is recognized
as one of the major threats of our time (Lynas et al. 2021; IPCC 2023; WMO 2024).
Climate change is not only a scientific and environmental issue, but also a deeply social one.
It is a social fact in its causes - the energy, food, and production systems underlying the ecological
regime of capitalism (Moore 2016) -, in its effects - the multiplication of vulnerabilities and social
inequalities, which goes hand in hand with ecosystems’ dissolution (De Sherbinin et al. 2019; Gerlak
& Greene 2019) - and in its solutions, which require political will but, above all, a cultural transition
of imagery and metaphors, as well as of techniques for inhabiting the world (Van Aken 2021).
The media are the main channels through which people construct their knowledge about climate
change (Carvalho 2010; Schafer & Schlichting 2014; Dudo & Atkinson 2017). Globally, television
is the primary source of information on climate change, although social media are increasingly
common gateways to the phenomenon, especially for young people (Newman et al. 2022; Pellegrini
2020). Narratives and representations of climate change can be traced in many genres and formats of
media storytelling: from TV series to newspapers, from memes on Instagram to Netflix
documentaries, from podcasts to videos on TikTok, from Facebook groups to advertisements, to
different forms of social communication.
Through these and other channels, the public discourse around climate change accommodates
information and misinformation, science and opinion, greenwashing and calls for action from
political leaders, fossil industry representatives, scientists, ordinary citizens, activists, institutions,
organizations, and social movements.
The means and ways through which climate change is framed in public narratives - through language,
images, sounds, discourse, and communicative practices - help shape audiences’ understanding and
emotional reaction, fostering or limiting political polarization and involvement in climate action
(Whitmarsh et al. 2013). When dealing with climate change, an increase in citizens’ awareness does
not automatically guarantee a significant change in their behavior in pro-social terms, however the
role of framing processes (Goffman 1974; Entman 1993; Scheufele 1999; Schäfer & O'Neill 2017)
in climate change media narratives and in the decoding by audiences appears crucial. People use the frames provided by the media as interpretive shortcuts, but they supplement these media representations with preexisting interpretations forged through personal experience, ideology, social identity, or conversations with others (Nisbet 2009). With reference to climate change, research on
framing has been concerned - through multimodal approaches - with investigating how the negotiation between media frames and audience frames takes place; which frames are dominant and which are less ordinary in mainstream media narratives, in social media channels used by social movements, political leaders, or sustainability influencers, in popular culture (movies, TV series, documentaries, entertainment programs), in advertising, and in social communication, up to empirical
research aimed at assessing the impact of exposing different audiences to different types of frames (DiFrancesco & Young 2011; Nisbet et al. 2013; Scannell & Gifford, 2013; O’Neill et al. 2015; Wolsko et al. 2016; Bolsen et al., 2018; Spence & Pidgeon 2020; van Eck et al. 2020; Giaccardi et al. 2022; Chen et al. 2023; Guenther et al. 2023; Guenther et al. 2023b).
In Italy, research in this area is very recent (Beltrame et al. 2013; Ferrucci & Petersen 2018; Belotti & Bussoletti 2022; Imperatore & Frazzetta 2023; Biancalana & Landini 2024; Albanese & Graziano 2024; Osservatorio di Pavia 2024).
This call aims to systematize and expand this field of inquiry by exploring the multiple ways in which climate change is mediated in public discourse and analyzing how meanings around this phenomenon are constructed, contested, circulated, and received in different social contexts through the media and
their usage practices. Who are the main voices in the climate change narrative in the current media ecosystem? How do they frame the phenomenon? How are legacy media discourses being flanked,
contested, reframed, and evolving in the digital space? What frames seem most effective for engaging particular audiences? What are the limits of media narratives and practices in this area? What are the risks of a one-size-fits-all climate change narrative and what are the opportunities for using certain frames?
From this perspective, authors are invited to submit original articles based on critical theoretical applications and both qualitative and quantitative empirical approaches regarding - but not limited to
- the following topics:
- Framing strategies in climate change communication and media uses in this field.
- Dominant and minor frames in legacy media and public discourse.
- The role of social media in shaping climate narratives.
- Activists and counter-movements’ framing (e.g., climate justice, denialism, eco-anxiety).
- Frame of institutional communication and social communication.
- Audiences’ frames.
- Framing in popular culture and audiovisual media.
- Reception of media narratives of climate change.
- Polarization of audiences and the role of media frames.
- Discursive and media strategies of audience engagement towards the climate issue.
- Methodological innovations in climate change framing research.
- Climate crisis frames and consumption.
- Framing and reframing of the climate crisis in political debate.
- The construction of alternative frames between misinformation, mistrust, entrenched behavior and
knowledge seeking through innovative practices.
Authors interested in submitting a contribution are invited to send an original article of up to 45,000 characters (including spaces, including bibliography), in Italian or English, by November 30, 2025 to
the editors of the issue at valentina.cappi3@unibo.it and paola.parmiggiani@unibo.it and for
information to the Editors (Roberta Bartoletti roberta.bartoletti2@unibo.it) and the editorial staff of the Journal (Stefania Antonioni stefania.antonioni@uniurb.it).
Authors are invited to contact the issue editors for a preliminary assessment of the relevance of the article they intend to submit, anticipating an extended abstract.
Articles must be concurrently uploaded to the Journal’s platform, along with an abstract in Italian and English of 600-750 characters and an author profile of 300-500 characters.
For editing the article, please refer to the editorial rules downloadable from the journal’s website:
https://static.francoangeli.it/fa-contenuti/riviste/nr/sc-norme_en.pdf
In the selection, preference will be given to proposals that propose an advancement of knowledge and elements of innovativeness in the current scientific debate, in terms of theory, methodology or empirical evidence.
Articles will be double-blind refereed and publication will be subject to the outcome of the evaluation.
A maximum of 7 articles will be published.
For more information:
https://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/sommario.aspx?IDRivista=52&lingua=EN
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