<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> In 2007, China overtook the US to become the largest emitter of CO2 into the Earth’s atmosphere. China’s vital role in global efforts to combat climate change creates a pressing challenge to explore the unique characteristics of Chinese environmental values and policy processes, and to identify the frames that are employed to understand climate change and related environmental issues domestically. This paper investigates a) how the political context, as well as differing political agendas and policy goals within which actors operate, affects and sometimes constrains the frames they generally employ; and b) the specific frames used to understand and discuss climate change by interview subjects and in written documents. It finds that different frames are employed by those supporting the current regime and its attendant official discourses on climate change and the environment (mainly government officials) and those challenging or in opposition to such dominant framings (particularly NGOs).</p></abstract>

In 2007, China overtook the US to become the largest emitter of CO2 into the Earth’s atmosphere. China’s vital role in global efforts to combat climate change creates a pressing challenge to explore the unique characteristics of Chinese environmental values and policy processes, and to identify the frames that are employed to understand climate change and related environmental issues domestically. This paper investigates a) how the political context, as well as differing political agendas and policy goals within which actors operate, affects and sometimes constrains the frames they generally employ; and b) the specific frames used to understand and discuss climate change by interview subjects and in written documents. It finds that different frames are employed by those supporting the current regime and its attendant official discourses on climate change and the environment (mainly government officials) and those challenging or in opposition to such dominant framings (particularly NGOs).

China Talks Climate: A Frame Analysis of Discourses on Climate Change and the Environment in the PRC

Vienna Journal of East Asian Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

In 2007, China overtook the US to become the largest emitter of CO2 into the Earth’s atmosphere. China’s vital role in global efforts to combat climate change...

China Talks Climate: A Frame Analysis of Discourses on Climate Change and the Environment in the PRC

Published Online: Dec 05, 2018

Page range: 193 - 226

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/vjeas-2016-0007

Keywords
China, environment, development, climate change, frame analysis

© 2018 Prudence Willats, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

China Talks Climate: A Frame Analysis of Discourses on Climate Change and the Environment in the PRC

Published Online: Dec 05, 2018

Page range: 193 - 226

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/vjeas-2016-0007

KeywordsChina, environment, development, climate change, frame analysis

© 2018 Prudence Willats, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
China, environment, development, climate change, frame analysis