WAR Metaphors and Agency

The Case of the COP27 News Coverage

Bibliographic Data

ID7993516
AuthorsIlaria Iori (0000-0001-7368-8166, University of Ferrara, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume11
Issue2
Publication date2025-06-03
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLingue Culture Mediazioni - Languages Cultures Mediation (LCM Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2284-1881 • E-ISSN: 2421-0293
PublisherLed Edizioni Universitarie (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.7358/lcm-2024-002-iori
OpenAlexW4411000525
LanguageEN
References cited28

This study investigates the role of war metaphors in conveying agency and responsibility within climate discourse, specifically in the context of COP27. Using a corpus of The New York Times articles and editorials from October to December 2022, the article analyses linguistic metaphors and frames and the extent to which metaphors can influence perceptions of climate action. The methodology involved using WMatrix 5 to extract words related to the source domain of war. The results show that war metaphors effectively convey the urgency to act against climate change, representing it as a violent force that especially affects vulnerable nations. The war frames assign different levels of agency to groups of social actors. Nations categorized as poor are depicted as the most affected by climate events and requiring external assistance while developing countries are portrayed as active participants in fighting climate change. Developed countries are framed as vaguely responsible and committed to future actions rather than immediate measures against climate change. The study shows how war metaphors can shape perceptions of agency and global responsibility in climate discourse

Action (physics · Agency (philosophy · Climate change · Context (archaeology · Perception · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Climate Change Communication and Perception · History · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Media Influence and Health · Psychology · Social Psychology

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Open DOIOpen Access