Issue Networks and the Local Dynamics of Climate Crisis Narratives in Turkey

As the climate crisis increases its intensity and reach, with droughts, floods and heatwaves becoming regular occurrences, investigating the flow of information on media and communication platforms becomes highly valuable for understanding the factors shaping public discourse and setting the policies for an effective response. The literature portraying the current state of the crisis predominantly employs a western perspective, and relatively few studies focus on the other parts of the world which inhibit vulnerable populations. We find this approach problematic, considering the local dynamics experienced by these populations, and argue that the conditions for underrepresented populations need to be studied from within their localities. In this study we investigate the climate crisis narratives in Turkey, with the aim to shed light on how environmental degradation is being presented and which issues are potentially linked together with the climate crisis.

As a methodological approach we focus on the coverage and framing of the news media along with a variety of players on social media, such as environmental organizations, policymakers, activists and eco influencers, and employ network agenda setting (NAS) to draw on their viewpoints. We explore the issues correlated with the climate crisis on the news media following the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, and turn to social media to track the flow of associated dialogues. After having figured out the prominent players shaping the climate crisis narratives in the country, we utilize the NAS model to analyze the networked relationships among issues shared by these players, as well as the news media, and reveal the frames shaping these narratives.

Findings from this study will reveal the effect of local elements, such as the political and economic delimiters, on the climate crisis discourse and provide valuable insights for comparable countries, ultimately contributing to the global literature on environmental narratives.