Building a new environmentalism: News media access and framing in Canada's environmental movement

Abstract

This study provides a content and frame analysis of the news media advocacy of prominent environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) in Canada. We find that these organizations have an important voice in shaping how climate change is framed in news media, but that ecological modernization frames and narratives, which avoid issues of power, conflict, and social-transformative change, are dominant. Core elements of this discourse are contested, however, as some ENGOs oppose the fossil sector, critique the shortcomings of proffered (technological) climate solutions, and call for muscular interventions aimed at energy transition. We also find that environmental justice frames – particularly those focused on Indigenous rights – are gaining traction, revealing a promising pathway of influence for ENGOs focused on climate justice.