Preparing for a Post-Kyoto World : Framing Climate Change in 2009

With the treaty to replace the soon-to-expire Kyoto Protocol expected to be adopted in Copenhagen in December 2009, and climate legislation expected to be considered in the U.S., various actors are vying to frame the issue of climate change for the American public at the end of 2009. This paper examines New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Associated Press coverage of climate change in the last four months of 2009, describing the frames presented, analyzing the actors promoting the frames, and assessing the prevalence of those frames. This paper will be useful in understanding the political struggle taking place over whether to address the issue of climate change, and what should be done, in light of the upcoming decision points on the issue