Language of the Climate Crisis: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Climate Activism
This study analyzes the language of climate activism using a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach, which reveals how activists construct urgency, moral responsibility, and systemic critique. The dataset comprises over 800 texts produced between 2018 and 2024, including speeches, social media posts, and protest signs. The study identifies rhetorical strategies that promote solidarity and mobilization, such as the use of collective pronouns (e.g., we, our) and crisis metaphors (e.g., climate emergency). Quantitative indicators TF-IDF, chi-square tests, and sentiment analysis reveal notable regional variation: activists in the Global South often appeal to colonial histories and justice, while those in the Global North emphasize generational responsibility. A further distinction is observed between youth-led and institutional movements. By combining discourse and quantitative analysis, the research demonstrates how language not only mobilizes action but also transforms climate discourse across sociopolitical contexts, offering deeper insight into environmental communication strategies in the 21st century.
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Climate Activism, Critical Discourse Analysis, Rhetoric, Climate Justice, Linguistic Strategies
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(1) Syed Shameel Ahmed Quadri
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan.
(2) Sidra Saleem
Lecturer, Iqra Institute of Science and Humanities, Jehangira, KP, Pakistan.
(3) Francesco Ernesto Alessi Longa
Faculty Member, Department of International Law, Azteca University, San Antonio, 56600 Chalco de DÃaz Covarrubias, Mexico.
Cite this article
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APA : Quadri, S. S. A., Saleem, S., & Longa, F. E. A. (2025). Language of the Climate Crisis: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Climate Activism. Global Political Review, X(II), 122-138. https://doi.org/10.31703/gpr.2025(X-II).12
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CHICAGO : Quadri, Syed Shameel Ahmed, Sidra Saleem, and Francesco Ernesto Alessi Longa. 2025. "Language of the Climate Crisis: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Climate Activism." Global Political Review, X (II): 122-138 doi: 10.31703/gpr.2025(X-II).12
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HARVARD : QUADRI, S. S. A., SALEEM, S. & LONGA, F. E. A. 2025. Language of the Climate Crisis: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Climate Activism. Global Political Review, X, 122-138.
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MHRA : Quadri, Syed Shameel Ahmed, Sidra Saleem, and Francesco Ernesto Alessi Longa. 2025. "Language of the Climate Crisis: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Climate Activism." Global Political Review, X: 122-138
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MLA : Quadri, Syed Shameel Ahmed, Sidra Saleem, and Francesco Ernesto Alessi Longa. "Language of the Climate Crisis: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Climate Activism." Global Political Review, X.II (2025): 122-138 Print.
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OXFORD : Quadri, Syed Shameel Ahmed, Saleem, Sidra, and Longa, Francesco Ernesto Alessi (2025), "Language of the Climate Crisis: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Climate Activism", Global Political Review, X (II), 122-138
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TURABIAN : Quadri, Syed Shameel Ahmed, Sidra Saleem, and Francesco Ernesto Alessi Longa. "Language of the Climate Crisis: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Climate Activism." Global Political Review X, no. II (2025): 122-138. https://doi.org/10.31703/gpr.2025(X-II).12