Covering the Heat Wave of 2023 in Foreign Media Discourse

This article is devoted to the specifics of the environmental media discourse on the example of the heat wave of 2023. The author analyzes authentic texts on the climatic phenomenon presented in English-language weekly news magazines of the United Kingdom, the United States and China. The study examines the functional and stylistic features of environmental media discourse, identifies thematic groups of vocabulary, and analyzes the effect of influence on the addressee. The study showed that environmental media discourse is characterized by an abundance of adjectives in the comparative and superlative degrees, nouns and verbs with the semantic components denoting rapid spread and growth, the use of intertextuality, evaluative vocabulary, metaphorical reinterpretation of common concepts, as well as the presentation of short- and long-term strategies in solving environmental issues. In the article, the author concludes that the main distinguishing features of media texts devoted to extreme heat are the use of a large number of lexemes with pejorative evaluative semantics, an image of heat as a militant aggressor and a destructive force is created. The effect on the reader varies depending on the media publication: from a more neutral one to creating a disaster effect and a gloomy forecast for the future.