Motivating Technology Innovation Value in Climate Change Solutions: A Discourse Perspective

This study investigates the role of information technology innovation in climate change discourse, particularly in discussing flood solutions. We use Toulmin's Argument Pattern as the theoretical framework. Through the analysis of news articles from The New York Times, we identify key technology gaps in developing flood mitigation solutions. The discussion focuses primarily on natural issues as grounds and social actions as claims. Our initial findings reveal a significant absence of technology innovation considerations in the discourse. This oversight suggests a missed opportunity to incorporate information technology innovations as solutions that could play a crucial role in mitigating natural disasters. We propose a more integrated approach that includes technological innovations into the climate change discourse, thereby enhancing our ability to understand, manage, and respond to environmental challenges effectively. The detailed analysis will further investigate the grounds, warrants, and claims within the discourse to gain a deeper understanding of these argumentative components.