Media Portrayals of Net Zero: Stakeholders’ Perspectives and Climate Solutions Framing

As global net zero commitments sit at odds with weak climate policy response, little is known about how the media’s news coverage communicates the idea of “net zero” to diverse audiences. This study examines how media portrays stakeholder interests and climate solutions through a mixed-methods analysis of 12,626 news articles published between 2010 and 2022. We find that despite exponential growth in net zero coverage following the Paris Agreement, overall sentiment remains relatively stable, masked by an undercurrent of diverging stakeholder perspectives. This fragmentation manifests through distinct framing patterns where industry and finance stakeholders receive positive coverage when associated with technological solutions, while policy interventions face more critical and negative framing. Our analysis further demonstrates how pivotal global events, particularly the Paris Agreement and Covid-19 pandemic, might have reoriented media narratives toward technological rather than policy-focused climate solutions, though the two are complementary. For environmental communicators and policymakers, our research offers evidence-based insights for developing targeted communication strategies that acknowledge diverse stakeholder portrayals while building dialogue on collective climate action.