[Commlist] Call for Papers: ‘Communicating Climate Change in an Age of Rising Authoritarian Populism’

Call for Papers: Journal of Environmental Media

Special Issue: ‘Communicating Climate Change in an Age of Rising 
Authoritarian Populism’

Editors:

Dr. Sibo Chen (Toronto Metropolitan University)

Dr. Jill Hopke (DePaul University)

Dr. Antal Wozniak (University of Liverpool)

Proposed Extended Abstract Deadline: 31 October 2025

Proposed Submission Deadline: 15 March 2026

Proposed Publication Date: Autumn 2026


View the full call here>>

https://www.intellectbooks.com/journal-of-environmental-media#call-for-papers 
<https://www.intellectbooks.com/journal-of-environmental-media#call-for-papers>


Overview

This Special Issue invites scholarly contributions that examine the 
mediated dimensions of climate change politics amid the global rise of 
authoritarianism and right-wing populism. Around the world, surging 
right-wing populist and authoritarian movements have profoundly reshaped 
public discourse on climate change by challenging scientific consensus 
and environmental advocacy through narratives that range from denial and 
disinformation to hyper-partisan framing. Considering this evolving 
discursive environment, the special issue will explore how climate 
change communication is being contested, co-opted or curtailed across 
platforms and geographies.

The timeliness of this topic is underscored by recent political 
developments. There are growing attempts to silence or subvert climate 
communication. In the United States, for instance, climate.gov 
<http://climate.gov/>, a major government climate science website, was 
reportedly stripped of content staff by political appointees in 2025, 
effectively halting the release of new public-facing climate 
information. The Guardian 
<https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/11/climate-website-shut-down-noaa>described 
this act as a ‘deliberate, targeted attack’ aimed at keeping scientific 
knowledge out of public reach. Furthermore, the websites of the U.S. 
National Climate Assessment reports, mandated by Congress, have been 
removed from the Internet, though the reports remain archived 
<https://repository.library.noaa.gov/welcome>by NOAA.

Meanwhile, a Yale Climate Connections analysis 
<https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/04/eight-of-the-top-10-online-shows-are-spreading-climate-misinformation/>found 
that 8 of the 10 most popular online shows have circulated false or 
misleading informationabout climate change, reflecting how right-leaning 
influencers dominate key platforms like podcasts and streaming media. 
Globally, similar patterns emerge in various forms – from populist 
leaders withdrawing from climate agreements 
<https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09644016.2022.2083478>to 
right-leaning media downplaying climate risks 
<https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-growing-divide-in-media-coverage-of-climate-change/>. 
These trends highlight the urgent need for scholarly insight into how 
media, power and ideology intersect on climate change debates.

This Special Issue aims to provide a dedicated forum to analyze how 
climate change is communicated – or obscured – amid the rise of 
far-right and authoritarian populism worldwide. We seek concise yet 
theoretically informed contributions that illuminate the dynamics of 
climate politics as a communication phenomenon. We especially welcome 
contributions that go beyond the Global North, examining cases in the 
Global South as well as transnational phenomena.

We encourage interdisciplinary perspectives and diverse methodological 
approaches. Submissions may be drawn from various disciplines (e.g., 
media studies, political ecology, sociology) but must maintain clear 
relevance to mediated climate politics. The goal is to advance 
understanding of how communication and media systems, both old and new, 
enable or challenge the politicization of climate change in an era of 
rising authoritarianism and right-wing backlash.

Contributors may address (but are not limited to) the following topics:

  *

    Authoritarian media, censorship, and climate information;

  *

    Climate populism and culture wars;

  *

    Digital misinformation ecosystems, including generative AI deep
    fakes and climate change;

  *

    Eco-fascism and right-wing environmentalism;

  *

    Far-right discourses of climate denial and delay;

  *

    High-tech capitalism and climate change;

  *

    Climate activism in authoritarian political contexts;

  *

    Challenges for messaging to partisan audiences;

  *

    Media, extreme weather and crisis narratives.

The list above is illustrative. This Special Issue will consist of two 
sections of contributions, both of which will undergo peer review.

  *

    Short commentaries(1,000–2,000 words): Brief, insightful essays or
    case commentaries that provoke thought or offer perspective on
    emerging issues related to the special issue theme.

  *

    Full length peer-reviewed articles(approx. 7,000 words): In-depth
    studies presenting original research, theoretical analysis or
    critical review.

Format and Style: All manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with 
Intellect’s Notes for Contributors 
<https://www.intellectbooks.com/asset/94783/1/JEM_NFC_May_25.pdf>for the 
Journal of Environmental Media. For further questions, potential authors 
may contact the Special Issue editors Sibo Chen <(sibo.chen /at/ torontomu.ca) 
<mailto:(sibo.chen /at/ torontomu.ca)>>, Jill Hopke <(jhopke /at/ depaul.edu) 
<mailto:(jhopke /at/ depaul.edu)>> and Antal Wozniak <(A.Wozniak /at/ liverpool.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(A.Wozniak /at/ liverpool.ac.uk)>>.

Note:Contributors may be asked to peer-review other submissions to the 
Special Issue to facilitate timely review.

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