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arXiv · 2512.08183

Framing Climate Change on YouTube: North-South Divides in Narratives and Public Engagement

Sanika Damle·Radhika Krishnan
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Abstract

Climate change debates unfold increasingly on social media platforms, with YouTube serving as both a news source and a space for public discourse. While prior studies have often examined climate discourse at a global level, less attention has been paid to how geopolitical divides shape narratives and public responses online. This paper presents an exploratory analysis of climate-related YouTube videos through the lens of the Global North-South divide. We analyze 758 English-language videos linked to major international climate negotiation events and their associated comment sections. Using topic modeling to examine video transcripts and sentiment analysis to study audience reactions, we identify distinct patterns in how climate issues are framed and received. Videos that originate from the Global North more frequently emphasize emission reduction policies and institutional responsibility, while those from the Global South foreground development-related concerns. Audience responses diverge more sharply: comment sections under Global North videos are dominated by criticism and conspiracy-related discourse, whereas audiences are comparatively more supportive and offer constructive arguments under Global South videos. These findings highlight a gap between curated climate narratives and public sentiment on YouTube and suggest that platform dynamics may reinforce or reshape existing geopolitical divides in climate communication.

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Sanika Damle, Radhika Krishnan. 2025-12-09. Framing Climate Change on YouTube: North-South Divides in Narratives and Public Engagement. https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.08183

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