How did the top two greenhouse gas emitters depict climate change? A comparative analysis of the Chinese and US media.

China and the United States are the world's top two greenhouse gas emitters. However, little is known as to the amount of attention the media in both countries have paid to the issue of climate change, and the ways in which their media framed the issue. To address both queries, this study analyzed the climate change coverage ( = 9,001) of the Chinese and US media, using a computational approach. Results revealed overall increases of attention to climate change in both countries' media from 2016 through 2019, whereas the Chinese witnessed a more evident increase after 2018. Moreover, the media in both countries tended to foster a sense of responsibilities rather than confining the issue to an episodic level. Furthermore, the US media highlighted political conflict and the catastrophic consequences of climate change, whereas the Chinese media highlighted public accountability and governance, as well as economic development and competitiveness.